Energy + Environment

The Northwest Lighting Network recently published a short list of best practices for lighting retrofits provided by senior lighting specialist Jeff Anderson. He says to be comprehensive about the retrofit. Instead of focusing on the most visible opportunities, look at everything from exit signs to portable lighting. Consider all options for upgrade, noting that different [...]

Rebate support company BriteSwitch recently posted an answer to the question they often get, “Where are the best lighting rebates in the country?” Their analysis didn’t produce a winner but did result in some interesting observations: • The three states with the biggest populations have the worst lighting rebates • Northeastern rebates are generous but [...]

LED lighting is not only changing lighting as we know it but is also influencing building power delivery systems. As with many other devices prevalent in today’s commercial spaces, LED lighting and integrated controls are low-voltage systems powered by AC systems. This has created interest in low-voltage power alternatives, including power over Ethernet (PoE) and [...]

Below is my lighting column published in the July issue of tED Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Founded in 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR is a voluntary product labeling program designed to help consumers identify and promote energy-efficient products. These products include lamps and residential luminaires. Consumers recognize the ENERGY STAR label [...]

In the first year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interior Lighting Campaign exceeded an initial goal of replacing 100,000 fluorescent indoor lighting troffers. Participants are now working toward a goal of 1 million and have already upgraded 650,000 troffers for a total national energy savings of 1.3 trillion BTUs or the equivalent of $13.5 million [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration has released summary tables providing energy consumption estimates from the 2012 CBECS. The data show that despite a 14% increase in total buildings and a 22% increase in total floorspace since 2003, energy use in the estimated 5.6 million U.S. commercial buildings was up just 7% during [...]

According to BriteSwitch, LLC, two-thirds of the United States is covered by an active commercial lighting rebate program. Key trends include: Incentives for tubular LED (TLED) replacement lamps became added to programs last year. This year, the number of TLED programs increased 28%, but the average rebate per lamp dropped 33% (to $7.95 per lamp) [...]

The California Lighting Technology Center is partnering with Bosch to demonstrate the Bosch Direct Current Building-Scale Microgrid Platform (DCBMP) at a Southern California Honda warehouse facility. Bosch will demonstrate the effectiveness of the DCBMP, a DC building microgrid that integrates advanced technologies to provide reliable power to the connected loads, resilience during grid outages, increased [...]

Good article by Susan Bloom about Power over Ethernet electrical distribution in ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. It’s well suited to LED lighting. Will this be the future of power distribution? Some contractors may see it more as a threat than an opportunity. Power over Ethernet (PoE) is any of several standardized or ad-hoc systems that pass electrical [...]