The First Facility Management Blog

Despite strong, ongoing sales of four foot T12 fluorescent lamps, the magnetic ballasts commonly used for the lamps’ operation will start becoming relics of the past on July 1, 2010, when their continued manufacture for commercial and industrial applications becomes prohibited by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ballast efficiency regulations.

According to the National Lighting Bureau, the July 1, 2010 date marks the last step of a multi-step phase-out that began on July 1, 2005, the date when ballast manufacturers could no longer sell T12 magnetic ballasts for use in new fixtures with full wattage T12 lamps. March 31, 2006 was the last day lighting fixture manufacturers could incorporate the ballasts in new fixtures with full wattage T12 lamps. And on July 1, 2010, the manufacture of T12 magnetic ballasts solely for replacement purposes will cease.

National Lighting Bureau Vice Chair Susan Bloom (Philips Lighting and Philips Lighting Electronics) commented, “T12 fluorescent technology is 70 years old and is generally considered outdated when compared to the far more efficient T8 and T5 fluorescent technologies currently available. Nonetheless, industry sales data reveal that less efficient T12s still account for three out of every 10 four foot fluorescent lamps sold in the U.S. This means that literally millions of existing T12 fluorescent lighting sockets will have to be upgraded sooner rather than later, because the lack of these replacement ballasts will make T12 lighting harder to maintain. The good news is that owners and managers of America’s commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities who still rely on T12 lighting can rest assured that there are high performing and more energy efficient lighting technologies readily available to them that will also serve to support our national goals of energy independence and a clean environment.”

Bloom explained that facility owners and managers will reap significant benefits from energy efficient lighting upgrades. These benefits include energy savings of as much as 48%, attractive two to three year simple paybacks, reduced maintenance costs and concerns, and the knowledge that they are supporting the environment and promoting sustainable lighting design. They can also derive additional benefits if their lighting upgrades qualify for the federal tax incentives available through the Commercial Building Tax Deduction [CBTD] established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Some states also offer incentive programs and, in many areas of the nation, utility incentive programs also are available.

Managers of facilities whose lighting fixtures incorporate T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts can select from several upgrade alternatives. These include replacing the existing magnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts; modifying the fixtures to accept T8 lamps and electronic ballasts; and replacing the existing fixtures entirely, relying on contemporary T8 or T5 units with electronic ballasts, or, possibly, a completely different technology.

Bloom pointed out that DOE exempted three types of T12 magnetic ballasts from the rule:

• T12 dimming ballasts that dim to 50% or less;
• two lamp F96T12HO ballasts designed for outdoor sign applications where temperatures may fall to as low as -20F, and;
• magnetic ballasts with power factors less than 0.90 designed and labeled for residential building applications.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which just passed the House in a close vote, is being seen by many energy and environmental advocates as an important step forward towards the comprehensive approach needed to reduce climate emissions and increase clean energy usage in the United States. As the Senate takes up its version of this legislation, Senators are being urged to build on the work of the House and strengthen the legislation to create accelerated reductions in carbon emissions, a faster phase out of dirty coal plants, and greater funding of clean energy sources.

The ACES bill, the first climate change bill to reach the Congress, includes the following key elements:

• Clean energy: promoting renewable energy, low-carbon transportation fuels, electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission;
• Energy efficiency: increasing energy efficiency across all sectors: buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry;
• Global warming targets: placing limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants with a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050;
• Economic transitioning: protecting U.S. consumers, and promoting green jobs during the transition to a clean green economy.

Climate change legislation may also include a new lighting standard. Liz Sidoti of the AP reports:

Aiming to keep the focus on climate change legislation, President Barack Obama put a plug in for administration efforts to make lamps and lighting equipment use less energy.

“I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7% of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses,” the president said, standing alongside Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the White House.

Obama said the new efficiency standards he was announcing for lamps would result in substantial savings between 2012 and 2042, saving consumers up to $4 billion annually, conserving enough energy to power every U.S. home for 10 months, reducing emissions equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars a year, and eliminating the need for as many as 14 coal-fired power plants.

