Lighting systems have a tremendous impact on energy use in institutional and commercial facilities. Depending on a building’s age and lighting system, lighting can account for up to 25 percent of its electricity use. Acknowledging this, maintenance and engineering managers who convert to LED lighting in their facilities typically save 50 percent of electricity over a fluorescent baseline, and lighting controls can save even more lighting energy.
To support the transition of federal facilities to more energy-efficient lighting technology, the General Services Administration's Green Proving Ground program, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, recently released “LED Lighting and Controls Guidance for Federal Buildings.”
This guidance supports an executive order on catalyzing clean energy industries and through federal sustainability and an associated federal sustainability plan, which sets a goal of net-zero operational emissions for the federal government by 2050.
Topics discussed in the guide include financial inputs for lighting decisions, LED lighting and system features, steps for designing a lighting control system, energy-savings capabilities and enhanced performance capabilities.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
