Lighting controls for people, not just performance
Ed Wilkes, Head of Smart Lighting Solutions at Zumtobel Lighting (UK), shows how overreliance on efficacy, CCT and CRI can produce cold, uncomfortable spaces, and how thoughtful control strategies deliver measurable gains in wellbeing, productivity and energy.
For all the innovation of the last decade, lighting projects still too often default to ‘design by numbers’. Schemes satisfy headline metrics such as efficacy, CCT, CRI and cost, yet fall short where it matters most: human experience and long-term performance value. It is a paradox. Lighting has never been more capable, yet many buildings feel cold, overlit and uncomfortable. As buildings move towards Net Zero and the increasing benefits of a smart infrastructure, lighting teams are now expected to deliver comfort, data and operational efficiency rather than simple compliance. The problem is not the metrics themselves.
Standards such as those from CIBSE provide a vital common language for safety, efficacy and reliability. However, I suggest that metrics should guide rather than prescribe. When specifiers fixate on colour temperature, lumen output or efficacy, the subtleties that distinguish adequate lighting from enriching environments can be lost.
When numbers drive decisions, people fall out of view
A scheme might hit 4000K, 90+ CRI and excellent lm/W, yet still leave occupants struggling with glare, sat in flat, lifeless spaces that undermine mood and concentration. Studies have demonstrated what occupants already know instinctively: lighting that ignores circadian rhythms, daylight variation or visual comfort can impair sleep, cause headaches, reduce productivity and increase stress. The industry needs to recognise lighting not only as a technical system but also as a kind of art form that shapes emotional and physiological responses in ways that cannot be entirely captured by spreadsheets. The intangibles matter: soft gradients, absence of harsh shadows, low-glare optics, visual hierarchy and the ability to tune lighting for tasks or time of day. These are not sentimental extras. They are central to lighting quality, inclusivity and wellbeing.
Integrated controls as an enabler of quality
Where the conversation often goes astray is by assuming that lighting quality is a product choice alone. In reality, lighting controls are just as critical when delivering environments that people thrive within.
A controls strategy grounded in human needs rather than purely energy performance can:
• support circadian rhythms through tuneable white and schedule based transitions
• reduce visual stress through daylight balancing and glare mitigation
• improve task performance through adaptable scenes
• enhance safety and accessibility for those with sensory sensitivities
• reduce energy by ensuring light is only delivered where and when needed
Thoughtful strategies that combine daylight and occupancy sensing, task tuning, simple scene-setting and clear occupant overrides deliver measurable improvements in wellbeing and productivity while also reducing energy consumption. This matters because sustainability is too often framed as compliance: reduce energy, achieve BREEAM or WELL credits, and tick the box. However, controls unlock deeper value. As Zumtobel’s Smart Building Solutions team often highlights; controls act as a bridge between building systems. Occupancy and environmental information from sensors can optimise heating, ventilation, security or even cleaning schedules. Small operational gains compound into significant long-term savings.
Common failure modes and how to avoid them
Despite the potential, many control strategies fail in practice. Three patterns appear repeatedly:
• Overspecification
Complex systems using multiple different protocols are installed ‘just in case’, with layers of functionality that confuse users and FM teams
• Under-commissioning
The hardware is present, scenes are not tuned, daylight calibration is skipped and sensors remain in default modes only offering a small portion of the capability
• Permanent override
Occupants find the system frustrating, and switches are disabled. At that point, the building is no longer smart, it is simply stuck
To overcome these pitfalls, I suggest three shifts:
• Interoperability by default
Using open protocols such as DALI-2 that support sensor data, energy reporting environmental quality and integration without vendor lock-in
• Outcome based KPIs
Measuring performance against goals such as glare reduction, comfort feedback, energy usage and circadian alignment rather than luminaire counts alone
• A usable handover
FM teams need more than O&M manuals. They require how-to guides, commissioning reports and clarity on how to run and adapt the system over time
Controls are not ‘set and forget’. They are operational systems. Without a credible handover and governance plan, the real-world value struggles to be realised.
From compliance to experience
If the industry embraced holistic lighting quality and control, what would buildings look like? They would feel more like places designed for people, not for spreadsheets. Crucially, such buildings would still meet the performance demands of modern sustainability frameworks. Smart controls already enable energy savings of between 40% and 80% by matching lighting delivery to occupancy, daylight and schedule. They reduce carbon, lower OPEX and provide the data required for continuous improvement. However, the point is not efficiency alone. It is efficiency that enhances lighting quality rather than erodes it.
Lighting that serves people
Lighting’s role in modern buildings should now encompass sustainability, data, accessibility, neurodiversity and organisational productivity. Treating metrics and standards as helpful guardrails rather than creative constraints allows designers to honour this complexity. Ultimately, the goal is simple. We utilise easy to use lighting controls creating environments that are easy to live and work in within buildings that support real human needs rather than just compliance. When lighting is designed for people first, and not only for performance metrics, the result is spaces that welcome, empower and elevate the everyday.
