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Efficient outdoor light technology is here.  Now it's a matter of will and smart business.

Minimum Efficiency Standards for Outdoor Lighting Products

In November 2009, lighting equipment manufacturers and energy efficiency organizations announced agreement on a legislative package that would create new minimum efficiency standards for many types of outdoor lighting products. If enacted by Congress as new legislation, the agreed-upon new standards would reduce U.S. lighting energy use by about 24 to 42 billion kWh annually, equivalent to the annual output of 3 to 6 new 1000 MW power plants (the typical size of a new nuclear unit).

The agreement was reached by the National Electrical Manufacturer’s Association (NEMA); several energy efficiency organizations, namely the

• American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), 
  
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),
  
• Alliance to Save Energy,
  
• Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP);
  
• and a major utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).

Energy Efficiency Standards for Outdoor Pole-mounted Light Fixtures

The agreement establishes initial efficiency standards for outdoor pole-mounted lighting fixtures, then calls on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to quickly set revised standards. Covered fixtures primarily light roadways and parking lots.

In addition, the agreement requires double-ended halogen lamps (a type of high-wattage incandescent lamp that is used outdoors) to meet specific efficiency requirements and prohibits sales of mercury vapor lamps as of 2016. New mercury vapor fixtures and ballasts were prohibited in a 2005 law, so this next step completes the transition away from mercury vapor towards more efficient types of light.

DOE Lighting Efficiency Standards 

 “This agreement establishes modest initial standards for outdoor lighting equipment, but paves the way for big savings if DOE does a good job when setting revised efficiency standards,” stated Steven Nadel, ACEEE Executive Director.  “Only a minority of fixtures on the market today is affected by the initial standards; much larger savings will occur if the revised DOE standards move the average fixture to performance levels met by the better fixtures now on the market.”

Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas stated, "As both a Senator and the Honorary Chair of the Alliance to Save Energy, I appreciate the unwavering commitment made by manufacturers, consumer and advocacy groups, and utilities to negotiate this agreement. This public-private cooperation will help move our nation towards a more energy-efficient future."

Save Energy to Power 3.6 Million U.S. Households

ACEEE estimates that the initial standards will save about 12 billion kWh/year. 

The revised standards could increase savings by 12 to 30 billion kWh/year for total savings of as much as 42 billion kWh/year -- or roughly enough power to meet the total needs of more than 3.6 million typical U.S. households.

“The agreement will also improve lighting quality from outdoor fixtures, since the most stringent standards apply to fixtures with high glare and light trespass. Standards are less stringent for fixtures with better glare and trespass control,” said Jennifer Amann, the Director of ACEEE’s Buildings Program.

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. ACEEE was involved in the legislation establishing federal efficiency standards, and has been active in all rulemakings since then. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, contact ACEEE, 529 14th Street N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20045 or visit aceee.org.

The Appliance Standards Awareness Project is dedicated to increasing awareness of and support for cost-effective appliance and equipment efficiency standards. Founded in 1999, ASAP is led by a steering committee that includes representatives from energy efficiency organizations, the environmental community, consumer groups, utilities, and state government. See standardsASAP.org.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security. See ase.org.

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The incandescent bulb is turning into a case study of the way government mandates can spur innovation.

Despite a decade of campaigns by the government and utilities to persuade people to switch to energy-saving compact fluorescents, incandescent bulbs still occupy an estimated 90 percent of household sockets in the United States. Aside from the aesthetic and practical objections to fluorescents, old-style incandescents have the advantage of being remarkably cheap.

“There’s a massive misperception that incandescents are going away quickly,” said Chris Calwell, a researcher with Ecos Consulting who studies the bulb market. “There have been more incandescent innovations in the last three years than in the last two decades.”

The first bulbs to emerge from this push, Philips Lighting’s Halogena Energy Savers, are expensive compared with older incandescents. They sell for $5 apiece and more, compared with as little as $ .25 for standard bulbs.

