Energy + Environment

My January column for the Lighting Controls Association blog and newsletter lightingCONTROL summarizes the major lighting changes in the new LEED v4. Of particular interest for general lighting is a new “lighting quality” provision (EQc6, Interior Lighting, 1 point), which lists eight options and requires adoption of at least four of them in the design. [...]

The General Services Administration recently recognized The Green Building Initiative’s (GBI) Green Globes alongside LEED as the two recommended third-party certification systems for the federal government to use to gauge performance of its buildings. Green Globes is a web-based program for green building guidance and certification that includes an onsite assessment by a third party. [...]

Energy efficiency measures are thriving in state capitals around the United States, with several states–including Mississippi, Connecticut, Illinois, and West Virginia–taking major steps that moved them up the ranks in the seventh annual edition of the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The State Scorecard shows that [...]

The Illuminating Engineering Society has published an updated version of its authoritative reference on lighting upgrades, LEM-3-13. The document has been organized into three sections. The first describes general issues related to upgrading regardless of technology. The second covers equipment typically used in upgrades. And the third describes four applications (office, retail, school, healthcare) where [...]

I recently had the opportunity to interview Kurt Vogel, Director, Product Development – Relight, Acuity Brands Lighting, for an article I wrote about the office building lighting upgrade market for The Electrical Distributor (TED) Magazine. The interview was extremely informative, and I wanted to share it with you complete here. DiLouie: How would you characterize [...]

Utility rebates targeting T12 fluorescent lighting systems are fading. From 2012 to 2013, the average prescriptive rebate for a T12 to T8 lamp and ballast retrofit decreased by 16%. In 2014, they will likely continue to decrease and may disappear altogether. Briteswitch has the story here.

The Lighting Controls Association invites the electric power industry into a partnership to advance education about energy-saving lighting controls. I recently produced a 16-minute webinar introducing electric utilities, independent system operators and energy efficiency organizations to the Lighting Controls Association and its capabilities. The webinar presents the case for the importance of lighting in energy [...]

DOE has published a collaborative study focused on developing new estimates of residential lighting usage and energy consumption at the national and regional levels. The study, Residential Lighting End-Use Consumption Study: Estimation Framework and Initial Estimates, developed a framework that allows for the estimation of U.S. lamp usage and energy consumption not only nationally and [...]

Dan Mellinger, PE, LC, Lighting Strategy Manager for Efficiency Vermont, recently published a whitepaper that discusses the future of commercial efficiency programs and LED lighting. It addresses the significant opportunity that remains, despite years of fluorescent upgrades, and the importance of controls and design. Check it out here.