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White House to Relax Energy Efficiency Rules for Light Bulbs – The New York Times

September 10, 2019 in Codes, Lamps, LEDs, Sustainability

In 2007 Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) with the goal of increasing energy efficiency across the economy. Part of EISA has affected the lighting industry in the form of mandated efficacy of light sources. The initial efficacy rules targeted A-Lamps (standard household light bulbs) and set the efficacy level above that of incandescent but below that of halogen lamps. The result was a slow shift to the more energy efficient technology. Over the years the energy efficiency requirements have been expanded to more lamp shapes, always in keeping with technological ability so that we never faced a lamp shortage or loss of a lamp shape. Today, more than 50% of lamps sold are LED that exceed even the most stringent requirements.

On September 4th the administration announced that it was going to cancel a new set of requirements that would have taken effect in January 2020 that would have applied to products such as decorative medium base lamps and MR type lamps. In my opinion, this is another example of the administration cutting off its nose to spite its face. As with the threat to “investigate” automakers who agree with the State of California’s proposed energy efficiency requirements, this effort to undo energy efficiency despite the monumental consensus that we need to reign in our energy consumption isn’t going to go have any effect. No lamp manufacturer is going to reopen or build new factories to make incandescent lamps when it’s obvious that A) the next administration is going to reinstate the efficacy requirements B) the public has embraced the energy savings of LED lamps, and C) the companies know that it would be bad for their image to turn their backs on mitigating climate change.

Source: White House to Relax Energy Efficiency Rules for Light Bulbs – The New York Times

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Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say MIT scientists | Environment | The Guardian

March 9, 2018 in Codes

Imagine, not more energy conservation codes!

Source: Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say MIT scientists | Environment | The Guardian

Tags: climate change, new technology
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San Francisco adopts law requiring solar panels on all new buildings

April 21, 2016 in Codes, Sustainability

San Francisco has this week passed landmark legislation requiring all new buildings under 10 storeys in height to be fitted with rooftop solar panels.

The city’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the new rule on Tuesday, making the metropolis the largest in the US to mandate solar installations on new properties

Source: San Francisco adopts law requiring solar panels on all new buildings

Tags: climate change, renewable energy, solar energy
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DOE Issues Final Determination Of Energy Conservation Standards for HID Lamps

December 3, 2015 in Codes, Lamps

On December 2nd the U.S. Department of Energy indued a final determination concerning energy conservation standards for high intensity discharge lamps. You can download a PDF of the document from the DOE’s web site.

Tags: energy efficiency, Federal Government
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LPDs, As Low As We Should Go

October 3, 2015 in Codes

ASHRAE has released a series of changes to Standard 90.1 in preparation for the 2016 update. Among those changes is the further tightening of LPDs (click here) in all space and building types. In my opinion, these changes should be rejected by the lighting community.

Rather than provide tight, but reasonable, limitations on the power consumption of lighting systems, the LPDs proposed in the revision of Table 9.5.1 are so low that they clearly favor LED technology almost to the exclusion of all others. They also strongly imply that energy efficiency is the most important criteria of a lighting system, regardless of the application. Neither of these positions is appropriate for this document or the organizations that develop and maintain it.

The proposed LPDs are nearly impossible to meet by lighting designers who wish to exercise their best judgement, or meet client requirements, by selecting project appropriate sources of light other than LED. In some cases this imposes an avoidable financial burden on the owner. For example, LED luminaires with a combination of high output and smooth dimming to zero (such as those required for theatres, cinemas, houses of worship, etc.) are substantially more expensive than halogen alternatives, and may require more expensive control systems as well. Clients requiring excellent color rendering (such as high end retail, art schools, museums, and health care facilities) are also compelled to purchase premium priced LED fixtures.

The only way that these low LPDs (and the even lower LPDs we assume will be proposed in the future) make sense is if they are paired with hours of usage to arrive at a time weighted limitations. Even then, the LPDs should be high enough to permit designers and owners a choice in the technology that they use for a given application. The proposed LPDs come very close to eliminating that choice.

I’m not saying that all buildings should be illuminated with incandescent light, or that LPDs should be abolished. I am saying, however, that the ever tightening of LPDs cannot go on forever, and that we have reached a tipping point where these limitations are having unjustifiable impacts on designs and budgets. In my opinion, LPDs should not be further reduced for the foreseeable future.