The president also said he was speeding the delivery of $346 million in economic stimulus money to help improve energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings.

Green America (formerly Co-op America), a nonprofit consumer and business membership organization founded in 1982, is encouraging the Senate to strengthen the bill through:

• Greater funding and a faster timetable for a transition to clean energy sources, particularly solar and wind, which will reduce carbon emissions and increase green jobs.
• Retention or expansion of the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to clean up dirty coal plants.
• Reduction of allocations for polluting companies. Polluters need to pay for their pollution in order to fund increased investment in clean energy and green jobs.
• Establishment of greenhouse gas emissions caps that achieve a 25% reduction below 2005 levels by the year 2020.
• Nuclear power needs to be excluded as a clean energy source. Nuclear power is low-carbon, but with environmentally damaging uranium mining radioactive waste, proliferation potential and safety hazards, it is not clean energy.

“The world needs real U.S. climate leadership. ACES is a start, but we have a long way to go for legislation that addresses the scale and scope of the climate crisis,” states Todd Larsen, Green America’s director of corporate responsibility. “We look to the Senate to really step up to the plate. The future of our economy and our society hangs in the balance.”

House passage of ACES is seen by many as the first step toward building U.S. political will to address climate change. Strong U.S. action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to invest in renewable energy will be crucial to the global movement addressing climate change and to the success of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December of this year.

EasyDim(TM) from Robertson Worldwide is a three-step dimming ballast that operates two F32T8 lamps using existing wiring and standard wall switches. The multi-volt, program start, energy efficient, electronic ballast delivers the combined benefits of three levels of dimming while providing maximum lamp and performance.

Easy Dim supports sustainable lighting designs as measured by the LEED green building rating system and complies with state and local building codes.

Robertson Worldwide was recently presented with the Best of Category Award for this product during the LFI Innovations Awards Program at the Lightfair International Trade Show and Convention in New York City. Sandy Bryant, CEO/President and Robert Pelino, VP of Marketing & Technical Sales at Robertson were present at the event and accepted the Innovation Award for Best of Category: Ballast, Transformers.

For their work on lighting the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, CA, James R. Benya of Benya Lighting Design (West Linn, OR), Michael Neils and Juan José Villatoro of M. Neils Engineering, Inc. (Sacramento, CA), and James E. Christensen of the City of Sacramento have received the 2008 GE Edison Award. On May 4, 2009, in New York City, GE Consumer & Industrial presented a personalized Steuben crystal award for the 26th annual lighting design competition. The GE Edison Award competition is open to those lighting professionals who creatively employ significant use of GE light sources (lamps and/or LEDs) in a lighting design project completed during the previous calendar year.

The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, opened in 1927, is listed on the National Historic Register and has been the home of concerts, inaugurals, commencements, and other civic events. Excavating the grounds to repair foundation walls provided an opportunity to improve site and building lighting. Because of its importance to the city and state, the design team was asked to develop a lighting design that is significantly better than California Title 24, while also respecting nighttime skies.

Design Approach

The project also earned an Award for Excellence in Environmental Design; a number of key design strategies qualified the project for that recognition. Light sources in the design are limited to two types: ceramic metal halide and 3000K linear fluorescent. Mockups determined the lowest practical wattage for the desired effects. The larger east and west façades are only partially illuminated, leaving extensive areas in artfully chosen shadow. Uplighting each main column with only one luminaire, and carefully aiming to also illuminate the capital, frieze, dentils and cornice, reduce power use in half from the original design concept. The elimination of some other proposed luminaires yields a design that betters California Title 24 limits by 22%. Site and plaza lighting comply with the requirements for LEED® Credit SS8 for lighting pollution reduction.

The lighting design features several GE ConstantColor® CMH® ceramic metal halide and GE T5 High Output Ecolux® fluorescent lamps. The six columns with ornate capitals and the two end pilasters are each uplighted with one 150-watt CMH® T6 3000K in-grade luminaire. The luminaire location is precisely in the second step so that the column, capital, frieze, and cornice are illuminated. Up washers with 54-watt T5 HO 3000K lamps illuminate the pediment wall, and the medallion is highlighted with a 70-watt CMH® narrow spot lamp.

