Recently in LED & Lighting Incentives Category

Manufacturers

DMF Lighting and Liton Lighting are a couple of the manufacturers of ENERGY STAR qualified exit signs in California.
DMF Lighting manufactures recessed lighting, track lighting, exit and emergency signs and industrial lighting.

Wet Location Red and Green LED AC Exit signs by Carson, CA based DMF feature an enclosure resistant to corrosive atmosphere, non-hazardous dust environments, water spray, splash and where hose downs frequently occur.  Edge-lit architectural signs provide high design features.  Additional models fit commercial and institutional facilities where emergency saving operation and long service life are required.

Liton Lighting, a subsidiary of  Los Angeles Based EEMA lighting Group, specializes in specification grade, commercial and residential recessed down lighting, and track lighting in Low Voltage, Line Voltage, Compact Fluorescent, and HID.

EEMA Industries Inc.
5461 West Jefferson Blvd, Los Angles, CA 90016
P: 323.904.0200 F: 323.904.0201

For a complete list of LED Exit Sign manufacturers, visit the ENERGY STAR website .  Energy Star maintains an Energy Star Qualified Products list for:

• Appliances
• Heating & Cooling
• Home Envelope
• Home Electronics
• Office Equipment
• Lighting
• Comemrcial food Service
• ...and Other Commercial Products.

This EPA sponsored national program provides a wide variety of information, testing and product rating services to help reduce energy consumption.  Started in the 1970s, their history is valuable for evalution and their scope is broadening to include testing of additional product categories for energy efficiency.

Energized by the prospect of bringing the latest white LED lighting technology to commercial spaces, a team of lighting industry veterans established Gallium in 2006 to develop specification-grade LED lighting systems. This team combines over forty years of lighting industry experience leading some of the largest and most prestigious fixture manufacturers in North America.

Gallium is dedicated to bringing architects the latest innovations in state-of-the-art LED technology,

Dr. Keith Bahde, President

Dr. Bahde has 20 years of lighting industry experience with three of the four largest lighting fixture manufacturers in North America. Keith was quick to recognize the benefits of white LEDs for general illumination, and founded Gallium Lighting to accelerate the adoption of LED technology in mainstream architectural applications. His academic credentials include an MBA and a PhD.

“White LEDs are the most promising new light sources since fluorescent lamps appeared on the market almost 60 years ago. We are proud to be on the forefront of commercializing LED luminaires for mainstream architectural applications. Leading the enthusiastic Gallium team in making this vision a reality is a real privilege. We greatly appreciate the phenomenal support and guidance we have received from specifiers and sales representatives, and we welcome your continued suggestions as we expand our product line.”

Keith P. Bahde, Ph.D.
President
Gallium Lighting, LLC
(831) GALLIUM (425-5486)

keith@galliumlighting.com

For additional information on the benefits of converting various lighting applications to LED lighting in the work environment and to learn more about LED Workplace, visit www.ledworkplace.org.

Cree is using its headquarters facilities as a testbed for LED implementation. 

They are converting all lighting at its Durham headquarters and manufacturing facility to LED lighting and released the results of the first phase of the conversion. The parking lots, entryways, lobby and conference rooms at Cree's headquarters building are now 100-percent lit by energy-efficient, environmentally friendly XLamp(R) LEDs.

Cree's LED Workplace(TM) conversion validates the energy savings, quality of light and reality that LED lighting is now a viable option for business and residential consumers.

In a study of the energy usage before and after the lighting conversion, Cree confirmed the energy savings of the newly installed LED lights.

The findings indicate that in total the new LED lights use 48% less energy than the incandescent, fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lights they replaced.

The combination of the energy savings, reduced maintenance and disposal costs and the environmental savings demonstrate that LED lighting is now a real alternative to traditional lighting solutions.

Duke Energy Collaboration

Cree's local utility, Duke Energy, is collaborating with Cree to explore the benefits of LED lighting. "Our customers are always interested in understanding how to save money through energy efficiency, so we make it our business to support innovative technologies such as LEDs," said Ted Schultz, Duke's vice president of energy efficiency.

