Wind Energy Voice

It doesn’t take a market evaluation to determine which country is the largest consumer of energy. Recognized as one of the most powerful and developed nations in the world, America was responsible for 20 percent of global primary energy consumption in 2006 and is reported to have consumed 99.4 quadrillion Btu (quads) of primary energy in 2008. (Source: EIA, 2009)

Energy use in the United States has been growing steadily since 1949, with the exception of a plunge in the mid-1970s as a result of the oil crisis. The energy consumed today by America is double of what was used up in 1963 and almost 40 percent higher than what it was in 1975. The only saving grace is the country’s readiness to recognize the potential for improved energy efficiency and accordingly, prioritize the efficient use of energy by widely adopting energy efficient lighting, heating, cooling, transport and computing technologies across every cross-section of the society.

Until a few years back, opportunities for energy efficient lighting did not strike an attractive pose for the housing segment, businesses, industries or municipal sectors, owing to the huge purchase price of efficient lighting systems. Not many realized that the cost savings over time positively outweighed the initial costs of these energy saving measures.

However, unprecedented investments in efficient lighting technology are making it easier and more affordable for American homes and businesses to retrofit their buildings with LEDs and other energy saving lighting solutions. According to a recent market research, the sale of traditional light bulbs in several European countries has dropped by 35 percent in the first quarter of 2009, with LEDs accounting for 65 percent of sales.

Considering the fact that America has approximately 81 million single-family homes, 25 million multi-family housing units, 7 million mobile homes and 75 billion square feet of floor space contained within 5 million commercial buildings, it does not come as a surprise when EIA reports state that residential and commercial buildings accounted for 73 percent of total electricity used in the United States in 2008.

Within the next twenty years or so, if all buildings in America were to be upgraded with energy efficient lighting, the surging demand in lighting electricity can be reduced by as much as 33 percent, generating energy savings of around $265 billion. By using efficient lightingfor just one-twentieth of all the homes in the United States, the government can definitely, avoid the need for 13 new medium-sized (300MW) power plants every year.

Buildings are the largest source of energy efficiency in America and steps are being taken by all Americans to make their home or business energy-efficient in every sense of the word. This conclusion is supported by the fact that more than 8,000 single-family households in America applied for the federal tax credit for 50 percent savings during the first year of its availability.

America’s energy saving initiative for the next few years is bound to overcome all barriers in the domestic and commercial use of energy efficient lighting technologies, thereby lowering annual electricity use and contributing to a greener environment.

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In most of the developing countries, the energy sector consumes the major importance with the ever increasing energy needs and the widening demand and supply of this. In the current scenario, the peak demand shortage is 14% and the energy deficit is 8.4%. So, more efforts are being given on the use of the energy efficient lighting and energy efficiency is achieved, when the usage of the energy products is reduced without affecting the output. And, also it has been observed that the energy efficient lighting touches the normal lives of many of the people.

So, today the energy efficiency assumes the greater importance as it is most cost effective and reliable means of meeting the global climate change. And more than this, the use of energy efficient lighting is very important and has become an important component of the society.

Energy efficient lighting also means using the less energy in order to perform the same function, for example: it can be done by replacing the traditional light bulbs with the compact fluorescent bulbs, as it has been observed that, one uses only 25% of the energy for the household purposes. And, it accounts for nearly 15 % of the total energy consumed in the developing countries. Thus, the developing countries are taking more initiatives in order to improve the energy efficiency.

However, many problems occur during the successful drive towards the energy efficient lighting. Some of these include: giving stress towards minimization of first cost by end users. It even faces the problem for the availability of the capital. Then, lack of information and also shortage of the skilled labourers also contribute to the problems faced by the government.

There has also been continuous growth and development in the energy saving lightings in the recent years, in order to produce the best lighting products and control the energy consumption. And, also in industrial plants, the use of the efficient lighting does not hold importance. Thus, in order to implement the energy conservation measure, the total expenditure on investment is incurred for implementation. For example, nearly 40 % of the energy can be saved in a normal office building with the efficient use of the ballasts, lamps, and reflectors.

Thus, the energy savings lighting usually offers the easiest and most powerful leverage on energy costs and even upgrades the quick savings on energy bills and henceforth, is very cost- effective.

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For many homeowners, especially those with children, the kitchen is the most lived-in room in the house. It’s a gathering place, a workspace, a study area, an entertainment venue and of course, a room in which to enjoy meals together. Thus, it’s not uncommon for kitchen lights to be switched on for four or more hours per day. This presents a legitimate opportunity to save money and reduce air pollution and landfill waste by switching to energy-efficient lighting solutions.

As a source of both ambient and task light, recessed downlights (“cans”) are widely used in American kitchens. These fixtures push light down and away to light an area and a work surface at the same time. To enable the homeowner to add ambience, they’re often controlled by a dimmer switch.