In ceiling coves behind the arches, 70-watt CMH® down light wall washers illuminate the wall and doors. The down lights, installed in the same locations as prior luminaires, were approved by the historic commission. The front corners of the building are uplighted with 54-watt GE T5 HO luminaires supplemented by 70-watt CMH® luminaires for the limestone pilasters.

The massive brick building’s largest façades are the east and west. Each is comprised of a series of pilasters with rooflines sloping back. A continuous fluorescent 54-watt T5 HO wall wash luminaire between pilasters connects the composition around the building base. Pilasters are uplighted with asymmetric luminaires with 70-watt CMH® lamps for the middle level and 39-watt CMH® lamps for the top and bottom levels. Luminaire locations were limited by historic preservation requirements. Rather than flood the façade, a design creating a dramatic lantern effect on the top of each pilaster was chosen. Interior lighting for the skylight windows features fluorescent GE 32-watt T8 3000K lamps.

There are Romeo and Juliet balconies at each of the four main fire exits. Two 70-watt CMH® in-grade floodlights and a single 54-watt T5 HO 3000K up washer in each balcony highlight the balcony and brick wall. The lighting reveals an artful brick pattern not evident by daylight.

The lighting design also includes site poles that provide all plaza, street and walkway lighting for the building’s block. Luminaires are fully shielded and employ 150-watt CMH® lamps.

Judging And Other Recognized Projects

A panel of five judges selected this year’s winning entry for its superiority in the following categories: functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques; appropriate color, form and texture revelation; energy effectiveness and cost effectiveness. Judges for this 26th annual competition were: Naomi Miller, FIES, FIALD, LC, Naomi Miller Lighting Design, LLC; Pamela Miller, LC, LEED®AP, IES, FreemanWhite; Christian K. Monrad, P.E., LEED®AP, Monrad Engineering, Inc.;Derek Porter, IALD, IES, PLDA, Derek Porter Studio; and Omar A. Rivera, C.L.E.P. AEE, GE Consumer & Industrial, Lighting.

The winning project was one of four Awards of Excellence finalists. The other Awards of Excellence winners were: Jersey Boys Theatre at The Palazzo (Las Vegas, NV), designed by Martin van Koolbergen and Kristy Benner of Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA); Federal State Parliament (Vaduz, Princedom of Liechtenstein), designed by Edwin and Thomas Kausen of Licht Kunst Licht AG (Berlin, Germany); and US Bank Tower (Sacramento, CA), designed by Claudio Ramos, Hiram Banks and Erich Hendrickson of h. e. banks + associates Lighting Design (San Francisco, CA).

Additional award recipients are listed at www.GEEdisonAward.com.

LED (light emitting diode) lighting, with its promise of high levels of energy efficiency and long operating life, is being used in certain applications in many facilities. However, the technology is not mainstream in today’s facilities, but what might the potential be in the coming years?

Chad Stalker, director of products and business development, lighting business group at Luminus Devices, offers some information for facility management professionals. Luminus is a developer and manufacturer of large chip solid state light sources based in Billerica, MA.

Q: What characteristics of LEDs give the technology the ability to provide increased energy efficiency and life expectancy over other types of lighting?

Stalker: Let’s talk to life expectancy first. LEDs, as a silicon-based light source, presents a number of the same benefits realized from other electronic devices, especially compared to traditional lamp technologies that are based on glass vessels with filaments and gas inside. LEDs are therefore very rugged and because of this provide useable light for an extremely long time (10×1000’s of hours of operation is not hard to realize). They do not radiate heat, UV, or IR light so the area they are lighting does not get overly hot and the items they are lighting are subject to fading or being destroyed.

Now, when talking about LEDs and energy efficiency facility managers (fms) need to look at this as it relates to the complete lighting application. From a lighting application standpoint, the small size and directional nature of LEDs allow for not only high efficiency solutions but fms can now consider form factors never before possible with traditional lighting and the ability to easily put light where it is needed—in a more “efficient” manner.

