Lowering Barriers To The Use Of Excessive-Efficiency Lighting Systems (Technical Report)

With funding from the U.S. Department of Vitality (DOE), the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute completed the four-12 months analysis mission, Decreasing Obstacles to the use of High-Efficiency Lighting Programs. The preliminary aims had been: (1) identifying boundaries to widespread penetration of lighting controls in business/industrial (C/I) purposes that make use of fluorescent lamp applied sciences, and (2) making suggestions to overcome these boundaries. The addition of a fourth year expanded the original undertaking goals to include an examination of the affect on fluorescent lamps from dimming utilizing totally different lamp electrode heating and dimming ratios. The scope of the challenge was narrowed to determine limitations to the penetration of lighting controls into industrial-industrial (C/I) purposes that make use of fluorescent lamp applied sciences, and to suggest means for overcoming these limitations. Working with lighting manufacturers, specifiers, and installers, the challenge identified technological and advertising and marketing limitations to the widespread use of lighting controls, particularly automated-off controls, occupancy sensors, photosensors, dimming methods, communication protocols and cargo-shedding ballasts. The first barriers identified include cost effectiveness of lighting controls to the constructing proprietor, lack of commonplace communication protocols to permit completely different part of the control system to communicate effectively, and installation and commissioning points. Overcoming view more identified limitations requiresmore » lighting management products on the market to attain three essential objectives: (1) Achieve sufficient performance to fulfill the important thing necessities of their major market. 2) Permit important cost reduction in comparison with present market commonplace methods. Cost should consider: hardware capital value including wiring, design time required by the specifier and the control system producer, set up time required by the electrician, and commissioning time and remedial time required by the electrician and finish person. 3) Minimize ongoing perceived overhead prices and inconvenience to the top user, or in other words, programs ought to be easy to grasp and use. In addition, we consider that no lighting controls solution is efficient or acceptable except it contributes to, or doesn't compromise, the next targets: (1) Productiveness--Planning, installation, commissioning, upkeep, and use of controls should not decrease business productiveness; (2) Power savings--Lighting controls ought to save significant amounts of energy and money in relation to the expense involved in using them (acceptable payback interval); and/or (3) Diminished power demand--Society as a complete ought to profit from the lowered demand for costly energy and for extra pure sources. Discussions of technology boundaries and developments are insufficient by themselves to attain increased penetration of lighting controls out there place. Know-how transfer efforts should play a key function in gaining market acceptance.