Arguments about the merits of big government vs. small government aside, to a great degree it is government action that is helping to escalate America’s move toward a greener more energy-efficient approach to long-term electrical consumption.
According to an article by Michael Wilmeth that appeared on BuildingGreen.com, three major cities – Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle – have all announced plans to funnel federal stimulus funding for building retrofit programs. New legislation that has been passed or is under consideration is designed to upgrade commercial building lighting systems and mandate energy audits and the reporting of building energy consumption, and would set specific time frames for building retrocommisissioning, as well as establishing higher energy-efficiency requirements for new buildings.
In Los Angeles, a newly approved ordinance requires that all city-owned buildings over 7,500 sq. ft. or built before 1978 be retrofitted with the goal of attaining LEED Silver Certification. The construction-related labor needs, including worker training, are projected to create what Wilmeth called “a pipeline of labor for green projects.”
New York City’s mayor has proposed lighting upgrades for buildings over 50,000 sq. ft. as well as energy audits and retrocommissioning every ten years requiring all energy efficiency improvements be made that have payback periods of five years or less. The mayor’s proposal would establish a City loan program to help finance mandated improvements. The City is also investigating workforce development needs to ensure meeting demands for energy auditors, contractors, and installers trained to meet energy goals.
Meanwhile, Seattle’s mayor has launched the Green Building Initiative, which requires electrical monitoring and energy consumption reporting by all commercial buildings over 50,000 sq. ft. and large multifamily buildings. At the same time energy efficiency requirements for new buildings will be increased by 30%. The City will also expand training for green-tech workers, including energy auditors.
ENERGY STAR Qualified Residential LED Lighting
The Department of Energy (DOE) is also doing its best to ensure that LED lighting technology makes a smoother entry into the mainstream market than the sometimes bumpy road that CFLs have traveled. DOE has made Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) responsible for promoting the commercialization of solid-state lighting, and LEDs in particular.
Jeff McCullough of PNNL has called LED lighting “the most disruptive technology to hit the lighting industry in 50 years.” Because of LED’s potential impact DOE and Energy Star are working to avoid the unrealistic expectations or poor product performance that sometimes have plagued CFLs.
To meet its goal, Energy Star has developed eligibility criteria for solid-state lighting luminaires that provide industry standards for lumens/Watt efficacy, light output, rated lifetime and color temperature.
As of May 29, 2009, the most recent listing of ENERGY STAR Qualified Residential LED Lighting provided comparative specification ratings for 28 different LED products from five manufacturers. Cooper Lighting, Cree LED Lighting Solutions, EML Technologies, LLC, Juno Lighting, and Kichler Lighting all made the Energy Star list with Cree (10 products), Juno Lighting (8 products), and Kichler (7 products) dominating the qualified residential LEDs.