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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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Cree, Inc. has been awarded ENERGY STAR ^® qualifications for its LED downlights. The product line, including the LR6, LR5 and LR4 downlights, has demonstrated LED lifetime and fixture efficacy that qualifies for the stringent commercial rating, as well as the residential rating.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps consumers and organizations save money and protect the environment by promoting energy-efficient products. Products earning the commercial ENERGY STAR qualification must meet extended lifetime criteria, which is 40 percent longer than residential standards.

"Being rated for both commercial and residential applications is especially significant since more than three-quarters of the LED lighting we are deploying today is in commercial installations," said Neal Hunter, president, Cree LED Lighting. "Cree also provides the highest color rendering of any ENERGY STAR-qualified LED downlight. In stark contrast to compact fluorescent devices that contain toxic mercury, Cree's non-toxic LED fixtures deliver better efficiency and render colors such that the user doesn't have to compromise their lighting experience."

The Cree LR6 recessed downlight is available and qualified in two color temperatures (2700K and 3500K), and boasts efficiency of more than 54 lumens per watt with lumen output of 650 lumens--higher than any other qualified recessed downlight. The LR6 was the first recessed downlight to receive the ENERGY STAR commercial qualification.

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The Cree family of LED downlights excels in delivering beautiful, efficient LED light in a manner that surpasses even the most stringent ENERGY STAR standards, as set out in the SSL ENERGY STAR 1.1 criteria for Category A: Recessed Downlights.

	ENERGY STAR Residential	ENERGY STAR Commercial	Cree LED Lighting Downlights
Efficacy	35 lumens per Watt	35 lumens per Watt	46 to 54 lumens per Watt
Color Rendering Index	75	75	91 to 94
Rated Lifetime	25,000	35,000	50,000
Minimum Lumen Output ≤4.5" diameter	375	375	515-540
Minimum Lumen Output >4.5" diameter	575 lumens	575 lumens	650 lumens
Power Factor	≥ .70	≥ .90	.96-.97

 

To see the full list of ENERGY STAR-qualified LED fixtures visit the ENERGY STAR website:

·          Residential:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=ssl.display_products_res_html

·          Commercial
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=ssl.display_products_com_html

 

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless and power applications.

Cree's product families include recessed LED downlights, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.

For additional product and company information, please refer to www.CreeLEDlighting.com

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More than 4,200 LR24 recessed LED luminaires are planned for installation in Wedge 5 of the Pentagon as part of a major renovation.

  The Cree LR24 luminaires have undergone extensive government testing and business-case analysis, including a preliminary Pentagon installation to meter the fixtures and compare the results to the alternative fluorescent technology.

This independent analysis demonstrated a 22% reduction in energy usage and improved light quality.

• The business-case analysis yielded a payback of less than four years.
• The payback analysis considered energy savings, lifetime maintenance savings, savings from reduced load on the HVAC system, and elimination of hazardous waste disposal fees for mercury-laden fluorescent bulbs.
• Extensive modeling was also performed to determine optimal lighting design--analyzing the light distribution and spacing to ensure superior lighting and energy efficiency.
• The Wedge 5 installation is estimated to save 140 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

"The U.S. federal government is taking a leadership role in energy efficiency for federal buildings both through existing mandates, as well as President-elect Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which calls for the renovation of public buildings to make them more energy efficient," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and chief executive officer. "Installations of highly efficient, low-maintenance LED lighting, like these in the Pentagon and in the U.S. Federal Reserve, demonstrate that the future of energy-efficient lighting is here today."

The LED units being used for the Pentagon renovation are being purchased from Cree by the Department of Defense's (DoD) Title III program as a part of its ongoing development program with Cree, and provided to the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), which oversees the Pentagon renovation program.

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The goal: meet California 's growing needs for energy efficiency and demand response by creating and introducing energy-efficient, advanced lighting technologies in 2008 and 2009.

