The global lighting controls market will soar to $8 billion by 2018, according to Global Industry Analysts.

The predicted growth is mainly driven by the rising importance of energy efficiency across sectors and the increasing demand for wireless lighting controls.

The demand for lighting control systems is growing across various building types, such as airports, factories, hospitals and railway stations. Advances in R&D and manufacturing have enabled the introduction of numerous innovative lighting control products.

The popularity of wireless lighting control systems is increasing as they are cheaper in construction terms, and easier to set up, as no modification to existing structures is required. Patterns suggest that wireless control systems are set to overtake wired control systems in sales.

Ballasts account for the largest portion of the lighting controls market, and the advent of electronic ballasts and the subsequent dip in price, coupled with their energy efficiency resulted in markets swaying in favour of electronic ballasts.

Currently, Europe is the largest regional lighting controls market worldwide. It is closely followed by the USA, with Asia-Pacific offering the highest growth potential due to an increase in construction activity and mandatory government policies that require the incorporation of green technologies and adherence to various energy efficiency standards.