But they are also 30% more efficient than older bulbs. Philips says that a 70-watt Halogena Energy Saver gives off the same amount of light as a traditional 100-watt bulb and lasts about three times as long, eventually paying for itself.

The line, for now sold exclusively at Home Depot and on Amazon.com, is not as efficient as compact fluorescent light bulbs, which can use 75 percent less energy than old-style bulbs. But the Energy Saver line is finding favor with consumers who dislike the light from fluorescent bulbs or are bothered by such factors as their slow start-up time and mercury content.

“Due to the 2007 federal energy bill that phases out inefficient incandescent light bulbs beginning in 2012, we are finally seeing a race” to develop more efficient ones, said Noah Horowitz, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Some of the leading work is under way at a company called Deposition Sciences here in Santa Rosa. Its technology is a key component of the new Philips bulb line.

The big three lighting companies — General Electric, Osram Sylvania and Philips — are all working on the technology, as is Auer Lighting of Germany and Toshiba of Japan.

A third technology, bulbs using light-emitting diodes, promises remarkable gains in efficiency but is still expensive. Prices can exceed $100 for a single LED bulb, and results from a government testing program indicate such bulbs still have performance problems.

That suggests that LEDs — though widely used in specialized applications like electronic products and, increasingly, street lights — may not displace incumbent technologies in the home any time soon.

Read More:  NY Times

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Have you thought of applying for projects that include 24/7 applications of LED lights in local public housing facilities?  Follow the money... here are some funding sources:

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)

ARRA provided $3.2 billion for this Department of Energy (DOE) program, $2.8 billion to be distributed by formula, with the remaining $400 million to be awarded competitively.  EECBG provides grants to states and local governments for improvements in energy efficiency and to reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.  EECBG is a new program, receiving money for the first time due to ARRA, although it was authorized in 2007.  The block grant is administered by DOE's Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Potential housing-related uses of EECBG include: grants to nonprofits to perform energy efficiency retrofits; financial incentives for energy efficiency improvements; energy efficiency for buildings; and, residential energy audits.  In addition there are many other eligible uses ranging from energy efficient traffic signals to carbon capture and sequestration from power plants. 

Applications from sates and local governments are due June 25.

EECBG webpage, http://www.eecbg.energy.gov

EECBG Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA),
http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/downloads/DE_FOA_0000013_Amendment_000003.pdf

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California Green Solutions is building a robust catalog of professional training courses and certification programs offered by private companies and colleges. You will find this robust catalog covers business law, construction, human resources...as well as engineering and green building...and more.

Visit the Green and Sustainable Job Training Catalog at: CaliforniaGreenSolutions.com

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The American Lighting Association (ALA) educational program offers members the opportunity to earn advanced lighting designations. The programs available include:

Lighting Associate (LA)
Lighting Specialist (LS)
Certificate Specialist
Certified Lighting Manufacturers' Representative (CLMR)
Certified Lighting Consultant (CLC®)

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The 2008 ALA Annual Conference, Sept. 14-16, is being held at the new Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center on the banks of the Potomac River and just minutes from Washington, D.C.

Seminars
▶ Attaining the Certified Lighting Consultant Coveted Designation
▶ New Tax Legislation and Impact - Especially for Reps
▶ Manufacturers’ Merchandising Panel - Experts’ Tips for Showroom Use
▶ Marketing to the Baby Boomers
▶ Today’s Advanced Energy Efficient Lighting — What You and Your Sales People Need to Know to Profit
▶ Strategic Planning and Marketing Your Rep Firm
▶ Update 2008: Antitrust Issues Along the Distribution Chain
▶ Turning Shoppers Into Buyers
▶ The One Best Thing I Have Done to Grow My Retail Business (In Spite of a Tough Economy)
▶ Maximizing Line Profitability for Reps
▶ Sales Management: Turning Ordinary Salespeople Into Extraordinary Salespeople

CLC® Training Session:
Advanced Application in Lighting Design and Problem Solving for Today’s Medium to High End Home


American Lighting Association Annual Conference

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The purpose of the  Lighting California's Future "Market Connection" effort is to shape and support technology development and early deployment efforts in order to accelerate the technology diffusion process and  help meet codes and standards including Title 24, IESNA, ASHRAE, and LEED.