Lighting California's Future A $3.7 million California Energy Commission PIER Program focused on lighting technologies for buildings. The goal is to meet California's growing needs for   the built environment.

• Improved Daylight Performance of Tubular Daylighting Devices
• Cost-Effective Demand Response (CEDR)
• Integration of Electric Lighting Controls with Utility Demand Response Signals
• Retrofit Integrated Classroom Lighting System (R-ICLS)
• Wireless Integrated Photosensor and Motion Sensor (WIPAM) Lighting Control System
• Advanced LED Downlighting Systems
• Novel LED Downlights
• Smart LED Lighting in Residential Fans
• Advanced, Energy-Efficienct LED Lighting for Residential and Commercial Applications

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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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Utilities need additional demand response (DR) capacity to avoid rolling blackouts during peak usage periods and meet regulatory requirements. Most existing, commercial lighting does not currently contribute to peak demand reductions. Existing retrofit lighting control solutions are too expensive for DR use, which leaves existing, interior, commercial lighting as a largely untapped DR resource.

Cost-Effective Demand Response (CEDR) research by Lighting California's Future seeks to introduce a novel demand response (DR) lighting control technology that can be easily retrofit to existing buildings.

CEDR makes retrofit installation economical by using existing power wiring to transmit a load shed signal to designated lighting loads. This signal, introduced at the lighting panel and transmitted to receivers installed in existing bi-level light switches, tells receivers to turn off half the lights.

This research project will develop a new system capable of receiving a utility demand reduction signal and transmitting, over the building power lines, a load-shed signal to multiple receiver devices. The outcome of the project is the development and commercialization of a novel demand responsive lighting technology.

CEDR takes a low-tech approach, doing only one simple task inexpensively - reducing loads during DR conditions.

Applications
■ Buildings with lighting controlled by bi-level switching.
■ Buildings with significant sheddable plug loads.
■ ESCOs with the above customers.
■ Utilities requiring more automatic DR capacity.

Key project members are the CLTC, NEV Electronics, and SCE. Collaborators include NEV Electronics, Benya Lighting, California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), Southern California Edison, and Architectural Energy Corporation.

CEDR LCF program information and reports

Technical information  and CLTC/UCDavis

Licensing

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For additional information on the benefits of converting various lighting applications to LED lighting in the work environment and to learn more about LED Workplace, visit www.ledworkplace.org.

Cree is using its headquarters facilities as a testbed for LED implementation. 

They are converting all lighting at its Durham headquarters and manufacturing facility to LED lighting and released the results of the first phase of the conversion. The parking lots, entryways, lobby and conference rooms at Cree's headquarters building are now 100-percent lit by energy-efficient, environmentally friendly XLamp(R) LEDs.

Cree's LED Workplace(TM) conversion validates the energy savings, quality of light and reality that LED lighting is now a viable option for business and residential consumers.

In a study of the energy usage before and after the lighting conversion, Cree confirmed the energy savings of the newly installed LED lights.

The findings indicate that in total the new LED lights use 48% less energy than the incandescent, fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lights they replaced.

The combination of the energy savings, reduced maintenance and disposal costs and the environmental savings demonstrate that LED lighting is now a real alternative to traditional lighting solutions.

Duke Energy Collaboration

Cree's local utility, Duke Energy, is collaborating with Cree to explore the benefits of LED lighting. "Our customers are always interested in understanding how to save money through energy efficiency, so we make it our business to support innovative technologies such as LEDs," said Ted Schultz, Duke's vice president of energy efficiency.

"We expect our energy efficiency plans to be approved next year (2008) and are committed to having a complete line of lighting solutions available for customers," said Schultz. "At that point, we expect to have programs developed that will take advantage of LED technology."

"Conventional wisdom is that LED lighting is years away from widespread adoption. The truth, however, is that the performance of Cree's LED technology enables real LED lighting solutions today," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. "The conversion of Cree's site demonstrates that the LED Lighting Revolution is well underway and will illustrate the benefits in energy savings, maintenance costs and environmental impacts."

