Obama Administration Launches $130 Million Building Energy Efficiency Effort - DOE - February 12, 2010
Washington, D.C. – The Obama Administration today announced a multi-agency initiative to spur regional economic growth while making buildings more energy efficient. Seven federal agencies today issued a combined Funding Opportunity Announcement of up to $129.7 million over five years to create a regional research center that will develop new building efficiency technologies and work with local partners to implement the technologies in area buildings.
Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. energy consumption and carbon emissions. Improvements in building efficiency will provide significant benefits – reducing energy use, lowering utility bills and decreasing carbon emissions.
The agencies are working together to leverage funding and resources to promote regional growth through an Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (E-RIC) that is centered around an Energy Innovation Hub focused on developing new technologies to improve the design of energy-efficient building systems. This Energy Innovation Hub, one of three proposed by the Administration and funded by Congress in the FY10 budget, will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, ideally working under one roof, to conduct research and work to solve priority technology challenges that span work from basic research to engineering development to commercialization readiness.
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How to Make a More Efficient Light Bulb? Make it Dimmer - NY Times - January 26, 2010
A few years ago California regulators, concerned about energy efficiency in the state, created new rules mandating a 5 percent reduction in the wattage levels for incandescent bulbs.
Experts advised the California regulators that manufacturers could meet the standard in a variety of ways without losses in bulb brightness — by filling the bulbs with different types of gas, for example, or using more advanced filament designs.
But since the new bulbs — which replace standard 40-, 60-, 75- and 100- watt bulbs with ones that use 38, 57, 71 and 95 watts, respectively — began hitting shelves two years ago, efficiency experts and regulators have discovered that many of the bulbs save energy simply by being dimmer.
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A Boost for LED Lighting Development - NY Times - January 18, 2010
As part of the government’s aggressive push for more energy efficient lighting options, the Department of Energy announced Friday it had awarded more than $37 million in stimulus funds for research and development projects that will help advance the market for products that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
A significant portion of the 17 projects selected to receive money were proposed by well-known lighting companies, including General Electric, Osram Sylvania, Philips and Cree. The awardees have promised to pony up an additional $28.5 million in private-industry matching funds for the projects, and to spend the money in the United States.
“These solid-state lighting projects will help us significantly cut our energy use, reduce our carbon footprint and save money,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement. “This funding will also support the United States as a global leader in this rapidly evolving industry, creating high-tech, value-added jobs.”
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Efficient Lighting, With Fewer Wires - NY Times - January 6, 2010
At the Fremont, Calif., offices of Redwood Systems, a high-tech start-up, the super-efficient light emitting diode fixtures, or LEDs, that dot the ceiling dim imperceptibly as more natural light comes through the windows.
They also gradually brighten and fade as people enter or leave a room. And the company’s 25 employees will soon be able to control the lights over their desks using their Blackberries or iPhones.
Coming up with a new way to power and communicate with lights in the smart buildings of the future is the goal of the computer networking experts — formerly of Cisco — who started Redwood Systems. To do this, they’ve focused on developing software and hardware that exploits the digital nature of LEDs.
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Small British Company Develops Improved LED Bulbs - NY Times - December 8, 2009
Light emitting diode, or LED, lights are becoming popular because of their low energy use, long life and versatility, yet they present several problems — ranging from a risk of retina damage caused by inadequate diffusion of the light source to overheating.
A small British company, Luminanz, founded in 2005, said it has developed an improved type of LED, which it calls the LED Luminaire, to overcome those problems.
Luminanz says its lights are suitable for a wide range of uses, from household lighting to traffic signaling, and can last for up to 50,000 hours.
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LED Bulbs Save Substantial Energy, a Study Finds - NY Times - November 29, 2009
Does the latest generation of energy-saving light bulbs save energy? A comprehensive study conducted by Osram, the German lighting company, provides evidence that they do.
The study results show that over the entire life of the bulb — from manufacturing to disposal — the energy used for incandescent bulbs is almost five times that used for compact fluorescents and LED lamps.
The energy used during the manufacturing phase of all lamps is insignificant — less than 2 percent of the total. Given that both compact fluorescents and LEDs use about 20 percent of the electricity needed to create the same amount of light as a standard incandescent, both lighting technologies put incandescents to shame.
