Skip to main content
Case study · Networked lighting controls

Stairwells that never go dark

64 units in Upper Manhattan — two stairwells, eight corridor floors and the common rooms, already LED, every fixture at full around the clock.

Multifamily · Upper Manhattan · 13 zones

Stairwell section with bi-level controlA stair shaft in section, six landings tall. Every landing fixture holds a twenty percent egress level; the landing where a resident is climbing is at full, lifted by the sensor a flight ahead. A side panel explains the bi-level sequence and high-end trim.STAIR B — SECTION · BI-LEVEL EGRESSL1 — 20%L2 — 20%L3 — 100%L4 — 20%L5 — 20%L6 — 20%Sensor below — lifts L3Street levelHow the stair runs20% around the clockEgress light is always there. It never goes dark.Full a flight aheadThe sensor below lifts the landing above before you reach it.Trimmed to 85%Tuned output — the fixtures never run past what the stair needs.Tuned, then bi-level:Out of the box100%Trimmed85%Standby20%Code keeps stairs lit 24/7 — bi-level is how that stopscosting full power around the clock.Landing fixtureOccupancy sensorWireless meshControl device
Figure 1 — One resident climbing: their landing at full, lifted a flight ahead. The rest hold 20%.
Schedule

Zone by zone

Thirteen zones: two stairs, eight corridor floors, and the common rooms.

ZoneSpaceHrs/yrControlWhy
Z-1 – Z-2Stairwells ×28,76020% bi-level, lift a flight aheadEgress light can never go dark
Z-3 – Z-10Corridors, one per floor8,76020% standby, occupancy to fullOccupied minutes at a time
Z-11Lobby and mail8,760Daylight + occupancy, trimmedGlazed front; daylit mornings
Z-12 – Z-13Laundry and bike room5,000Occupancy, full offNo standby needed behind doors
Commissioned

Sequence of operations

How each zone is programmed.

SpaceSequenceNote
Stairwells ×220% standby · lift a flight aheadBi-level egress, never dark
Corridors ×820% standby · occupancy to fullOne floor lifts at a time
All fixtureshigh-end trim at 85%Tuned to the space, not the spec sheet
Common roomsoccupancy · full off behind doorsLaundry doesn't idle lit
Calculated

Annual impact

14,480kWh avoided / yr
$3,620saved / yr at $0.25/kWh
5.7 t
CO₂ avoided / yr
≈640
gallons of gasoline equivalent
≈95
tree seedlings grown 10 years

Start with a feasibility memo

A savings range and a scope for your building, before you commit.

Get a feasibility memo