On this page 3 sections
Occupancy sensor lighting where rooms empty out — not on a constantly occupied floor
Occupancy controls belong in rooms that empty out. In a constantly occupied open office they fight the occupants. The sensor, the timeout, and the load have to be listed together.
A switch or a dimmer instead
Controls the occupants will actually operate are lighting controls.
Daylight at the glass
Dimming where daylight reaches the task is daylight controls.
The office as a floor
Open plan versus meeting rooms is office lighting.
The sensor type, the timeout, and what California code already requires
In California these controls are rarely optional — Title 24 requires occupancy or vacancy sensing in most of these rooms, and it distinguishes automatic-on occupancy from manual-on vacancy by the space. The sensor that satisfies the code is the one matched to how the room is actually used.
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Occupancy vs vacancy
Title 24 calls for manual-on vacancy control in offices, conference and multipurpose rooms; automatic occupancy control fits warehouses, corridors, and stairwells. Fitting the wrong one is a failed inspection, not a preference.
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PIR, ultrasonic, or dual-tech
Line-of-sight PIR misses a still occupant behind a monitor; ultrasonic catches small motion but false-triggers on airflow. Dual-technology is the answer for the rooms that keep going dark on people.
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Coverage, timeout, and the neutral
Mounting height, room shape, and the delay are commissioned to the space. Many sensors need a neutral the old switch box never ran — that is a wiring change, not a device swap.
When occupancy controls aren’t the right job
Sensors in empty rooms are this job. The switching umbrella, or a new office lighting layout, are not.
The floor needs a switch, a dimmer, or a panel
That is lighting controls.
The perimeter should dim with the sun
That is daylight controls.
Occupancy controls questions
The open office keeps going dark on people.
That is a sensor on a constantly occupied floor. Occupancy belongs in empty rooms. Switching for the open plan is lighting controls.
Code asked for vacancy in the meeting rooms.
That is this job — manual-on vacancy sensing, matched to the room and commissioned so it does not fight the occupants.
The perimeter also has to dim.
Daylight is daylight controls. Do not treat a daylight sensor as an occupancy sensor.
The walls moved.
Then start at office lighting. Sensors cannot fix a grid that no longer matches the rooms.
What's the difference between a motion sensor and an occupancy sensor?
A motion/vacancy sensor turns lights off when the room is empty. Occupancy can also turn them on when someone enters.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves businesses throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
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