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The Right Light
We don’t think very much about it, but lighting has an impact on everything we do. For most of us, even for most businesses, it’s the first thing we turn on in the morning and last thing we turn off at night.
It also uses a considerable amount of electricity. The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that energy consumption for all lighting in the United States is about 22 percent of the total electricity generated, or approximately the output of 100 large power plants—and it’s why DOE has set a goal to reduce the amount of energy used for electric lighting by 50 percent by 2010.
Not too long ago, the only easy means of reducing lighting energy was to reduce the wattage of the lamp used, which also reduced the amount and quality of light. But today, retailers are promoting energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) through prominent product placement on store shelves (and utilities have expanded CFL giveaway and rebate programs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are fast becoming the number-one choice for certain niche lighting applications.
Consumer and government desires for better efficiency and sustainable practices, as well as utility efforts to provide electric efficiency for customers (and everyone’s desire to temper rising electricity prices), are driving the lighting industry to develop advanced technologies, from dimmable fluorescent lighting systems to occupancy controls and daylighting. Many of these new energy-saving technologies and practices are out on the market and gaining momentum. But no technology is adequate for every application; and understanding the options, advantages, and disadvantages of each can be daunting and confusing at best. Indeed, balancing efficiency and usefulness can be a challenge—in the home, the commercial enterprise, the warehouse, or wherever one relies on lighting.
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