Cree also announced that it has launched a new website to share the results and implementation details of the LED Workplace lighting conversion with other organizations.
 
...will include lighting vendor information and the light, energy and maintenance metrics that form the basis for LED lighting's cost savings. This site will also feature other LED Workplace installations.

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... includes lighting vendor information and the light, energy and maintenance metrics that form the basis for LED lighting's cost savings. This site also features other LED Workplace installations.

LED lighting is currently being used in workplace installations, including:

• Overhead lighting for conference rooms and office spaces
• Recessed lighting for hallways, bathrooms, breakrooms, and more
• Exterior lighting for parking lots, walkways and entrances

Learn how energy savings and workplace productivity mount up when LED lights were installed in the featured installations and discover the potential savings achieved by installing state-of-the-art LED lighting.

Learn how LED lighting is lowering lighting costs for a variety of workplaces:

Better Day BP

Cree, Inc.

Friendly's Restaurant

The Prairie School

Sentry Equipment Corporation

Visit the Q&A section to get answers to common questions like:

Question: I own a small business and am intrigued by the cost savings and environmental friendliness of LED lighting. How can I get started?

Answer: LED lighting offers economic value in many applications, including outdoor lighting and indoor down lights and accent lighting. Please contact the listed vendors on this website for information relevant to your specific applications.

Question: How do I go about converting my facility to LED lighting?

Answer: An LED lighting conversion usually includes three types of solutions: complete replacement of the existing fixtures, retrofit of existing fixtures with LED components, or simple plug-compatible bulb replacements. For each of these, the existing wiring and power can often be used. For Cree, as an industrial operation, our electrical is at 277VAC. We adapted the installation as needed to assure the LED fixtures matched our site electrical systems. The vendors listed on this website should be able to provide a solution to match your needs.

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“Everyday almost 200 homes catch fire because of electrical issues,” says Brett Brenner, President of ESFI. “While we put a figure to the damage these fires cause to property, the damage to lives is incalculable. The new Code will prevent thousands of these fires and protect homes for decades to come.”

Electrical Code Controversy

What started as a routine year for the electrical industry has turned into a full debate involving the Governor, home builders, manufacturers and safety organizations. Since January’s adoption of the new National Electrical Code, which is updated every three years, home builders in Ohio have been actively working to get it overturned. They complain that the additional costs to comply with the new code would make new homes unaffordable, and they have even presented the Governor with a petition to annul Ohio’s adoption of the 2008 Code reverting the state back to an older version. This controversy has caused fire, safety and electrical industry officials to descend on Columbus. Among them is the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) who is working to help Ohio residents understand that the new code will save lives and homes. The foundation and many others are also quick to point out that arguments against the new code are based on inaccurate information.

In their petition to Governor Strickland, the Ohio Home Builder’s Association alleges that complying with the new Code would add $600 - $1,200 to the average new home. However, an analysis by Ohio’s electrical inspectors points out that the additional cost is really less than $200 a home. This lower cost is also endorsed by the Electrical Code Coalition as being more accurate. The coalition is a group of industry organizations consisting of safety experts, inspectors, contractors, and utilities, who have partnered together to promote electrical safety in Ohio.

“This whole debate should be centered on what this all means to Ohio’s families,” points out Brenner. “Everyone agrees that the new code provides fire protection that is unequaled. But, if the new Code is not enforced, Ohio will be taking a step backwards in fire prevention.”

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is the leading authority and advocate of electrical safety. Established in 1994, ESFI sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May and focuses on reducing electrically related deaths, injuries and property loss.

SOURCE:
The Electrical Safety Foundation International
1300 North 17th Street, 17th Floor,
Rosslyn, VA 22209
Phone: (703)841-3229
www.electrical-safety.org

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