Energy + Environment

Highlights of Int. No. 973: * Lighting systems in buildings larger than 50,000 gross sq.ft. (or buildings that combined with other buildings on same tax lot in total exceed 100,000 sq.ft.) must be upgraded * Deadline for upgrade is 1/1/2025 * Upgrade defined as meeting minimum requirements of New York City Energy Conservation Code * [...]

New York City has passed significant new legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing government, commercial and residential buildings in New York City. The six-point Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, introduced on Earth Day and enacted as part of PlaNYC, includes four bills that will dramatically reduce the City’s energy usage, saving consumers $700 million [...]

Talk about enlightenment … Designer Taikkun Li’s Prayer Wheel Energy Generator is a Tibetan prayer wheel that harvests mechanical energy (tourists spinning the wheel) to power LED street lighting. Check it out here or view the below video.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has announced consensus legislation–created with input from manufacturers, designers, energy advocates and utilities–that would set federal efficiency standards for pole-mounted outdoor lighting for the first time ever. This legislation creates three tiers for efficiency levels: · Tier 1, which becomes effective three years after enactment of the bill, sets [...]

According to the latest Department of Energy figures, the U.S. average commercial cost per kWh of electric energy to commercial end-users was 10.7 cents as of July 2009, down 3.5% from the same period in 2008. Get the latest energy data by state, region and end-user market here.

The current economic downturn is not sidetracking state-level efforts to make the most of energy efficiency as the cheapest, cleanest and quickest of all energy resources, according to a 50-state scorecard on energy efficiency policies, programs, and practices from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The 2009 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which ranks [...]

Big changes are in the works that will impact future lighting designs by eliminating some of the least-efficient and lowest-cost products from the market, while establishing ambitious new goals for energy codes that may severely limit design choices. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 expanded ballast regulations put into effect by the Department of Energy [...]

The EMerge Alliance has announced the release of the EMerge Alliance Standard, the first roadmap for the utilization of low-voltage direct-current (DC) power in commercial interiors. The new industry standard offers these benefits: • Reduced energy losses by eliminating device-by-device electrical conversions from alternating-current (AC) power to DC power • Use of safe Class 2 [...]

The Solar Decathlon, an educational project produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Team California won for Architecture and Communications. Check out their house here. The University of Minnesota won for Lighting Design: Check [...]