ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIGHTING SYSTEMS AND MISCELLANEOUS ELECTRICAL LOADS IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS – A REVIEW

Lighting and miscellaneous electrical loads (MELs) are important utilities that enhance indoor environmental quality (IEQ), the visual comfort of building occupants and directly affects occupant health and productivity and these utilities consume a significant portion of the total energy in a commercial building, in some cases close to 20% of the total energy consumption can be attributed to lighting and MEL electrical loads. This article aims to review the energy efficiency opportunities for lighting and MELs in office buildings and the current lighting and MELs control strategies that have been used to reduce energy consumption of lighting and MELs, so that the potential for improving energy efficiency for lighting systems and MELs can be identified and implemented. Articles on energy efficiency opportunities and control strategies and frameworks were reviewed. The articles reviewed indicated that there is substantial energy saving potential in the implementation of intelligent control systems.