More Efficient Lighting Could Save the US $10 Billion
Lighting is the single largest consumer of electricity in the U.S. According to a study commissioned by the Department of Energy back in 2002, lighting consumed about 22% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. That same study revealed that lighting constituted 30.3% of total building electricity use.
Commercial buildings were found to have the largest share of lighting energy use (51%), followed by residential (27%), industrial (14%) and outdoor stationary lighting (8%).
Fluorescent and incandescent are the two largest commercial lighting energy users, accounting for 56% and 32% of annual energy usage.
A new fluorescent retro-fit technology that uses 73% less electricity.
New, patented technology from LUXADD's easy adoptable conversion technology is entirely eliminating the transition process of retrofitting less efficient T12 & T8 linear fluorescent lighting systems to T5, the leader in energy efficiency and lighting quality. The T5 saves up to 73% on lighting energy and reduces a company's carbon footprint up to 60% with just one simple "SNAP" - like changing a light bulb.
Read more in June's issue of Energy Digital: Energy Turns to SPACE
The Need for Energy Efficiency
Rising energy costs directly impact all buildings in the U.S. Retail and service buildings in the U.S. use 149 billion kWh (or 508 trillion Btu) of site electricity (electricity consumed within the building) each year. This electricity is used for a variety of different purposes, the most being used for lighting (59%). The majority of this electricity is used for lighting and office equipment (24%) (such as computers, printers, faxes and photocopiers). Both lighting and office equipment produce heat, requiring more air conditioning - another electricity end use - to cool the buildings. The following percentage of electricity used simply to light different types of buildings includes:
- Retail and Service: 59%
- Education: 56%
- Office: 44%
- Health Care: 44%
- Food Service: 30%
Two Ways to Save on Energy Used for Lighting
There are two main ways to save energy used for lighting. One is to use more energy efficient lighting. The other is to reduce the operating time of the lighting.
Fluorescent lamps are so far the most popular type of lamp used in offices and many warehouses. The most common type of fluorescent lamp is tubular and linear in shape. There are three generations of linear tubular fluorescent lamps: 1st generation T12 lamps with a diameter of 38 mm (1½"), 2nd generation T8 lamps with a diameter of 26 mm (1") and the 3rd generation T5 lamps with a diameter of 16 mm (5/8"). T5 fluorescent lamps have a higher luminous efficacy than T8 or T12 lamps. Luminous efficacy indicates how much light a lamp generates from the energy it consumes. The higher the value, the more energy efficient the lamp is. The luminous efficacy of T5 lamps is about 100 lm/W, while those of T8 and T12 lamps are only about 80 lm/W and 70 lm/W respectively.
All fluorescent lamps need ballasts to maintain the current passing through the lamp at a certain value. There are mainly two types of ballasts: electromagnetic ballasts and electronic ballasts. Although electronic ballasts are more expensive, they have higher energy efficiency and can save money in the long run. Besides, electronic ballasts generate less heat during operation and therefore help reduce energy used for air conditioning. The energy used in lighting systems can also be reduced by using automatic controls. For example, infrared or ultrasonic motion sensors are used to detect the presence of people and automatically turn lights on or off accordingly.
One-Year, Rapid ROI
LUXADD can instantly improve lighting energy efficiency up to 73% and also save on air conditioning electricity costs used to cool the building due to heat produced by old-technology fluorescent lighting. The overall energy savings with LUXADD are up to 80%. LUXADD offers the only linear fluorescent lighting conversion adapter specifically designed for the US and Canadian market. It is designed for all residential and commercial applications. LUXADD is "Made in the USA" in an effort to create new "green" jobs, promote a sustainable supply chain and ensure quality control.
Source: LUXADD
