by Brianna Crandall — July 10, 2015—As part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) effort to support U.S. businesses working to save money by saving energy, the Better Buildings Alliance’s Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign recently recognized 18 organizations for leading the way in efficient outdoor lighting technologies, not only cutting energy costs but enhancing safety and improve working conditions for customers, tenants and employees.
In the past year, these organizations have committed to install efficient lighting across more than 470 million square feet of parking space—cutting energy use on average by 60 percent. Nationwide, building owners spend more than $16 billion annually to light their parking lots and garages, but by improving all outdoor lighting by 60 percent, U.S. building owners could save more than 9 billion dollars annually across the 215 billion square feet of parking facilities, estimates DOE.
Altogether, 2014 and 2015 LEEP award winners such as Arby’s Restaurant Group, California State University at Fullerton, and the USAA Real Estate Company are saving nearly 30 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) and $3 million each year by upgrading to high-efficiency metal halide, fluorescent, and light-emitting diode (LED) solutions that last three times longer than previously used technologies, and by using controls to reduce energy use when parking facilities are not in use.
Some LEEP award-winning sites have reduced their energy use by as much as 90 percent, according to DOE. To date, more than 140 U.S. businesses and organizations are participating in the campaign and planning or installing energy efficient lighting in their parking lots and garages.
In addition to the LEEP campaign, the Better Buildings Alliance spearheads a number of technology campaigns including the Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC), focused on high-efficiency indoor troffer lighting solutions, and the Advanced Rooftop Unit Campaign, which supports building owners who are replacing or retrofitting aging rooftop heating and cooling technologies in U.S. commercial buildings.
As a cornerstone of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Better Buildings Alliance aims to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade.
