With 40-hour-plus work weeks the norm and no signs of that trend
reversing, seeing well in the office at any time of day or night
is necessary to get the job done. Illumination in the office can
mean a combination of different types of light, artificial and
natural. But the big story in lighting centers on new products
and control systems that bring the discipline to the forefront
of commercial integration. Just as heating, ventilating and air-
conditioning (HVAC) has become one with building management and
energy savings, lighting has stepped up to take its place as
part of the integrated control environment. It makes perfect
sense. Most of a building’s energy costs come from the use of
lighting. Statistics continue to show uncon-trolled lighting can
raise the temperature inside the building and cause HVAC systems
to operate more frequently. Lighting also has become closely
tied to energy efficiency and the green building movement,
epitomized in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) program