A power management and smart lighting system is provided that enables efficient distribution of DC power to various building features, including LED lighting. The power management system includes an intelligent power supply unit configured to convert AC power drawn from a building load center into a deadband DC waveform. The deadband DC power generated by the intelligent power supply unit is then transmitted over power-with-Ethernet cables to a plurality of distributed intelligent drivers, each configured to intelligently power one or more LED troffers. The intelligent drivers may be daisy-chained to one another by the power-with-Ethernet cables, enabling a power-ring architecture. To enable easy control of the drivers, intelligent sensors can be distributed throughout the topology and connected to the drivers (e.g., via power-with-Ethernet cables) to enable a wide array of lighting control options.