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Energy Solutions Lighting Announce Move of Head Office - November 2, 2009
Energy Solutions Lighting, one of the leading providers of energy efficient lighting solutions, has announced that it has moved its corporate office to a new location in order to accomadate for the growth in business.
For more information or for questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
F.T.C. Proposes New Light Bulb Label - NY Times - October 30, 2009
With all the new lighting products hitting stores — from advanced incandescents and compact fluorescents to light-emitting diodes — the simple act of buying a light bulb has become daunting.
So consumers may find some solace in news that the Federal Trade Commission proposed updated labeling requirements for light bulbs this week.
The agency’s proposal requires that packaging on all common household light bulbs, regardless of their type, display key performance-related information using a consistent format.
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A Road Map to New Lighting - Greentech Enterprise - October 19, 2009
Lighting. Admit it, you've never found it that interesting.
It's one of the underlying reasons that the incandescent still accounts for around 80 percent of the bulbs sold to consumers in the U.S. Consumers just grab and go when it comes to lights, just like how they buy toothpaste.
Traditional light bulbs have had a remarkable run, if you think about it. The Edison bulb, invented in 1879, turns 130 on Dec. 31, 2009. During the same year the bulb was invented, the Anglo-Zulu War broke out and Rutherford B. Hayes was in the White House. The lighting market, though, will undergo a radical realignment over the next three to seven years. And here's why.
1. Regulation: Australia plans to phase out incandescent bulbs next year and the European Union will follow in 2012. The U.S. has imposed efficiency regulations that will ultimately push the incandescent to the margins by 2014. Canada, the Philippines, and others have similar plans. Despite some strong objections, incandescents in all likelihood will fade away.
2. Inefficiency: The Incandescent only uses around 5 percent of its power to produce light. The rest goes to heat. That's why pet stores stick them inside of their lizard terrariums. Fluorescents are much better. A 15-watt fluorescent can produce as much light as a 60-watt bulb. But fluorescents contain mercury – LEDs don't. And LEDs last far longer (40,000 hours versus 15,000 hours) and consume half the power.
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As C.F.L. Sales Fall, More Incentives Urged - NY Times - September 28, 2009
An official at the Department of Energy’s Energy Star program has issued a grim assessment of the market for compact fluorescent light bulbs, or C.F.L.s, and is urging that funding for utility incentive programs be intensified.
In a September 18 letter to C.F.L. industry stakeholders, Richard Karney, Energy Star products manager, said that national sales of the bulbs have declined 25 percent from their peak in 2007, with sales in some regions such as Vermont and parts of Massachusetts declining 35 to 50 percent. Further, he noted, shipments of C.F.L.s — which are supposed to last far longer than traditional incandescents –are down 49 percent in 2009 over 2007 levels.
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Is This the Light Bulb of the Future? - NY Times - September 24, 2009
Philips announced today that it is the first company to submit an entry in the contest. The company has first-mover advantage, because if their lamp is shown to meet the rules, then Philips wins, even if another company enters later with better results.
In May 2008, the Department of Energy announced that it would award $10 million to the first company that developed a solid-state lamp that could replace a standard bulb. Among the criteria: The lamp can use no more than 10 watts to create the equivalent light of a 60-watt incandescent bulb; the color of the light output must mimic that of today’s incandescents; and the bulbs must last at least 25,000 hours, as much as 25 times as long as today’s standard bulbs.
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Build a Better Bulb for a $10 Million Prize - NY Times - September 24, 2009
The ubiquitous but highly inefficient 60-watt light bulb badly needs a makeover. And it could be worth millions in government prize money — and more in government contracts — to the first company that figures out how to do it.
Right now, that company could be Philips, the Dutch electronics giant. The company announced on Thursday that it had submitted the first entry for the L Prize, an Energy Department contest that will award up to $10 million to the first person or group to create a new energy-sipping version of the most popular type of light bulb used in America.
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For Food Retailers, LEDs Light the Way to Energy Savings, Higher Sales - Environment Leader - September 16, 2009
A significant increase in utility rebates, a steady rise in electricity costs and the Obama administration’s funding earmarked for energy-efficiency projects makes it the best time for food retailers to upgrade to LED lighting in the U.S., according to a white paper from Nualight Ltd.
According to the paper, more than 35 percent of energy use at food retailers is consumed by refrigeration, including display cases, freezers, coolers, and beverage dispensers. Fluorescent lighting contributes about a 25 to 50 percent increase in total power consumed in these applications, while studies show LED lighting in refrigerated glass door displays can cut energy consumption by up to 60 percent, according to the report.
