by Brianna Crandall — July 27, 2015—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week that over 65 organizations are participating in the Better Building Alliance’s Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC) and committing to drive greater energy efficiency through new interior lighting technologies.
The goal for the first year is for partners to install 100,000 high-efficiency troffers, or fluorescent lighting fixtures. As partners upgrade these overhead fixtures, they will share their successful strategies and solutions with others. Upgrading 100,000 fixtures can reduce energy use by 5 million kilowatt-hours, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 3,000 metric tons of carbon, and save $500,000 in electricity bills annually, calculates DOE.
Lighting in the commercial sector accounts for 20% of total building energy use, and troffer lighting makes up half of all fluorescent lighting fixtures and consumes nearly 96 billion kilowatt-hours annually, or enough electricity to power 9 million homes annually, according to DOE. If the United States upgraded all troffer fixtures to meet the performance requirements defined in the ILC, the nation could save over $2 billion annually in electricity costs.
ILC partners interested in pursuing greater energy savings will be encouraged to adopt the Better Building Alliance’s High Efficiency Performance Troffer Specification. Meeting this specification could help partners save as much as 60% per troffer and up to 75% with controls. By replacing all troffers nationwide with technologies meeting this specification, the USA could save $4 billion annually in energy costs, calculates DOE.
ILC is organized with support from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) of North America, and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). By working with these trade associations, the Energy Department reaches key stakeholders, and establishes opportunities to provide technical assistance and exchange guidance and best practices.
The following organizations (“Participants”) are committed to upgrading to high-efficiency troffer lighting solutions and strategies that can be shared with others:
- City of Gillette
- Cleveland Clinic
- Kohl’s Department Stores
- Macy’s
- City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Target
- U.S. Army Reserves 63rd Regional Support Command
- U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
- Vandenberg Air Force Base
- Yamaha Motor Corporation
The utilities, energy efficiency groups, and manufacturers (“Supporters”) that have joined the campaign will also feature products and services and encourage their customers to join.