The ultimate outcome of the market connections element is broad market adoption of the lighting products developed within the LCF program, including codes and standards covering qualified products. As technical projects become available for initial field pilots, team members will develop and provide project specific information to California utility emerging technology programs and the University of California/California State University Energy Efficiency Partnership Program, and other similar groups.

Led by New Buildings Institute with coordinated efforts from the California Lighting Technology Center, Architectural Energy Corporation, and SDV/ACCI.

Alliances and partnerships include:

•California utilities demonstration/evaluation/program support
•State/local agencies: UC/CSU system pilots
•Federal agencies: Federal Network for Sustainability
•Private sector- innovative business leaders
•US Green Building Council - LEED
•NBI- Advanced Lighting Guidelines

The program provides content for web sharing at the Lighting Portal, Design Lights, Lighting Lab.

The Technology Tranfer Plan business case

•Market and product definition
•Manufacturer business case
•Value proposition for the customer
•Supply chain requirements
•Key market barriers
•Key market messaging
•Energy/demand savings potential

The purpose of Technology Transfer Plans is to assist in building the business case for each project and cacilitate development of technology transfer plans (TTP)for each product to ensure that answers are provided to questions partners/investors/funding parties are likely to have about the product’s: Effectiveness in reducing/managing demand and Market feasibility.

This program also provides business case spreadsheet analysis tool, CO2 accounting, and connecions with the Navy and Bonneville Power, as well as the US DOE Commercial Lighting Initiative.

CONTACTS: Mark Cherniack, New Buildings Institute
Brian Fowler, SDV/ACCI

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• ASHRAE / IESNA 90.1-1999/2001
• LEED
• IECC
• Energy Policy Act 2005
• 2002 ECCC of New York
• Ballast Legislation
• DARK-SKY
• Energy Star
• California Energy Commission - Title 24
• NEMA
• ISO 14000

ANSI / IESNA / IESNA Standard 90.1- 1999/2001

ASHRAE 90.1 was recently published under joint sponsorship by ANSI (American National Standards Institute, http://www.ansi.org/), ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, http://www.ashrae.org/) , and IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, http://www.iesna.org/). This standard is generally regarded as the definitive source of guidelines for achieving energy efficiency, and many other codes and standards (such as the latest version of the International Energy Conservation Code or IECC, http://www.iccsafe.org/) either have or are expected to adopt the requirements published under ASHRAE 90.1.

The 1999/2001 version includes several key changes from the 1989 version:

• More stringent lighting power requirements and codes written in more enforceable language.
• Required use of lighting controls for many applications (details below).
• Control points for spaces are no longer used.
• Building area power allowances (W/ft2) no longer depend on the size of the buildings.
• Area factor, a function of ceiling height and floor area, is no longer calculated.
• Exterior lighting power requirements have been simplified. Specifically, most exterior lighting power requirements are now stated in terms of minimum efficacy (lumens/watt).

USGBC: LEED

(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design: http://www.usgbc.org/)

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System^TM is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution. LEED standards are currently available or under development for:

• New construction and major renovation projects (LEED-NC)
• Existing building operations (LEED-EB, Pilot version)
• Commercial interiors projects (LEED-CI, Pilot version)
• Core and shell projects (LEED-CS, Pilot version)
• Homes (LEED-H)
• Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND)

LEED is flexible, enabling buildings to become certified according to their level commitment to green design, which is reflected in a points and labeling system. Energy and atmosphere is the largest part of the LEED program, providing the ability to earn 17, or 27% of all possible points. Out of these 17 possible points, optimization of energy performance can result in 10 points.

International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)

Many states and municipalities have adopted portions of the IECC code as law. The IECC was formed in order to establish energy-related standards for residential, multi-family, and commercial buildings. A major focus of the code provisions is on the building envelope insulation and window requirements, which vary depending on the regional climate. While the a large portion of the code deals with the U-factor and R-factor requirements, the code also addresses the heating, cooling, water-heating, electrical, and lighting systems of the building.