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Panels of Light Fascinate Designers - NY Times - September 6, 2009
LED light bulbs, with their minuscule energy consumption and 20-year life expectancy, have grabbed the consumer’s imagination.
But an even newer technology is intriguing the world’s lighting designers: OLEDs, or organic light-emitting diodes, create long-lasting, highly efficient illumination in a wide range of colors, just like their inorganic LED cousins. But unlike LEDs, which provide points of light like standard incandescent bulbs, OLEDs create uniform, diffuse light across ultrathin sheets of material that eventually can even be made to be flexible.
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Europe’s Ban on Old-Style Bulbs Begins - NY Times - August 31, 2009
Restrictions on the sale of incandescent bulbs begin going into effect across most of Europe on Tuesday in the continent’s latest effort to get people to save energy and combat global warming. But even advocates concede the change is proving problematic.
Under the European Union rules, shops will no longer be allowed to buy or import most incandescent frosted glass bulbs starting Tuesday. Retailers can continue selling off their stock until they run out.
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LEDs Are As Energy Efficient as Compact Fluorescents - NY Times - August 4, 2009
While there’s no question that LED lamps use a fraction of the energy to produce the same amount of light compared with a standard incandescent bulb, several Bits readers have pointed out that that’s only half the story.
If the energy used to create and dispose of the LED lamp is more than that for a comparable standard bulb, then all of the proclaimed energy savings to produce light are for naught.
Until recently, no one knew if that was the case. In March, a preliminary study reported by Carnegie Mellon indicated that LED lamps were more energy efficient throughout their life, but the researchers pointed out that not every aspect of the production process was taken into account.
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Unlocking energy efficiency in the U.S. economy - McKinsey&Co. - July, 2009
In this report, McKinsey & Company offers a detailed analysis of the magnitude of the efficiency potential in non-transportation uses of energy, a thorough assessment of the barriers that impede the capture of greater efficiency, and an outline of the practical solutions available to unlock the potential.
The research shows that the U.S. economy has the potential to reduce annual non-transportation energy consumption by roughly 23 percent by 2020, eliminating more than $1.2 trillion in waste – well beyond the $520 billion upfront investment (not including program costs) that would be required. The reduction in energy use would also result in the abatement of 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually – the equivalent of taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks off the roads.
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Incandescent Bulbs Return to the Cutting Edge - NY Times - July 5, 2009
When Congress passed a new energy law two years ago, obituaries were written for the incandescent light bulb. The law set tough efficiency standards, due to take effect in 2012, that no traditional incandescent bulb on the market could meet, and a century-old technology that helped create the modern world seemed to be doomed.
But as it turns out, the obituaries were premature.
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DOE Sets New Lighting Standards and Invests in Efficient Buildings - DOE - July 01, 2009
President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced new energy efficiency standards for lighting on June 29, as well as DOE's investment of $346 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to develop and deploy energy-efficient technologies in buildings. The new standards apply to general service fluorescent lamps, used in most offices and commercial buildings, and incandescent reflector lamps, which are used for recessed lighting and track lighting. It will result in a 15% lower electricity use for general service fluorescent lamps, while decreasing the electricity use of incandescent reflector lamps by 25%. The rule will apply to lamps manufactured for sale in the United States or imported into the United States starting in mid-2012, and in the 30 years following that, they will save consumers up to $4 billion per year, avoid the emission of up to 594 million tons of carbon dioxide, and eliminate the need for as many as 14 500-megawatt power plants.
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Obama Toughens Rules for Some Lighting - NY Times - June 29, 2009
President Obama announced tougher energy efficiency requirements for certain types of fluorescent and incandescent lighting on Monday, the latest step in the administration’s push to cut the country’s energy use.
The new rule , scheduled to take effect in 2012, will cut the amount of electricity used by affected lamps by 15 to 25 percent and save $1 billion to $4 billion a year for consumers, the White House said.
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Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting - NY Times - May 29, 2009
LEDs are more than twice as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs, currently the standard for greener lighting. Unlike compact fluorescents, LEDs turn on quickly and are compatible with dimmer switches. And while fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which requires special disposal, LED bulbs contain no toxic elements, and last so long that disposal is not much of an issue.
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