Method for calibrating a lighting control system that facilitates daylight harvesting

An apparatus that continuously calibrates a lighting system to facilitate daylight-harvesting, which involves combining the output of the lighting system with daylight and/or other light sources to reduce energy usage while providing a lighting for an area, where the lighting system includes multi-level lighting capabilities for one or more light sources, comprising:

• a determining mechanism configured to determine a target light level for the area, wherein determining a target light level for the area involves determining a minimum amount of light for the area based on the measured light levels output by the lighting system;
• a measurement mechanism configured to measure the light levels for the area when the lighting system is at a high energy-level, is at an intermediate energy-level, and is turned off;
• wherein the determining mechanism is further configured to determine from the measured light levels the light output of the lighting system for the different energy-levels;
• wherein the measurement mechanism is further configured to measure a present light level for the area;
• and
• an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the light output of the lighting system based on the target light level, a lighting control parameter, the light output of the lighting system, and the present light level for the area;
• wherein the measurement mechanism, the determining mechanism, and the adjustment mechanism are configured to repeat some or all of their operations during operation of the lighting system to ensure that the area receives the minimum amount of light over time without human intervention.