For homeowners motivated to make a small investment to reduce their electricity use and/or carbon footprint, a simple light bulb retrofit in their existing kitchen fixtures is a smart and easy strategy. Simply remove the existing high wattage (commonly 65-90 watts) bulbs, and insert lower wattage eco-friendly lamps which yield equivalent light output (lumens). But since there are two types of lower cost energy-efficient lighting options from which to choose, which is preferable in this application?

High-Efficiency Halogen Lamps Beat Compact Fluorescent Lamps

We’ve looked at this question from many angles and have concluded that screw-in (self-ballasted) CFL reflector lamps, for many the obvious choice, are an inferior, energy-efficient lighting solution. Very few consumers are familiar with the new high-efficiency halogen lamps (“HEH”) which have hit the market in the last few years. The best of these models already exceed the energy efficiency requirements for incandescent reflector lamps scheduled to take effect in July 2012.

Here, we cite nine reasons why we believe high-efficiency halogen lamps, controlled by a pre-set dimmer switch, offer overall superior, energy-efficient lighting value to CFLs starting with the most important factor for electric light sources, whether energy efficient or not: light characteristics.

Reason 1 – Great Light:

Halogen light is legendary for being white, bright, crisp, and punchy and making colors appear vivid.
The light cast by CFL reflectors, while typically warm white, is average at best.

Reason 2 – Superior Illuminance:

“Illuminance” describes the amount of light on a horizontal surface, measured in “foot candles.”
High-efficiency halogen lamps, especially those with a PAR (Parabolic Aluminized Reflector) configuration, throw concentrated light downwards measurably better than CFL reflectors.
The result? Much more artificial light where it’s needed.

Reason 3 – Effortless Dimming:

No artificial light source dims better than an incandescent lamp. High-efficiency halogen lamps use improved incandescent technology and don’t require special dimmer switches.
Dimmable CFLs cost more than non-dimmable versions. But dimmable doesn’t translate into impressive dimming performance.

Reason 4 – Dimming = Longer Lamp Life:

Dimming any lamp is an energy-efficient lighting strategy because it reduces electricity consumption and harmful gas emissions. There’s an added green benefit when dimming high-efficiency halogen lamps: it extends the lifetime of the lamp.
For example, constant dimming by just 15% (a pre-set dimmer enables this) will triple the life of the bulb, thereby reducing landfill waste and replacement costs.
For premium high-efficiency halogen lamps, this translates into 9,000 to 12,000 hours, roughly the same as the average rated life of an Energy Star rated CFL reflector (whose projected life is static even if dimmed).

Reason 5 – Instant On:

Just like non-halogen incandescent bulbs, halogen lamps reach full brightness with the flick of a switch.
State-of-the-art CFL reflectors will start instantly but take 30 seconds to a minute’s time to reach full brightness (depending on the ambient room temperature).

Reason 6 – Mercury-Free:

High-efficiency halogen lamps operate without the use of mercury.
All CFLs contain mercury which must be vaporized to create ultraviolet energy and subsequently, visible light.
Since mercury is a toxic substance, this necessitates proper recycling at the end of a CFL’s life.
Further, while breakage in a recessed can is a low probability risk, an accident would cause mercury to contaminate the area below.

Reason 7 – Reliability:

High-efficiency halogen lamps don’t contain any electronic components.
Unlike a screw-in CFL, which contains a precise electronic component called a ballast, neither frequent on/off switching, nor trapped heat will affect the performance or lifespan of these energy-efficient lighting solutions.

Reason 8 – Lumen Maintenance:

Lumens are the measure of the amount of light emitted by a light source. High-efficiency halogen lamps maintain their initial lumens for as long as they operate.
CFLs, using different technology, will gradually dim by about 25% over their lifetime.
Why does this matter? Studies have shown that at age 65, the eyes need three times more light to see as well as at age 20.
With CFLs in a kitchen, vision needs and light output are moving in opposite directions as time passes.

The Rest of the Story – High-Efficiency Halogen Lamps Are Greener

Reason 9 – Better, REAL Energy-Efficient Lighting:

The commonly used metric for comparing energy-efficient lighting is lumens of output per watt of electrical input. This method is appropriate for omni-directional bulbs such as traditional A-shape lamps and spiral CFLs.
Directional lamps (floodlights, spotlights) are different. Their job is not to glow, but to throw light into a defined area or onto a specific surface.
Compare the measured light (illuminance) on a horizontal surface from two floodlights, a 16 watt CFL BR30 (630 lumens) and a 34 watt HEH PAR30 (1) (612 lumens).
The CFL has 39 lumens per watt vs. 18 for the HEH. Thus, by conventional measures the CFL is more than twice as energy efficient.
Measured illuminance tells a very different story: the CFL floodlight casts just 15 foot candles of light onto the work surface in this demonstration. The HEH? 51 foot candles.(2)
Therefore, at 1.5 foot candles per watt, the HEH bulb is 60% more efficient in real terms than the CFL (0.9 foot candles per watt).
Or viewed another way, using typical recessed downlight fixtures, to produce an equivalent amount of light on a kitchen countertop or table, where important tasks such as food preparation and schoolwork are performed, a 54 watt CFL floodlight would be needed.
Not only would such a lamp be more expensive to purchase, it would cost 36% more to operate and generate 36% more air pollution than the high-efficiency halogen lamp.

