Next generation lighting programs

Australia for example, did see a surge in CFL sales from to ; however, after the announcement of the mandatory standards, sales of halogen lamps nearly doubled from to , while CFL sales stayed fairly flat. Austria exhibited an even more dramatic shift in lamp sales leading up to the announcement of an incandescent phase- out, with both CFL and halogen lamp sales declin- ing from to There was a corresponding up-tick in incandescent lamp sales, largely attrib- uted to consumer hoarding.

This was largely due to a voluntary agreement between the UK government and retailers to remove incandescent bulbs from the shelves early, in order to reduce the likelihood of consumers hoarding the incandescent bulbs. Therefore U. An additional example of the market impacts of regulation can be observed in California, where the state implemented the first step of the EISA light bulb guidelines on January 1, , one year ahead of the rest of the country.

In-store surveys seven months later show that incandescent bulbs still remain on store shelves; there has not been a signifi- cant shift to CFLs thus far. It is important to note that CFLs purchased today may simply be replacing old CFLs and not incandescent bulbs , which will not contribute to increased energy savings or CFL socket saturation over today's baseline.

What will the program "baseline" be after EISA takes effect? In reality, in the coming years actual average baseline bulb wattages are likely to be higher than the wattage levels man- dated by EISA. Since the deadline applies to the date of manufacture, it is anticipated that non-compliant bulbs will remain on store shelves well beyond the implemen- tation date, as retailers work through the stock of bulbs manufactured before the deadline.

Many minimally complaint bulbs already in the market have lower light output ratings than the traditional bulbs they claim to replace.

The consumer finds the bulb isn't bright enough and jumps up to the next "bin" of bulbs, negating most of the energy savings. Because the standards are being phased in sequentially, consumers who are accus- tomed to purchasing light bulbs on the basis of wattage may be confused to find 72 W bulbs on the shelf next to 75 W traditional incandescent bulbs.

They may incorrectly assume that the 75 W bulbs are brighter and purchase them instead. As a result, we expect the following approximate baseline incandescent bulb wattages to be typical at the national level in each of the following lumen bins and years: Table 3. In order to fill those remaining sockets, efficiency programs may need to shift from the traditional rebate on bare spiral CFLs to more of a lighting market segmentation, or portfolio approach, which results in the promo- tion of a wider variety of bulbs tailored to specific consumer needs.

A portfolio approach will require more research to justify various program costs and benefits, and will result in higher costs for saved energy, but is still very likely to remain one of the most cost effective residential energy efficiency program options.

See Figure 3. Because many incan- descent bulbs in the durable and decorative catego- ries will be exempt or have limited coverage under EISA's light bulb standards, efficiency programs can capitalize on comparable energy savings to today's programs in many of these niche applications. Manufacturers have developed a wide variety of specialty CFLs to address many qualities of basic CFLs that consumers dislike.

Shatter-resistant CFLs Figure 3. Globe-shaped CFLs are available for multi-socket bath bar fixtures. More and more dimmable and three-way CFLs, as well as CFL-specific dimmers, are becoming available that address performance and compatibility prob- lems. Reflector CFLs do not perform as well in all directional applications compared to incandescent, halogen, and LED reflector bulbs, but can work in applications where diffuse light is desired. Many programs in the northeast have already begun transitioning to a portfolio approach.

For example, Long Island Power Authority LIRA has indicated they are successfully moving a portion of their lighting programming emphasis from bare spiral towards specialty bulbs, and are having suc- cess in doing so.

Figure 4. As a result, program manag- ers should develop custom program approaches designed to overcome specific barriers. Many of the current generation of LED light bulbs are attractive new options for efficiency programs because they overcome some of the barriers associated with consumer adoption of CFLs: instant on, dimmability, no mercury content and manufacturer promises of extended lifetimes up to 50, hours.

In addition to these desirable performance characteristics, LED light bulbs are not yet widely adopted and therefore net-to-gross ratios should be very high in all regions of the U. The majority of these are directional bulbs for fixtures such as recessed ceiling cans and track lights. See Figure 4 for a detailed breakdown.

As the market continues to develop more products for a wide variety of applica- tions will become available. What types of LED bulbs should programs include? A popular light fixture in residential homes is the recessed can, or "downlight. CFLs, though avail- able in reflector models, are not as well suited to replace the incandescent reflector bulbs found in these fixtures due to the diffuse nature of their light output.

A recent study in California concluded that incandescent reflector bulbs represent the largest share of the remaining energy savings potential of any bulb type. Many LED bulbs are now available in similar shapes and sizes. Unlike general purpose bulbs, which shine light in many directions to illuminate rooms or areas, directional light bulbs are intended to illuminate specific surfaces like walls, counters or floors. According to the DOE, there are more than million incandescent reflector bulbs in use in the U.

