Lighting Design Lab

What Lighting Design Lab does

Lighting Design Lab, rebranding to "The Lab at City Light," is a Seattle-based educational and technical resource organization that has operated since 1989 as an organizational unit of Seattle City Light, a municipal utility owned by the City of Seattle. The Lab delivers free, vendor-neutral training, technical resources, and consultation services on energy-efficient lighting systems, networked lighting controls (NLC), heat pump technology, and building electrification strategies. Its service portfolio comprises four core offerings: live and recorded Education Programs, on-demand Course Recordings, a Technical Resources library of 147+ articles/PDFs/guides, and one-on-one Consultations. The Lab serves a Pacific Northwest audience of trade allies (contractors, electricians, designers, engineers), building owners and developers, and policy makers and sustainability leaders involved in building decarbonization.

The Lab operates a non-commercial, publicly funded revenue model: all programs are offered at no charge to participants and financed through Seattle City Light ratepayer programs. Distribution is multi-channel, combining a self-serve online learning platform (lightingdesignlab.com), GoToWebinar for live sessions, LinkedIn for community engagement, and direct email communications. Continuing education credit pathways through NCQLP (LEU), AIA (LU/HSW), and AEE (CLEP/CEM/CEA) embed the Lab's training into mandatory professional development for the design and engineering communities. Notable client engagements include a lighting mockup facilitation for REI on next-generation LED accent lighting, and a co-presented case study with PAE Engineers and LMN Architects on heat pump-based electrification of the Ocean Pavilion aquarium.

The organization is staffed by a small team of 3-10 professionals, including an Executive Director (Irina Rasputnis), a Senior Building Technology Specialist (Robert Bogataj), a Senior Lighting Specialist (Eric Strandberg), and a Marketing Development Coordinator (Katie Seling). Strategic partnerships extend its reach across the regional built environment ecosystem, including BetterBuiltNW, UW Integrated Design Lab, and Building Potential's Smart Buildings Center. The 2025 rebrand to "The Lab at City Light" signals a deliberate repositioning from a lighting-only education provider to a broader building technology and electrification resource hub within the municipal utility framework.

Name

Lighting Design Lab

Legal name

Lighting Design Lab

Website

https://lightingdesignlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lighting Design Lab (rebranding to The Lab at City Light) is a Seattle City Light municipal utility program providing free, vendor-neutral education, training, and technical resources on energy-efficient lighting, networked lighting controls, heat pumps, and building electrification to Pacific Northwest trade allies, building professionals, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Efficiency Education Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Lighting education
• Energy efficiency training
• Building electrification resources
• Networked lighting controls
• Heat pump training

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Education Services: Free educational services funded by Seattle City Light utility ratepayer programs. No commercial revenue generation - operates as a municipal energy efficiency program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lighting Design Lab (operating as The Lab at City Light) delivers free, vendor-neutral education and technical resources on energy-efficient lighting, networked lighting controls, heat pump technology, building electrification, and energy code compliance. Offerings are delivered as live and recorded webinars, in-person and online courses, downloadable guides, and one-on-one consultations to trade allies, building professionals, and policymakers in the Pacific Northwest. All programs are funded by Seattle City Light ratepayer programs and provided at no cost to participants.

Product overview

Lighting Design Lab (operating as The Lab at City Light) is an educational and technical resource organization that provides a portfolio of services including Education Programs, Course Recordings, Technical Resources, and Consultations. The organization specializes in lighting systems and energy-efficient strategies, with particular focus on Networked Lighting Controls (NLC), Heat Pump Water Heater technology, Building Electrification, and Energy Code Compliance Training. These offerings are delivered through online classes, webinars, recorded presentations, PDF guides, and one-on-one consultations to help professionals advance their knowledge of building technology and energy efficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• PAE EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026PAE Engineers collaborated with The Lab at City Light to present on the Ocean Pavilion project, showcasing how heat pump technology enabled a low-carbon solution for electrifying a waterfront aquarium while maintaining precise environmental conditions for marine life.
• LMN ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2026Partnered with The Lab at City Light for the Ocean Pavilion presentation, contributing architectural design expertise to the electrified aquarium project case study.
• BetterBuiltNWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBetterBuiltNW is referenced as a partner providing educational content on ductless heat pump installation practices, buyers guides, and sizing systems for cold climates.
• Building Potential's Smart Buildings CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization mentioned as complementing The Lab's education and services with unique offerings for building technologies.
• UW Integrated Design LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Washington Integrated Design Lab provides complementary education and services in building technologies.
• BPA Comfort Ready HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPA program offering education and services complementary to The Lab's building technology offerings.
• Seattle City LightflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - Lighting Design Lab is an organizational unit of Seattle City Light, a municipal utility. All programs and services are funded through Seattle City Light's ratepayer programs.
• NCQLP (National Council on Qualifications for Lighting Professions)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides LC (Lighting Certified) continuing education credits - The Lab offers courses eligible for LEU credits.
• AIA (American Institute of Architects)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides LU (Learning Unit) continuing education credits - The Lab offers courses with HSW topics eligible for AIA credits.
• AEE (Association of Energy Engineers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides various continuing education and organizational designations (CLEP, CEM, CEA) recognized through AEE Certification Program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC): University-based lighting research, demonstration, and education center at UC Davis, with an analogous mission of advancing energy-efficient lighting through applied research, training, and technical resources for the lighting and building community.
• DesignLights Consortium (DLC): Nonprofit organization that drives high-performance lighting through technical specifications, a Qualified Products List, and education for utilities and lighting professionals — directly comparable as a neutral lighting-efficiency body serving the trade-ally ecosystem.
• BetterBuiltNW: PNW-based education program offering ductless heat pump, HPWH, and cold-climate training — directly overlapping LDL's heat-pump and electrification curriculum and a documented LDL partner.
• UW Integrated Design Lab: University of Washington building-technology research and education center providing complementary courses, case studies, and applied research on high-performance buildings — an existing LDL partner with overlapping audience and mission.
• Building Potential / Smart Buildings Center: Pacific Northwest hub for building-technology education and convening, explicitly partnered with LDL and serving an overlapping trade-ally and building-professional audience on smart-building adoption.

Broad incumbents

• Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA): Regional energy-efficiency alliance funded by PNW utilities, coordinating energy-efficiency programs including BetterBuiltNW; broadly comparable as a utility-funded EE convener operating one tier above LDL's direct-training focus.
• Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE): National EE consortium of gas and electric utility program administrators that coordinates residential and commercial efficiency programs nationally — comparable structure but at much broader geographic scope than LDL.

Others

• Illuminating Engineering Society (IES): Lighting standards body and professional society whose continuing-education and standards work shapes the same audience LDL trains; relevant as an adjacent enabling/standards participant rather than a direct competitor.
• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD): International professional association for lighting designers, representing the same practitioner segment LDL upskills through its courses; comparable audience, complement rather than compete.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lighting-design-lab
• Xx.com/lightingdlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/lightingdesignlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lighting Design Lab