Studies show that commercial buildings produce about half of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change—making these buildings the top emitter of human-caused greenhouse gases, ahead of cars and trucks—while consuming nearly three-fourths of electricity produced at power plants. The Commercial Buildings Initiative (CBI) is a public-private partnership formed to achieve an ambitious goal: By [...]
Energy + Environment
Energy + Environment, LED + SSL
Are LEDs Ready to Retrofit the T8?
A recent article I wrote for Electrical Contractor talks about the push to replace linear fluorescent lamps with linear LED replacement lamps. In a nutshell, linear LED replacement lamps are now being offered as direct drop-in replacements of 4-ft. T8 and T12 lamps. Even with the possibility of delamping due to higher fixture efficiency and [...]
Codes + Standards, Energy + Environment
DOE Establishes ASHRAE 90.1-2004 as National Energy Standard
ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, has been established by the Department of Energy as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes starting in 2010. By December 30, 2010, all states in the United States must certify that their building codes meet or exceed the requirements in [...]
Codes + Standards, Energy + Environment
USGBC Reaffirms Commitment to Developing Green Building Code
The U.S. Green Building Council recently reaffirmed its commitment to the development of Standard 189.1P, which will be America’s first National Standard developed to be used as a green building code when completed. Created specifically for adoption by states, localities, and other building code jurisdictions that are ready to require a minimum level of green [...]
Daylighting, Energy + Environment
Study Captures Daylighting’s HVAC and Lighting Energy Savings Impacts
Daylighting is recognized as best practice in energy codes and industry standards due to its documented positive effects on worker satisfaction and performance and potential to generate substantial energy savings. Daylighting and daylighting control are now encouraged or required by California’s Title 24 energy code, LEED-NC v.2.2, Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools, and ASHRAE [...]
Why Recycle Fluorescent Lamps?
Facilitymanagement.com has published an article about recycling fluorescent lamps here. Learn more about recycling at NEMA’s website, www.lamprecycle.org.
U.S. Architects Report Increased Adoption of Green Building
Autodesk, Inc. and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have announced the results of the 2008 Autodesk/AIA Green Index, an annual survey that measures how AIA members are practicing sustainable design, as well as their opinions about the green building movement. This year’s index shows an increase in the implementation of sustainable design practices from [...]
Lighting Solution Development
7889 River Hill Lane, Alexandria, PA 16611-2604