by Shane Henson — February 20, 2012—Facilities managers wanting to reduce their energy bills and carbon emissions can benefit from adopting the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new voluntary energy-saving specifications for lighting troffers—rectangular overhead fixtures used in commercial buildings as well as parking lot and parking structure lighting.
The new CBEA High Efficiency Troffer Specification provides minimum performance levels for LED (light-emitting diode) and fluorescent troffers used in commercial buildings, including offices and restaurants. According to the DOE, the new specification delivers energy savings of between 15% and 45% compared with conventional systems.
The specification also includes an optional section on lighting controls, which can boost savings up to 75% by employing technologies such as motion sensors and timers. The lighting specifications were developed by the department’s Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs), which bring together major U.S. companies from a wide range of sectors to identify and implement successful energy efficiency and cost-saving practices.
The DOE also released updated specifications for high-efficiency parking lot and parking structure lighting. Both public and private organizations are increasingly using systems that meet DOE’s high-efficiency parking lot lighting specification. This specification typically reduces energy use by 50% compared with conventional parking lot lighting. Some early adopters of the new specifications include Walmart, Lowe’s, and the Cleveland Clinic, say DOE officials.
For example, WalMart now uses energy-saving lights that meet the specification in new parking lot sites, and is upgrading more than 250 existing lots. The company reports energy savings of 58% compared with ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Standard 90.1-2010, a widely used commercial building code.