See Table 4. While the DOE has established minimum efficiency standards that take effect in mid for particular reflector lamp shapes, numerous exemptions currently exist31 that will still allow standard incandescent not halogen lamps to be sold.

The potential for future regulation exists Table 4. Min Year Adjusted DOE MYPP Projection A Logarithmic fit to Lighting Facts data for the currently-exempted reflector lamp types; however, until that time, this provides an opportu- nity for efficiency programs to improve the baseline.

LED bulbs are more effective than CFLs at mimicking the "sparkle" that many people associate with incandescent bulbs. Considering that some chandeliers contain six or more sockets that are typically filled with 25 W, 40 W, or even 60 W incandescent light bulbs, low-wattage LED bulbs can offer significant savings in these applications.

The upward trend of the data illustrates continuous improvements in light output and efficiency also known as luminous efficacy for lighting. The DOE's performance projections for solid-state lighting products are depicted by the yel- low line. Most non-directional LED bulbs available today produce less than lumens, similar amounts of light to today's 25 W and 40 W incandescent bulbs , and most of the light falls within a 90 degree cone.

Typical A-shaped incandescent household bulbs A-lamps provide omnidirectional light; they shine evenly in all directions, as do CFLs. LEDs are directional by nature and require sophisti- cated engineering to produce a more omnidirectional light distribution, which better mimics that of an incandescent A-lamp. The specification also allows for "non-standard" bulbs. LED bulbs that don't claim to replace a specific standard shape fall into this category, and do not have to meet a specific light distribution requirement.

This category was intended to foster innovation, allowing LED bulbs to provide light efficiently without having to conform to existing standards. Figure 6 is a visual comparison between an LED Figure 6. Figure 7. See Figure 7 for a few sample graphics; many other icons are avail- able to manufacturer partners.

This particular example indi- cates that this bulb would be appropriate for certain ceiling light applications, but not for a table lamp. Non-standard lamps have a role to play; they can be very good for certain applications, and may cost less than a truly omnidirectional standard A-lamp, but caution should be used by program manag- ers. Those that wish to include non-standard bulbs should develop educational materials to help prevent consumers from using non-standard lamps in tradi- tional table lamps, for example, where non-standard lamps may not meet consumer expectations.

Will LED bulb prices come down soon? Program managers might be questioning the fea- sibility of including LED light bulbs in their programs due to their relatively high purchase prices when compared to CFLs. However, this picture is changing relatively quickly.

These will be the first incandes- cent bulbs that could be included in efficiency programs since they could offer considerable savings over baseline halogen incandescent bulbs. In other words, they use half the power to pro- vide the same amount of light so that a typical W bulb could be replaced with a 50 W 2x bulb that is just as bright.

In addition, 2x bulbs are expected to last twice as long as today's incandescent bulbs. These significant gains are a result of advanced halogen infrared reflective HIR coatings on the out- side of the halogen capsule. Depending on how this technology develops, it could fill a consumer need over the next several years, and could spur a next generation of high efficiency incandescent bulbs.

As efficiency program planners do more with market segmenta- tion and design new programs to fill the remaining light bulb sockets, consumer incentives and educa- tion about these 2x products may be warranted. Will residential lighting programs be cost- effective after federal light bulb standards take effect? Residential lighting programs have delivered such inexpensive energy savings to states and utili- ties in recent years, that even if program costs rise significantly, these programs will still be cost effec- tive.

If declining net-to-gross ratios, declining net savings, and rising rebate amounts push program costs up, residential lighting programs may still be less expensive than non-lighting residential effi- ciency programs and will offer significant remaining savings.

Halogen incandescent bulbs that just meet the minimum EISA standards will form the new general purpose baseline. So, effi- cient light bulbs will still cost customers more at the store, but not as much more as they did in the past. These lower incremental costs help improve overall program cost-effectiveness in the common Total Resource Cost TRC formula. If all other costs and benefits are unchanged, a decrease in incremental costs will improve a TRC level.

Efficiency program managers can work closely with the EPA and regulators to ensure they accu- rately and completely consider all of these changes in the lighting landscape when planning next genera- tion lighting programs. To illustrate how program costs are changing, Figure 8 compares sample program cost rebate plus administration costs per rebated bulb to life- time energy savings for a variety of bulb types and net-to-gross ratios.

These are modeled scenarios based on today's typical CFL programs, and future Figure 8. Clear all filters. Full Spectrum. Full-Spectrum Lighting. Screen Sampler. Audio Visualizer. Animation Creator. Sync All Devices. Advanced RGB Immersion. Per-Key Programming. Driven by Games. Download LGS Now. SDK for Developers. The software also has enhanced luminaire selections tools and allows users to compare the performance of up to three luminaires at a time. According to their designs, users can also access luminaire reports that hyperlink directly to online product resources.

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