October 9, 2023

Massachusetts Inspector General Pushes for Lighting Control Change

Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro advocates for public schools to use open-source solutions

Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro has drawn attention to the pitfalls of smart building technology, using Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham as a case study. Shapiro believes that mitigating risks associated with smart building technology is an ongoing need. He recently sent a letter to the state Treasurer and to the School Building Authority, recommending that Massachusetts public schools considering smart systems use open source software over proprietary software, which, according to Shapiro, poses incident risks.

Shapiro's letter specifically indicates that a malfunctioning lighting controls system at Minnechaug High School utilized DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) protocol. He highlighted the underlying proprietary software and absence of remote access as primary issues. While advising against proprietary software, Shapiro also advised that it could be considered when accompanied by a clear, written administrative, maintenance and end-of-life plan, along with administrative controls retained by the school district.

A potential flaw in Shapiro's recommendation is that a reliable open-source lighting control software might not exist. It seems that all the software-based lighting control systems we know of operate using the manufacturer's proprietary software. Shapiro might be advocating for an open protocol for lighting control in building automation, akin to DALI, while also emphasizing the need for the associated software to manage and dim individual lights in a dependable and intelligent manner.

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According to a 2021 writeup in the school newspaper by Lilli DiGrande, a power outage in August 2021 originally caused the failure in the lighting control system. This year, NBC News reported that when the controls system failed, it prevented any controls from working, leaving the lights constantly on. Coupled with supply chain delays, Shapiro states the issue resulted in about $150,000 in costs.

As more background, Minnechaug Regional High School was rebuilt in 2012 and included a first-generation software-based lighting controls system made by Fifth Light. Contrary a report published in January by EdisonReport, lighting controls brand Fifth Light is not owned by Boston lighting agent, Reflex Lighting. Fifth Light was a Canadian lighting controls company that was acquired by Cooper Lighting the same year the school was rebuilt and it continues to be a brand of Cooper Lighting Solutions.

Above: Excerpt from Shapiro's letter to the Massachusetts School Building Authority

Shapiro points to this high school lighting controls project as evidence of broader problems in smart building tech. He emphasized the potential risks and underscored by the risks of proprietary systems and the urgency to address them.

Shapiro's recommendations for schools mulling over smart technology include:

Ensure that systems are designed and installed by qualified, reputable vendors. Require prospective vendors to provide proof of prior work and references to customers.
Utilize open-source, rather than proprietary software, which will allow easier adaptation to future changes and give more choices for repairs and upgrades. Consider proprietary software only with a clear, written administrative, maintenance and end-of-life plan, along with administrative controls retained by the school district.
Establish incident response plans with the vendor for issues such as software corruption or failure. This may include manual override capabilities, administrative access to the server to update security and virus protection, and personnel training on how to control the system without outside assistance from the vendor.
Determine what ongoing service needs may be necessary for the technology and require service agreements for technical support and upgrades of hardware and software.
Require warranty information and determine if it covers only certain aspects of a system, such as hardware or software, then require enhanced warranty protections that match the complexity of the system and criticality of the function provided, as a condition of specifying such systems in the building design and construction.