Signify is evolving from lighting to comprehensive space‑wide energy management.

Hello everyone. Today, we’re focusing on a strategic development in the lighting industry: Signify has upgraded its Interact Office Flex system, expanding its scope from lighting energy efficiency to comprehensive space‑wide energy management.

Let’s start with the core highlights of this upgrade. Signify announced that the Interact Office Flex smart interconnected system is breaking free from the confines of traditional lighting to deliver an intelligent, full‑space energy management solution. Powered by sensor‑equipped luminaires, the system establishes a robust data‑collection network and leverages AI to dynamically adjust and optimize HVAC control and daylight harvesting efficiency. The new application supports both on‑premises deployment and cloud‑based operation, helping to reduce operating costs for lighting, HVAC, and other building systems.

From a technical standpoint, three key capabilities stand out. First, lighting as a sensor network: Smart luminaires equipped with built-in sensors create a high‑granularity data‑collection mesh throughout the building. Combined with automated curtain‑control algorithms, this maximizes natural light utilization while selectively blocking thermal radiation as needed. Second, focused spatial environment management: HVAC and daylight harvesting are integrated into a unified control panel, dynamically balancing natural and artificial lighting based on real‑time occupancy and external environmental conditions, with finely tuned zoning for HVAC and precise adjustment of window coverings. Third, forward‑looking proactive maintenance: By introducing a large‑scale spatiotemporal model, the system aggregates and analyzes spatial conditions, environmental parameters, and user behavior data, providing facility managers with real‑time operational insights through a single, consolidated dashboard.

In terms of adaptability, the system boasts exceptional scalability, making it compatible with approximately 60% of China’s existing commercial buildings. According to calculations based on Signify’s proprietary algorithms, this full‑space energy management solution can cut overall indoor energy consumption by roughly 10%. Guan Yuxiang, General Manager of Signify’s Greater China Product Center, noted that today’s customers face mounting challenges—complex, fragmented building management systems and ever‑increasing operational complexity—and that this upgrade aims to consolidate these disparate systems into a unified, synergistic whole.

Old Hong’s perspective:

First, the strategic direction is commendable. After years of advancing smart interconnected lighting, many projects have remained stuck at dimming and color‑tuning. The key innovation here lies in embedding the sensing value of luminaires directly into HVAC—the major energy‑consuming component—using the lighting sensor network to optimize HVAC performance. This creates a powerful leverage effect, delivering superior energy savings and accelerating customer ROI.

Second, the value of AI is being realized in concrete ways. Traditionally, building automation relied on preset rules and human expertise, resulting in delayed, coarse adjustments. With the introduction of the spatiotemporal large‑model, subsystems such as lighting, HVAC, and window treatments shift from passive response to proactive prediction, truly forming a dynamic optimization feedback loop rather than merely stacking devices.

Third, the true value of this upgrade resides in its data‑driven foundation. Whoever controls the most granular, real‑time occupancy data within a building holds the key to accessing deeper layers of building management. On the surface, it’s about energy management; underneath, it’s about establishing a strategic foothold. For facility managers, integrating scattered building management platforms into a single system and simplifying operations represents a genuine need—and this is where the upgrade offers the greatest potential for innovation.

Overall, transitioning from lighting to comprehensive office‑space energy management is an inevitable path for leading lighting companies. Signify has taken the lead, and this evolution warrants continued attention.

What do you think of this technological upgrade? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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About the author, Hong Bing:

Hong Bing currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of China Light Network and Agricultural Lighting Network—the official websites of the China Illuminating Electrical Appliances Association—as well as Executive Dean of Ming Classroom. He also holds positions as Deputy Director of the Talent Training Committee and Secretary-General of the Agricultural Lighting Professional Committee under the China Illuminating Electrical Appliances Association, Secretary-General of the Lighting Alumni Association of Fudan University, and a board member of the Ecological Environment Alumni Association at CEIBS. Graduating from Fudan University’s Department of Light Sources and Lighting Engineering in 1991, he earned an MBA from CEIBS in 2003. Over the years, he has worked in R&D, product planning, and marketing at institutions including the China Building Materials Academy, Panasonic, GE, and OSRAM. In 2008, he received Siemens’ Global Top Plus Award and Siemens China’s Excellence in Performance Award, and in 2009 founded China Light Network.