The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has begun releasing results from the 2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). The CBECS is an estimated profile of the U.S. commercial building stock based on an interviewed sampling. Information includes number of buildings, floorspace, age, building type, region, energy consumption, end-use equipment and more. DOE defines a […]
DOE’s Public Street and Area Lighting Inventory Survey Suggests Future Growth in Adoption of Advanced Lighting Controls
DOE’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium (MSSLC) has released the results of a voluntary web-based inventory survey of public street and area lighting across the U.S., conducted during the latter half of 2013 and intended to improve understanding of the role of public outdoor lighting in national energy use. Results were based on the responses […]
Market Research Suggests High Degree of Confidence with LED Lighting and Controls
Given current adoption of commercial building energy codes, conventional wisdom indicates that LED lighting is frequently specified with automatic lighting controls. However, there is little public data available concerning market penetration of LED lighting, how often it is specified as controllable and with lighting controls, owner preferences, and how satisfied specifiers and installers are with […]
DOE Publishes CALiPER Report on Dimming, Flicker and Power Quality Characteristics of LED PAR38 Lamps
The U.S. Department of Energy’s CALiPER program has released Report 20.2, which is part of a series of investigations on LED PAR38 lamps. Report 20.2 focuses on dimming, flicker and power quality characteristics evaluated with a single dimmer. The dimming, flicker and power quality behavior of the LED PAR38 lamps evaluated in this study was […]
California Lighting Technology Center Case Study of Adaptive Corridor Lighting Systems
The California Lighting Technology Center has published a case study analyzing the performance of four adaptive control systems designed for corridor lighting. All four systems cut energy use and electricity costs by over 70%. Large-scale upgrades generally yield the best results, and they qualify for the biggest incentives. Click here to read this case study.
LCA RF Wireless Controls Survey
Radio-frequency (RF) wireless lighting controls are control devices such as manual switches, occupancy sensors and photosensors that communicate via radio waves. Eliminating control wiring may reduce total installed cost while facilitating application of automatic lighting controls in existing construction where installing new wiring would be costly or problematic. As investment has favored existing over new […]
Lighting Research Center Proposes User-Based Definition for Lamp Dimming
The Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), a program of the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recently released a new publication that addresses the issue of how lamps should dim in terms of their “look and feel” during the dimming process. The publication, ASSIST recommends… Dimming: A Technology-neutral Definition, provides […]
Occupancy Sensors Boost Savings at Department of Labor Parking Garage
Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a GATEWAY report on a parking-garage demonstration conducted at U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) headquarters in Washington, DC, which serves as a classic illustration of the savings […]
LBNL Publishes Study of Responsive Lighting Systems
In September 2012, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published, Responsive Lighting Solutions for the General Services Administration (GSA). The report provides insight into the viability of highly responsive lighting control systems. It reports the results of installing advanced lighting controls in five Federal buildings. The existing lighting in these buildings was upgraded. A number of […]
Study Finds Commissioning of Daylight Harvesting Control Systems Critical to Success
Daylight harvesting control, or the practice of using light sensors to automatically reduce electric light in a space when sufficient daylight is present, has been demonstrated to produce significant energy cost savings in buildings. As a proven energy-saving strategy, it has been implemented into many sustainable building projects. It was also incorporated into ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 […]