Notes for Previous Example

1. A 40 watt model was dimmed by 15% to reduce lumen output from 720 to 612.

2. Measured distance of each light source to the surface of the light meter instrument was 50 inches.

Illuminating the Perks of Energy-Efficient Lighting

Impressive consumer value is sometimes found where it’s least expected. We’re all for selectively installing energy-efficient lighting around the home and place of business because it leverages the fact that the cheapest and cleanest kilowatt of electricity is the one that’s never produced in the first place. But if light bulb buyers only paid attention to the popular media or followed Energy Star prescriptions, they would only know to consider CFL reflectors as an affordable, energy-efficient lighting solution for their oft-used recessed downlights.

As we’ve argued here, the exciting new high-efficiency halogen lamps (spot and floodlights), which are generally priced on par with premium quality dimmable CFL reflectors, are superior energy-efficient lighting solutions for consumers who value great light characteristics, thrift, dimming performance and environmental sustainability for their lighting dollar.

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Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market, Part 2: Appliances & Lighting

Table of Contents :

Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Scope of This Report

Methodology

The Market

The U.S. Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market

Figure 1-1: Energy-Efficient Residential Renovations Market, 2003-2008 (in billion $)

Energy-Efficient Product Segments for the Renovations Market

Forecast

Figure 1-2: Residential Energy-Efficient Renovations Market Forecast, 2009-2013 (in billion $)

Figure 1-3: Residential Energy-Efficient Appliance and Lighting Renovations Market Forecast, 2009-2013 (in billion $)

Measuring Energy Efficiency

Prescriptive Energy Efficiency Programs

Table 1-1: Summary of Energy-Efficient Appliance and Lighting Programs, 2009

Home Energy Efficiency Auditing for Renovations

Home Performance Programs

Financial Programs

State Energy Efficiency Renovation Incentives

Figure 1-4: Utility Funding for Energy Efficiency Programs, 2008

Government Assistance Programs

Financial Benefits of Energy-Efficient Home Renovations

Trends

Figure 1-5 :NAHB Remodeling Market Index & JCHS Leading Indicator for Remodeling Activity, 2002-2009

Consumers Want More Green!

Appliance Remodeling Trends

Residential Lighting Trends

DIY and Pro

Remodeling Industry Suffers from Unprofessional Image

The Future for Energy Efficiency Remodelers

DIY Versus Pro by Product Segment

Demographics

Appliance Renovation Demographics

Energy-Efficient Lighting Demographics

Manufacturers & Retailers

Appliance Manufacturers

Residential Lighting and Lighting Fixture Manufacturers

Retailers

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Chapter 2: The Market
Scope of This Report

Methodology

A Note on the American Housing Survey

Defining Energy-Efficient

Energy-Efficient Appliances

Energy-Efficient Lighting

The Residential Construction Industry

The U.S. Housing Construction Market

Figure 2-1: Residential Construction Value Put in Place, 2002-2008 (in billion $)

The U.S. Home Renovations Market

Figure 2-2: Residential Renovations Market, 2001-2008 (in billion $)

The U.S. Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market

Figure 2-3: Energy-Efficient Residential Renovations Market, 2003-2008 (in billion $)

The U.S. Appliance Market

Table 2-1: U.S. Residential Appliance Market, 2002-2008 (in thousand units)

The Energy-Efficient Appliance Market for Existing Homes

Figure 2-4: Energy-Efficient Residential Appliance Renovations Market, 2003-2008 (in billion $)

Figure 2-5: Breakdown of Energy-Efficient Appliance Market for Existing Homes, 2008

The U.S. Residential Lighting Market

Table 2-2: U.S. Residential Light Fixture and Compact Fluorescent Bulb Market, 2002-2008 (in million $)

The Energy-Efficient Residential Lighting Renovations Market

Figure 2-6: Energy-Efficient Residential Lighting Renovations Market, 2003-2008 (in million $)

Imports & Exports of Appliances

Table 2-3: U.S. Imports & Exports of Appliances, 2002-2008 (in million $)

Imports & Exports of Residential Lighting Products

Table 2-4: U.S. Imports & Exports of Residential Light Fixtures and Compact

Fluorescent Bulbs, 2002-2008 (in million $)

Forecast

Figure 2-7: Residential Energy-Efficient Renovations Market Forecast, 2009-2013 (in billion $)

Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Product Segment Forecasts

Figure 2-8: Residential Energy-Efficient Appliance and Lighting Renovations Market Forecast, 2009-2013 (in billion $)

Chapter 3: Measuring Energy Efficiency
Independent Product Testing Organizations

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