For example, cove lighting is a very popular application for LEDs and in most cases, they are replacing fluorescent lamps. Fluorescent lamps produce a lot of light with little power and it is hard to understand why LEDs would be more suitable. It is here that the directional nature of the LEDs provide significant value in that a large majority of the light created by the LEDs goes to where it is needed—to light the top of the cove or even spill out onto the ceiling. In the case of a fluorescent lamp, because the light comes out of the lamp in all directions, not all of the light goes where it is needed. So the overall delivered/useful lumens are significantly less—making the LED-based solution the more efficient one.

Q: At present, what space(s) in a “typical” facility might LED lighting be best suited?

Stalker: When looking at where LED-based lighting makes sense, fms have to look at a number of factors, but two key ones are: the type of space (work area, common area, transit, etc.), the location (high traffic, low traffic, remote, etc.). The type of space defines the light levels needed, the light quality, etc., and the location determines accessibility, more specifically ease of access.

The reason fms want to consider these factors is because from a facilities standpoint most of the LED lighting solutions available now typically present a high initial cost but a significant savings as it relates to control, maintenance, and reliability. Putting LED lighting in an area where traditional sources provide equal energy efficiency and light quality and can be easily serviced make more sense.

LED-based lighting makes more sense from a facilities management (FM) standpoint to be deployed in places like coves, exterior facades, in-grade, interior/exterior common areas, exterior wall packs, etc. These are all places where either the cost to maintain the lighting in these areas goes beyond using a stepladder and switching the lamp. These are lighting installations where fms would need to consider additional equipment (scaffolding, scissor lifts, cherry pickers, etc.), off-hours service as to not impact traffic or productivity and special efforts (e.g. special tooling, new gaskets, etc.) in order to service them.

Q: What capabilities and performance parameters should fms look at when considering LED lighting?

Stalker: When considering LED lighting fms should not compromise the capabilities they already realize with their traditional lighting solutions. From a features/capabilities standpoint LED-based lighting systems can support such things as integration with existing lighting and building control systems (e.g. dimming, daylight harvesting, etc.).

The same goes for performance in that they should see the same performance characterization (e.g. IES files, cut sheets, etc.) and regulatory listings (e.g. UL, ETL, CSA, etc.) for any LED-based light fixture. The LED lighting industry is working hard to make sure this information is in place. The fm may have to ask for it. They will probably have to work with their local inspectors to get the updated regulations, but it should be available.

Q: What additional capabilities are being developed in LED lighting technology for facility applications?

Stalker: This is the exciting part about LED-based lighting. It is where the convergence of semiconductor technology and lighting can provide more than just a new light source. With the power and control technology that goes into making an LED-based light fixture there are additional options that can be enabled to make the fixture more intelligent for little to no additional cost. This would enable things like self commissioning, on-board diagnostics, two-way communications with the building control system, and integration into other building systems. Here are two examples:

1. On-board diagnostics + two-way communications: The light fixture senses that the light output has gone below a certain level and should be checked. It communicates this to the building control system through the two-way communications and the building control system sends an e-mail to the fm with the problem and location of the fixture.
2. Integration with other building control systems: A person pre-sets their lighting levels of the lights in their office. When they come into work in the morning and slide their security card the lights in their office come on to the levels they want.

Q: What is the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of LED lighting for general applications in facilities?

Stalker: The biggest obstacle at this point seems to be having a broad set of LED-based lighting solutions in the market, in a form that meets or beats the price/performance of traditional lighting solutions.

Exactly when and how this is going to happen is a question the whole LED lighting industry asks on a daily basis. Most of the market research published around LEDs has been around the technology advancements to achieve performance levels on par with traditional light sources. In this case, research companies like Freedonia and Strategies Unlimited talk about LEDs being available at an acceptable performance level in 2009/2010. In fact, some of those LEDs are coming available in full production.

But the primary question is: when will white LED-based lighting products be able to penetrate the market at the end user level and in what form? If you assume white LEDs will primarily be used in lighting applications versus consumer products, appliances, or other specialized markets there are two ways this will be realized—either as LED lamps or as LED-based fixtures. In this case, the market potential is in the billions. Freedonia cites the U.S. lamp market alone as being $5.4B and the worldwide fixture market as being $71B. The challenge is figuring out how the light sources will enter the market.