"We expect our energy efficiency plans to be approved next year (2008) and are committed to having a complete line of lighting solutions available for customers," said Schultz. "At that point, we expect to have programs developed that will take advantage of LED technology."

"Conventional wisdom is that LED lighting is years away from widespread adoption. The truth, however, is that the performance of Cree's LED technology enables real LED lighting solutions today," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. "The conversion of Cree's site demonstrates that the LED Lighting Revolution is well underway and will illustrate the benefits in energy savings, maintenance costs and environmental impacts."

Cree also announced that it has launched a new website to share the results and implementation details of the LED Workplace lighting conversion with other organizations.
 
...will include lighting vendor information and the light, energy and maintenance metrics that form the basis for LED lighting's cost savings. This site will also feature other LED Workplace installations.

The Department of Energy has estimated that LEDs could reduce national energy consumption for lighting by 29% by 2025.

That would save U.S. households $125 billion on their electric bills.

 
Semiconductor-based LEDs use much less power than traditional bulbs, don't contain mercury like fluorescents, and they last for years, sometimes even decades. Recent years have seen very exciting developments in this area, with Orlando, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Taiwan announcing switches of traffic lights to LEDs.

2007's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York will even be lit with the technology -- strung along 5 miles of wire!

Advances in lighting technology have increased in scale and scope lately, as the world takes action on climate change. Last month, General Electric announced that it would close its incandescent facilities as it planned to stop making energy-intensive incandescent lightbulbs in favor of compact fluorescent and LED products.

And governments large and small have been passing bans on incandescent lightbulbs in recent months, including China's 10-year plan and Ontario's five-year plan to ban incandescent bulbs. Several U.S. states and U.S. senators and representatives have introduced legislation ban incandescents domestically.

An ENERGY STAR ALP designation identifies homes equipped with a comprehensive set of ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures. With an ALP installed, homebuyers can expect to save energy and money through reduced lighting operating costs - while sacrificing nothing for aesthetics!

ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures are available in many designs and fixture-types, giving homeowners a wide range of choices to create just the right look for their home.

The ALP designation applies to lighting packages, for new home construction, that consist of a minimum of 60% ENERGY STAR qualified hard-wired fixtures and 100% ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans where installed.

Some homebuilders who have participated in the ALP program include Casa Home Marketing, D.R. Horton and Ravenswood Homes. 

Benefits of the ENERGY STAR ALP

• Energy Bill Savings. You can save more than $65 per year in energy costs just by replacing your home's five most frequently used light fixtures with ENERGY STAR models. That's because ENERGY STAR qualified lighting uses about 75% less energy than standard models.

• Improved Quality. ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures meet strict EPA guidelines for energy efficiency and quality, producing warm, long-lasting light without slow starts or annoying flicker or hum. Fixtures that have earned the ENERGY STAR come with a two-year warranty, double the industry standard. Qualified ceiling fans offer a minimum 30-year motor warranty and 1-year component warranties.

• Enhanced Comfort. ENERGY STAR qualified lighting generates about 75% less heat than standard incandescent lighting. This means they are cool to the touch, keep you more comfortable, and help reduce home cooling costs. Install ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans and light kits, which together are 50% more energy-efficient than conventional fan/light units, and save even more while staying cool. Make sure to adjust the thermostat while using ceiling fans to save additional energy and money on your air conditioning costs.

• Environmental Protection. More than half of the homes in the United States use electricity generated by burning coal. Lowering energy use at home helps prevent greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants at the source. If every American home replaced its five most frequently used light fixtures with ENERGY STAR qualified models, together we'd prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.

• Design Flexibility: There are thousands of ENERGY STAR qualified light fixtures to choose from. They are available in many styles and finishes and are suitable for every application in home. The ALP requirements are designed to promote flexibility in fixture selections throughout the home.

