One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for preventing incorrect lighting changes in a daylight-harvesting system, which controls the output of a lighting system based on the presence of daylight and/or other light sources to reduce energy usage. During operation, the system measures a first light level using a first sensor. Next, the system measures a second light level for a different field-of-view using a second sensor. When the system detects through the first sensor a change in the first light level, the system determines from the second sensor whether the second light level has also changed. If the first sensor and the second sensor both detect a change (in the same direction) in the measured light levels, the system adjusts the light output of the lighting system to maintain target light levels for the area.