Occupancy Sensor Lighting Control Checklist

Sensor-controlled zones need a named control note

An occupancy sensor note describes what was observed in a named lighting zone. It is not a device selection page and it does not say that a control arrangement is suitable for every space, task or person. Its job is narrower: note the zone, the observed on, off or dimmed state, the delay assumption, the daylight condition, any manual override and the measured check that belongs with that state.

For Australian offices, classrooms, amenities, warehouses, corridors, clinics and hospitality spaces, the same room can have more than one control condition across a day. A desk row may be on while a rear row is off. A storeroom may turn on only after movement near the entry. A meeting room may hold a dimmed state after people leave. A perimeter zone may be held down by daylight.

Keep the zone language close to lighting zone and the tabular shape close to lighting control notes. Where the note later feeds annual kWh, connect it to lighting control zones and operating hours and the lighting control kWh assumptions table.

Keep the sensor note distinct from luminaire choice

Occupancy sensor pages can easily drift into hardware choice, coverage patterns or electrical work. This page stays on the note side. It names what was seen from the room: which zone responded, which state appeared, how long the state appeared to remain, whether daylight changed the result and which measured illuminance readings belong with that condition.

If the same area needs a lighting quantity estimate, keep that estimate on its own line. A room lighting estimate can describe a room area and target condition. A workplace lighting estimate can hold a task-focused lighting check. Those estimates sit beside the control note; they do not turn the sensor observation into a suitability claim.

Zone boundaries should be visible in the wording

A control note is clearest when the zone boundary can be recognised later. The boundary might be a room, desk row, aisle, amenity area, storage area, circulation path or perimeter band. The wording should show what is inside the zone and what is outside it.

For multi-zone rooms, do not let one sensor note stand for the whole room. A perimeter zone beside windows may behave differently from an inner zone. A warehouse aisle may respond differently from a loading bay. A classroom entry row may stay on while a presentation area is dimmed. These are not faults by themselves; they are note boundaries.

Observed states need plain labels

The note should name the state before judging a reading or energy estimate. "On" means the zone appeared on at its observed output. "Off" means the luminaires appeared off. "Dimmed" means the output appeared lower than the normal state. "Held on" and "held off" are observation labels, not promises about why the control acted that way.

Where a dimmed value matters, connect the note to dimming range and note the visible level if known. A scene label, wall control label or meter reading can help, but the note should remain modest. If the level is not known, write unknown.

Delay assumptions belong beside the observation

Time delay affects both measured readings and annual kWh assumptions. A note can say that a zone changed after an observed number of minutes, that a timer label was visible, or that the delay was unknown. It should not claim internal programming unless that information was directly available and recorded.

For energy comparison, place delay notes beside lighting control kWh assumptions. For operating schedules, keep the hours band in operating hours lighting schedule. The control note should join the two without promising a result.

Daylight override should be recorded as a condition

Daylight can change how a sensor-controlled zone behaves. It may hold a zone off, dim a zone, or make a measured reading difficult to compare with an after-dark condition. The note should state the daylight condition and the observed control state without making a broad claim about daylight-control suitability.

For side-by-side notes, keep daylight-only, electric-only and combined conditions near daylight vs electric lighting notes. When measured readings are involved, keep point labels and planes near lux meter reading notes and measured illuminance.

Link measured checks to the same control state

A lux reading without the control state can become misleading. A point taken when a sensor zone is on cannot be compared cleanly with a point taken when the same zone is dimmed or held off. The note should hold point label, plane, daylight condition and control state together before averages are calculated.

When a point set is ready for averaging, the lux meter average can summarise readings that share the same plane and condition. When the same space has a calculated estimate, keep room lighting or workplace lighting output beside the measured note rather than inside it.

Energy comparison needs connected load and hours

An occupancy sensor note can support an energy estimate only when the connected load, hours and control assumptions are named. The connected load field should match the luminaires in the zone. The hours field should match operating hours rather than a broad site guess.

For annual kWh, keep formulas near annual lighting kWh formulas and the note shape near business lighting energy notes. A numeric comparison can sit beside an energy change estimate, lighting power density estimate or luminous efficacy check when the inputs are clearly labelled.

Compact occupancy sensor control note

A compact note can fit into a spreadsheet or site note as long as each line keeps the same boundary. The point is to make later comparisons calmer: the reader can see which zone, state, delay, daylight condition and measured values were present.

The cleanest note is modest. It says what happened in a named Australian lighting zone under stated conditions. It keeps daylight, sensor state, delay, operating hours and kWh assumptions visible without turning the page into a hardware choice, wiring guide or guaranteed energy outcome.