Category: BEP Blogs

Some current members of Congress may be trying to rescue the energy-sucking incandescent light bulb, but just four years ago, the 110th U.S. Congress decided to create a contest that would inspire the development of its ultra-efficient replacement.

The Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize, also known as the L Prize, received its first victor this week: Philips Lighting has taken the top award, netting a $10 million cash prize and bragging rights for being the contest’s first and only competitor to meet its high expectations.

The winning product may hit store shelves next year. It uses less than 10 watts to generate as much light as the standard 60-watt incandescent light bulb it was designed to replace, which translates to energy savings of about 83 percent. It also lasts about 25,000 hours, compared to 2,000 for its standard counterpart.

The bulb went through extensive testing in a lab, as well as in the field, including in food sales, food service, healthcare, lodging, office, residential and retail setting.

This video explains more about L Prize testing:

With the 60-watt incandescent being one of the most widely-used light bulb on the market, Philips and other manufacturers have raced to find its more efficient equivalent since the passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. In addition to creating the L Prize and several other energy efficiency and security measures, the bill effectively banned the manufacture and import of most current incandescent light bulbs.

A number of potential replacements now on the market include Philips AmbientLED, ($40); Sylvania’s Indoor Soft White (39.98), and Lemnis Lighting’s Pharox III ($27 at Amazon.com).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ad Council today launched a national consumer education campaign to help consumers save money on utility bills. Created pro bono by Texas-based advertising agency GSD&M, the public service advertisements (PSAs), aim to help consumers save money on their energy bills by doing things such as sealing leaks in their homes and using energy efficient products.

“Americans spend about $2,000 per household on energy every year—but many of them could save a few hundred of that without changing their lifestyle,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “Many American families can take simple steps to reduce their energy bill, while making their homes more comfortable, and use that money for something they really need or want.”

Full story

Which technology is right for your energy efficient lighting retrofit?

LED is the lighting technology everyone’s talking about. LEDs are in our flashlights, our cars — and increasingly — a viable option for energy efficient lighting retrofit projects. But how do you decide if LED lighting is the right technology for your project?

Precision-Paragon [P2] is encouraging businesses to first consider a lighting project’s goals, and then decide if LED, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge or even induction lighting is the best fit for those goals.

“We’ve been seeing quite a few projects being driven by technology, and that’s really the tail wagging the dog,” said Lou Preston, [P2] national marketing director. “Companies are picking a lighting technology and forcing it into their project, when something else might be a better fit.”

Because every lighting project is unique, there is no single technology that’s right for every project.

“There’s a reason we manufacture more than 100 fixtures, instead of just one,” said Preston. “When our customers come to us with advice, we pride ourselves on helping them pick the best fixtures for their project, regardless of technology.”

Imagine two businesses that both need outdoor parking lot lighting. One is a gas station that needs bright 24-hour lighting to attract freeway drivers to its pumps. The other is an apartment complex that needs safety lighting in its parking area from dusk till dawn. At their core, both of these projects need outdoor parking lot lighting, but it would be impossible to pick one fixture that would meet the needs of both projects.

Every technology offers a unique mix of advantages, like initial fixture costs, return on investment, annual energy costs, maintenance costs, light level metrics, aesthetics and controllability. Some lights may save money at the outset, but five years later they could require expensive maintenance. Others could require a significant up-front investment, but quickly pay for themselves with big energy or maintenance savings.

“Our engineers are famous for saying ‘it depends,’” says Preston. “If you ask us what the best lighting technology is, that’s the answer you’re going to get.”  Even once a project’s goals have been fully defined, there might be several reasonable technology choices for a single project. That’s why Preston feels it’s important to get as much information as possible before making a technology decision.

“It’s a simple equation. More information leads to better decisions,” explains Preston. “Once you understand both your lighting project’s needs and your technology options, you’ll be able to pick the technology that best meets those needs.”

8 Steps To Picking The Right Lighting Technology

Read the complete article at Sustainability Facility