More than $50 billion is being wasted each year by the owners of 2.8 million U.S. commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings that rely on outmoded lighting systems that waste energy and money, especially when they fail to deliver the array of High-Benefit Lighting® savings otherwise available. In his letter to building industry leaders, Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman wrote, “More than 75% of the nation’s five million commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings were built prior to the introduction of many groundbreaking energy efficient technologies currently available today. These buildings consume nearly 900 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, at a cost exceeding $115 billion each year. While cost-effective lighting technologies are available now to cut energy costs by up to 50%, only 25% of the buildings have been upgraded.”

In response to the letter by Bodman, National Lighting Bureau Chair Robert W. Colgan, Jr. noted that “the return on investment that can be generated by upgrading these outmoded systems will never be better.” He added, “The Commercial Building Tax Deduction [CBTD] introduced through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has been extended through December 31, 2013. The CBTD gives owners a tax benefit of as much as 60¢ per square foot for qualifying lighting systems, effectively lowering the investment required to update or replace an outmoded system. The return—in the form of utility bill savings and the bottom-line benefits of providing better seeing conditions—creates a genuinely huge financial incentive at a time when building owners could really use one.”

Colgan said the upgrade incentives comprise far more than the tax benefits that can significantly offset the capital investment required to improve. “The energy cost savings can be substantial,” he said, noting that, using Department of Energy estimates, lighting upgrades alone could avoid some $50 billion of needless energy expense each year. “But energy savings are only part of the picture,” he added, commenting that most of the buildings in question also pay “demand charges,” that is, fees imposed by electric utilities based on the maximum amount of electricity the buildings use during a given “demand interval,” often a period of 15 consecutive minutes.

Colgan explained, “Although two utility customers may consume the identical amount of electricity in a month, the utility will have to invest far more to meet the demands of a customer that uses that amount all in one day versus the customer that consumes about 3.33% of the amount each day of the month. Demand charges typically are imposed on nonresidential customers as separate elements of the utility bill, and they can in some cases amount to as much as or even more than energy charges.”

Despite the often-substantial savings afforded by lower utility bills, the most significant value likely to be derived from lighting system upgrades comes from what the National Lighting Bureau calls High-Benefit Lighting®; that is, lighting systems designed specifically for the tasks, workers, and spaces involved. According to Colgan, “National Lighting Bureau case histories show that, when new or upgraded lighting is well designed, properly installed, and commissioned to ensure it achieves the design intent, people can perform their tasks faster and with fewer errors. Consider this: A two-shift, 100-person-per-shift manufacturer may spend about $15,000 per year on lighting energy when it operates six days per week. If so, a 70% energy use reduction would yield an energy/cost benefit of $10,500 per year. If that same new lighting were well designed and so improved worker productivity by just 2% per year, the manufacturer would derive an additional benefit worth about $150,000 per year.”

Productivity improvements are not the only benefits of High-Benefit Lighting®, Colgan said. He commented that additional benefits stem from fewer errors, fewer accidents, reduced absenteeism, improved security, increased retail sales, and, in a number of cases, higher resale value for the property involved. And still, that’s not all: “The nation’s number one source of greenhouse gas emissions is coal fired power plants,” Colgan said. “Reducing electrical requirements reduces the amount of coal burned each year and that can have an extremely positive effect on our environment, and can significantly reduce the costs we’d otherwise have to bear to clean up the pollution involved and counteract the warming effects otherwise created.”

Mr. Colgan commented that the CBTD applies to more than lighting and, for that reason, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association - a founder and long-term sponsor of the National Lighting Bureau - has been working with Secretary Bodman in developing a multifaceted, national energy conservation effort. As Secretary Bodman wrote, “I challenged the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) to commit to a national building energy efficiency campaign…[and] NEMA has responded with enthusiasm, resources, and dedication…”

“There are so many right reasons for upgrading or replacing outmoded lighting systems right now,” Colgan said. “And the return on one’s investment can be truly spectacular.”