Rita Renner, mwConnect | Chris Wolgamott, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
Wednesday
March 19, 2025
8:30 pm - 9:30 am EST
March 19, 2025
8:30 pm - 9:30 am EST
Credits TBD
Intermediate
The lighting controls community has been chasing two ‘holy grails’ for a long time: true interoperability and integrating control of multiple building systems such as lighting and HVAC. But few results are available to show just how this works in the real world for real retrofits. This session will explore a NEEA demonstration project that showcases multiple open lighting protocols—Bluetooth NLC, DALI D4i, Zhaga—as well as HVAC integration using Modbus over WiFi. The presenters will share the scope of the demonstration, some of the implementation challenges as well as early results including energy and non-energy benefits.
A basic understanding of networked lighting controls (NLC), open protocols and HVAC integration would enhance an attendee’s experience.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will gain an understanding of the project overview, including the technologies being demonstrated as well as the facility characteristics.
- Attendees will learn how the project team created the demonstration design, including control strategies, sequences of operations, integration of lighting and HVAC controls.
- Presenters will share the implementation challenges, exploring where the key difficulties existed and how the project team overcame them.
- Attendees will learn the early performance results from the demonstration project; what the initial energy savings were, as well as other non-energy performance goals.
Speakers
Rita Renner
Director of Marketing
mwConnect (formerly McWong International)
Seasoned in cleantech and energy efficiency, Rita A. Renner has held senior marketing and outreach positions in the lighting controls industry, including WattStopper, Echelon and mwConnect. As a consultant, she has served clients in pre-IPO lighting controls companies, electrical/data construction, professional services firms, and policy making organizations. Rita has a B.A. summa cum laude from Mount Mary College and a J.D. cum laude from Santa Clara University School of Law.
Chris Wolgamott
Senior Product Manager, Technology and Product Manangement
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
For over 25 years Chris Wolgamott has worked in the utility business in the Pacific Northwest, as a program manager, energy efficiency engineer and product manager. Mr. Wolgamott is recognized as a subject matter expert (SME) for LLLC (Luminaire Level Lighting Controls). He works extensively with lighting manufacturers on where the future of lighting and controls are headed. His work in the utility business has allowed him to gain vast knowledge on how incentive programs are developed and run.
As the Senior Product Manager for Commercial, Residential Lighting and Commercial HVAC including Efficient Rooftop Units (eRTU) and Very High Efficient DOAs (VHE DOAs) with NEEA, Chris works with manufacturers on increasing the efficiency of lighting, lighting controls and commercial HVAC units and controls. Chris leads all emerging tech research on lighting products to support transformation of the commercial and residential lighting markets, as well as emerging tech research for all aspects of commercial HVAC.
Chris started his energy efficiency career at NW Natural Gas Co. working with residential and commercial customers to find ways to more efficiently use natural gas. After 6 years in the natural gas industry he decided to fuel switch and went to work for Eugene Water and Electric Board, a local public utility. Chris worked with the commercial energy efficiency department to promote electric conservation. It was during this time that he found his passion for lighting. Seven years later he moved to Portland OR to work as a contractor for Bonneville Power Administration. During his 3 years at BPA Chris was the commercial lighting energy efficiency engineer for the Energy Efficiency department. His time as the lighting engineer was spent working with the utilities of the Northwest to promote high quality and efficient lighting.