Be sure to make LED fixtures part of your ALP package -- they will save our environment and the homeowners lots of electrical costs over the coming decades!

The EPA provides resources designed to assist procurement officials in smart purchase decisions.

Product Categories

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bulk_purchasing.bus_purchasing

EPA’s experience, through its interactions with U.S. companies, is that many are initiating energy programs. For companies operating formal energy programs, these programs are typically less than 5 years old.

Market trends suggest that the demand for energy resources will rise dramatically over the next 25 years:

• Global demand for all energy sources is forecast to grow by 57% over the next 25 years.
• U.S. demand for all types of energy is expected to increase by 31% within 25 years.
• By 2030, 56% of the world’s energy use will be in Asia.
• Electricity demand in the U.S. will grow by at least 40% by 2032.
• New power generation equal to nearly 300 (1,000MW) power plants will be needed to meet electricity demand by 2030.
• Currently, 50% of U.S. electrical generation relies on coal, a fossil fuel; while 85% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions result from energy-consuming activities supported by fossil fuels.

Sources: Annual Energy Outlook (DOE/EIA-0383(2007)), International Energy Outlook 2007 (DOE/EIA-0484(2007), Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005 (April 2007) (EPA 430-R-07-002)

If energy prices also rise dramatically due to increased demand and constrained supply, business impacts could include:

• Reduced profits due to high operating costs.
• Decline of sales of energy-using products.
• Loss of competitiveness in energy intensive businesses.
• Disruptions in supply chains as suppliers are unable to meet cost obligations or go bankrupt.

Energy reduction plans can benefit from increased installation of high-efficiency LED lighting systems.

Compare LEDs with most energy efficient lighting available for the specific application.  The US Department of Energy recommends the following evaluation metrics:

Verify lumens per watt
    Incandescent            12-15 lpw
    CFL                          50 lpw
    LEDs                        ~20-45 lpw depending on specific LEDs

Verify total light output
    Product manufacturers often don't report it
    Determine whether the fixture/system is sufficient for the needed amount of light for the task

Calculate cost
    Conventional (CFL, incandescent)    $1/1000 lumens (klm)
    LEDs                                             $50/klm
    LEDs on 24/7 or hard to reach areas: potential cost savings on maintenance

Assess need for special LED features
    Durability, accessibility

Check LED color output
    Bluer tones than fluorescents
    Warmer tones less efficient

Obtain a sample for testing

LED Exit signs provide 24/7 light and very low electricity use that saves money and reduces maintenance of bulb replacement. The brilliant red illumination is also a safety benefit. Couple these benefits with lower battery load during power supply interruptions, and it just makes sense to convert your Exit signs to LED technology.

Many public utility companies also offer incentives and rebates for LED exit sign replacements. This is another savings that makes LED exit sign remodeling and upfitting a smart move.

LEDtronics.com is a Torrance, CA company with an energy-saving mission: "To Replace Energy Wasting Lighting With World Class Environmentally Responsible LED bulbs and Products." The company is certified as a Minority-Owned Small Business and has grown into one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative LED lamps, clusters and arrays. The company now employs 300 people and has sales representatives world-wide. Since 1983 LEDtronics has been a leader in designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly low power usage, long life LED bulbs and LED lamps as direct replace to incandescent bulbs.

As you are aware, energy conservation and lowered electrical costs have become a way of life. Rugged LED's last 100,000 hours, over ten years, which greatly reduces maintenance and replacement costs because LEDs are virtually immune to shock and vibration.

LED lamps use 80% to 90% less energy then the incandescent lamps they replace) necessary to light an incandescent bulb; they significantly reduce power consumption to help achieve energy conservation goals. LED bulbs also remain cool so there is no excessive heat buildup, which can influence building air conditioning costs.

LEDtronics develops direct incandescent lamp replacement based LED bulbs, low cost snap-in and relampable panel mount LED lamps, high intensity sunlight visible discrete LED's, PCB mount LED indicators, SMT LED's, full spectrum RGB LED's as well as UV and Infrared LED bulbs.