Tags: ASHRAE 90.1, energy efficiency
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Standard 189.1 Addendum Are Open For Public Review

July 30, 2015 in Codes, Controls

ASHRAE has announced a 30-day public review and comment period for addendum to ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, beginning on July 24th. The addendum that concerns lighting designers corrects and clarifies a potentially confusing requirement in which a designer may conclude that bonus lighting power control factors from Table 9.6.3 Control Factors Used in Calculating Additional Interior LPD of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 cannot be used.

More information and instructions on commenting are at https://www.ashrae.org/standards-research–technology/public-review-drafts.

Tags: energy efficiency
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DOE Clarifies Energy Conservation Standards for Fluorescent Ballasts

June 1, 2015 in Codes

On May 29th the DOE issued a final clarification of energy conservation standards and test procedures for fluorescent lamp ballasts. The new rule reorganizes, reformats, and clarifies the scope of the energy conservation standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts. It includes establishing new active mode test procedures, standby and off mode test procedures, and revised active mode test procedures for fluorescent ballasts.

Tags: energy efficiency, Federal Government, Fluorescent ballasts
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New York Plan to Save Energy May Mean a Dimmer Skyline

April 30, 2015 in Codes, Design, Sustainability

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and a host of environmental advocates agree that light pollution should be addressed, but some are disputing parts of a proposed City Council bill.

Source: New York Plan to Save Energy May Mean a Dimmer Skyline

Tags: climate change, energy efficiency
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DOE Extends Comment Period for General Service Lamps Standards

January 28, 2015 in Codes, Lamps

The Department of Energy (DOE) has extended the comment period for proposed energy efficiency standards for general service lamps (GSLs) until February 23, 2015. Documents associated with this set of standards are Docket No. EERE-2013-BT-STD-0051. There is a link on that page to submit comments.

You may recall that the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) set minimum efficiency standards for medium screw base (a.k.a. E26) general service lamps (a summary of requirements and exemptions is here). Those minimum standards were phased in by wattage and now cover GSLs from 40 to 100W. Decorative and other specialty lamps are excluded. A public meeting and webcast was held on January 20^th to explain the new standards for consumer lamps. You can download a PDF of the presentation here. It’s a long presentation of 94 slides, so here’s a summary.

1. The DOE is considering establishing standards for the following lamp types:

Integrated, non-reflector, medium screw base lamps with a lumen output between 310 and 2,600 lumens
GU24 base, non-reflector lamps with a lumen output between 310 and 2,600 lumens
Non-integrated, non-reflector, pin base, CFLs with a lumen output between 310 and 2,600 lumens

2. The DOE is considering requiring the following lamps, which are currently exempted from EISA requirements, to comply with the new standards:

Left-handed thread
Marine
Reflector
Rough service
Shatter-resistant
3-way
Vibration service
Specific lamp shapes

3. The DOE is also considering not setting standards for certain lamp types for reasons that include:

Low potential for energy savings
Technological infeasibility
Restrictions from the Appropriations Rider

There are over three dozen identified issues that are open for comment. These standards will have a far reaching effect, so I urge you to look over the presentation and submit comments.

Tags: energy efficiency, Federal Government
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DOE Updates Energy Conservation Requirements

October 16, 2014 in Codes, Controls, Sustainability

On September 26, 2014 the U.S. Department of Energy issued a determination that ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 would achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code than the 2010 version. The DOE analyses determined that the energy savings would be:

8.7% energy cost savings
8.5% source energy savings
7.6% site energy savings

As a result, all states are now required to certify that they have reviewed the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency and, if necessary, updated their codes to meet or exceed the 2013 edition of Standard 90.1. States must submit certification of compliance by September 26, 2016 or explain why they cannot comply.

Why is this happening? The DOE is required by the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 USC 6833) to review each new edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, and issue a determination as to whether the updated edition will improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings. If the determination is that the new version will improve energy efficiency, that standard becomes the new nationwide minimum requirement. States aren’t required to adopt Standard 90.1, but whatever standard they develop or adopt must be at least as stringent as Standard 90.1.

Some of the changes in the new standard are:

Lumen Power Densities (LPDs) for most building and space types are reduced by approximately 10% from the 2010 version.
More stringent requirements for lighting controls
A new table format for determining LPDs and control requirements in individual spaces

The DOE website contains additional information, including PDFs of the analyses they conducted.

Tags: ASHRAE 90.1, Controls, energy efficiency, Federal Government
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