Entire IECC document page  http://www.ecodes.biz/

Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT)

EPACT includes a significatnt tax deducation to encourage the use of energy efficient products through the year 2008.  Lighting and HVAC/hot water systems and building envelop improvements can qualify for tax deductions totaling up to 60 cents / sq. foot for each sysgtem with a posible $1.80 / sq ft maximum. 

Ballast Legislation: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office: 

Consumer products; energy conservation program: Fluorescent lamp ballasts; energy conservation standards, 56739-56749 [00-24004].  Standards go into effect, they will essentially require fluorescent lamp ballasts for F40 and F96 lamps to be the electronic type. The standards will segment the market into new applications and replacement applications and extend the implementation dates to mitigate the burdens to acceptable levels. The standards provide a phase-in period of approximately five years, until April 1, 2005 for new applications. In addition, today's rule provides an additional phase in, until June 30, 2010 for ballasts intended for the replacement market. This  Federal Ballast Rule covers only the following lamp types...2ft U Tubes, 4ft Rapid Start, 8ft Rapid Start, 8ft High Output.

Municipal Dark Sky Ordinances

The International Dark-Sky Association was incorporated in 1988 as a tax-exempt non-profit organization, exclusively for educational and scientific purposes. IDA operates under formal bylaws, established at the time of incorporation and revised at the annual meeting on 4 February 1989, and again in September 1990.

IDA's goals are to be effective in stopping the adverse environmental impact on dark skies by building awareness of the problem of light pollution and of the solutions, and to educate everyone about the value and effectiveness of quality nighttime lighting.  http://www.darksky.org

Energy Star

ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy efficient solutions -- helping to save money while  protecting the environment for future generations -- http://www.energystar.gov/

EPA partnered with the US Department of Energy in 1996 to promote the ENERGY STAR label, with each agency taking responsibility for particular product categories. ENERGY STAR has expanded to cover new homes, most of the buildings sector, residential heating and cooling equipment, major appliances, office equipment, lighting, consumer electronics, and more product areas.

California Energy Commission Title 24

The 2005 Building Energy Efficiency Standards that affect residential and non-residential building standards statewide in California
California Energy Commission -- http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/

These web links can be useful in keeping up with what is happening with California energy legislation. 

http://www.energy.ca.gov/ - site for California Energy Commission
http://www.cabec.org/ - site for California Association of Building Energy Consultants organization
http://www.calbo.org/ - site for California Building Officials organization

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

Nema publishes over 400 standards, application guides and technical papers. A few helpful documents include: "White Paper on Outdoor Lighting Code Issues", "Model Outdoor Lighting Regulation" and a June 2001 publication called "Exit Sign Brightness for Visibility & Safety" which includes a review of NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code and the related standard UL924, Emergency Lighting and Power Equipment.

National Electrical Manufacturers Association http://www.nema.org/

International Standards Organization -- ISO 14000

The ISO 14000 series of voluntary standards address international environmental management systems, environmental auditing, environmental labeling, environmental performance evaluation, and the life cycle assessment. ISO is an international non-governmental organization that promotes the development and implementation for voluntary international standards. ISO consists of 112 member countries, with the U.S. represented by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

ISO 14000 is used as a condition of some customer/supplier transactions, especially in Europe and with the U.S. government. In the courts, ISO 14000 may become a standard of due care in assessing whether a company was in good faith making consistent and diligent efforts to manage its environmental impact.

Cooper Lighting provides an excellent overview of each of these  energy and lighting  policies and legisltation:  Cooperlighting.com

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California's Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings were established in 1978 in response to a legislative mandate to reduce California's energy consumption. The standards are updated periodically to allow consideration and possible incorporation of new energy efficiency technologies and methods.

2005 Standards - Went into effect October 1, 2005, and supersede the 2001 Standards. Projects that apply for a building permit on or after this date must comply with the 2005 Standards.

California Title 24

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