In 2023, commercial lighting rebates remain a strong driver for adoption of energy-efficient lighting and controls in existing buildings. Notable trends include continuing stability in LED and control rebates, imminent jeopardy for some LED replacement lamp rebates, and growth for networked lighting control and horticultural rebates. A coinciding trend with implications for lighting upgrades is introduction of substantial rebates for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
U.S. Department of Energy Announces the Buildings Upgrade Prize
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America with winning ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Circuit of The Americas, Home of the Formula 1 U.S. Grand PrixTM and ESPN X Games, Selects Acuity Controls for its World-Class Campus
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is a world-class performance, education and business center and home to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix and 2014 ESPN Summer X Games. COTA now features Acuity Brands, Inc. outdoor lighting controls for site and maintenance management of its lighting systems. COTA selected the ROAMview™ wireless lighting monitoring and […]
Existing Buildings Are Poised For Upgrades
LD+A, the official publication of the Illuminating Engineering Society, recently published an important contribution by Gary Meshberg, LC, LEED-AP, director of sales for Encelium and president of the Lighting Controls Association. The article, titled, “Existing Buildings Are Poised For Upgrades,” describes how energy regulations are promoting a new wave of lighting upgrades across the United […]
Lighting Controls for Existing Buildings
In its August issue, BUILDINGS Magazine published an in-depth article detailing major considerations for installing energy-saving lighting controls in existing buildings. Check it out here.
Schneider Electric PowerLink Control System Saves Energy in Industrial Plant
Schneider Electric worked with Albany International Corp. to develop a lighting control strategy tailored to its manufacturing processes at the company’s Menasha, Wisconsin plant. That solution was the Square D® brand PowerLink NF2000G3 and NF3000G3 lighting control systems, which provided the appropriate type of lighting control based on the different work areas in the facility, […]
Leviton LevNet RF Wireless Controls Help University of California Santa Cruz Library Win Two Awards for Sustainability and Innovation
Leviton and the University of California Santa Cruz’s (UCSC) Science and Engineering Library’s joint project has been named a recipient of two significant awards. The university utilized Leviton’s LevNet RF™, a high-performance line of wireless occupancy sensors, switches and accessories that feature EnOcean’s energy-harvesting technology, to aid in helping reduce the library’s energy consumption by […]
Electrical Contractor Publishes Feature Story on Lighting Controls
Electrical Contractor Magazine recently published a major story on lighting controls featuring LCA members Leviton, Lutron, OSRAM SYLVANIA and WattStopper, in addition to comments from Craig DiLouie representing the Lighting Controls Association. The article, titled “Take Control,” outlines control strategies that building owners and managers can deploy now to reduce energy costs and increase flexibility in existing building lighting systems.
Fluorescent Magnetic T12 Ballast Phaseout: It’s Time to Upgrade Existing Lighting and Control Systems
Fluorescent ballast regulations have essentially eliminated the magnetic T12 ballast with few exceptions, including F40T12, F96T12 and F96T12HO ballasts for both full-wattage and energy-saving versions of these lamps. Two years later, in 2012, additional regulations will take effect, creating new energy standards for selected linear T5, T8 and T12 lamps. The net result is a majority of 4-ft. linear and 2-ft. U-shaped T12, many 8-ft. T12 and T12HO, and some low-color-rendering 4-ft. T8 lamps will be eliminated. Based on these facts, one could make a simple argument that it is now time to upgrade existing lighting and control systems to improve energy efficiency and lighting quality.
Fluorescent Magnetic T12 Ballast: RIP
This month, Federal efficiency standards regulating fluorescent magnetic T12 ballasts entered their final phase, effectively eliminating these ballasts from the market, with few exceptions.