Below is another contribution I made to the February issue of tED Magazine. Reprinted with permission.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) revealed a majority of U.S. homes used more than one type of lamp, mainly a mix of incandescent and compact fluorescent. Adoption of LED lighting was increasing, however, with 29 percent of households reporting they’d installed at least one LED lamp.
The 2015 RECS was administered from August 2015 to April 2016. DOE began publishing results in 2017, applying the survey results to an estimated 118 million U.S. homes. These were split 81 percent urban, 19 percent rural. Sixty-three percent single-family detached, six percent single-family attached, and the rest apartments or mobile homes.
The survey indicates 86 percent of households were using at least one CFL or LED lamp. And about one out of twenty (20 percent) reported they had no incandescent lamps installed.
Since the last RECS conducted in 2009, a lot has changed in the U.S. residential lighting market. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 energy standards took effect, eliminating a majority of traditional general-service incandescent lamps in favor of halogen, CFL, and LED lamps. LED technology evolved to offer viable alternatives for virtually any incandescent household socket. ENERGY STAR now favors LED lighting, resulting in expected displacement of CFL in favor of LED in utility rebate programs. Energy codes based on the latest version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) now require a majority of lamps be high-efficacy—CFL or LED.
DOE correlated some characteristics with a higher rate of adoption. Households occupied by owners were more likely to have CFL or LED lamps installed compared to renter-occupied households (89 versus 79 percent). Higher-income households were more likely to adopt CFL or LED lamps as well, perhaps due to the higher cost of energy-efficient lamps. Ninety-three percent of households with a $100,000+ annual income reported using CFL or LED lamps, compared to 75 percent for households with <$20,000 annual incomes.
Additionally, the data suggests energy audits, though rare, may be influential. Ninety-five percent of households that had an energy audit reported using CFL or LED lamps, compared to 85 percent of households without an audit. However, only seven percent of households said they’d had an energy audit done. Five percent of households reported they’d received free or subsidized energy-efficient lamps.
In controls, about 36 percent of households said they had timers or dimmers installed to control their indoor lighting. Among households that had outdoor lamps installed, 45 percent reported these lamps were controlled by motion or light sensors.
The 2015 RECS includes other interesting energy-related residential data. Thirteen percent of households (not including apartments with five or more units) reported having a backup generator. Two percent reported using distributed solar to generate energy. Twenty-two percent of households said their energy use was recorded using a smart meter. And nearly six percent reported they’d received a tax credit for new appliances or equipment.
The survey results offer extensive information that allow detailed comparisons, such as the incidence of energy-efficient lamps and other equipment in new compared to existing homes. Overall, the data suggests the lighting market is in transition from incandescent to energy-efficient sources. Information about energy consumption and expenditures is scheduled for release in early 2018.
Check out the 2015 RECS here.
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