Residential Project Showcases Energy-Efficient Lighting
Homebuilders and consumers are catching onto the benefits of energy-efficient lighting.
No matter how expensive the home, employing energy-efficient lighting does not mean sacrificing aesthetics. Last fall, a project sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star® program provided the community of Saratoga County, N.Y. with the opportunity to view the latest energy-efficient lighting in a high-end application. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center (LRC) was responsible for designing the lighting for one of the nine showhomes on display.
LRC researchers joined with Belmonte Builders of Clifton Park, N.Y., to demonstrate energy-efficient techniques within a new construction setting. LRC project manager Patricia Rizzo notes, "Belmonte is a very pro-Energy Star ® builder, so we were pleased to work with them." Most of the fixtures, ballasts, lamps, controls, and ceiling fans were donated by participating manufacturers, such as Advance Transformer, Alkco, Bartco, Decotex, GE Lighting, Lightolier, Lutron, Osram Sylvania, Prescolite, Sea Gull Lighting, Watt Stopper, and Westinghouse.
The project also included occupancy sensors and dimming controls to further reduce energy consumption. "We wanted to demonstrate the creative effects that can make the visual environment more interesting while controlling and distributing the light more effectively at the same time," states Jean Paul Freyssinier-Nova, LRC lighting designer.
The Saratoga project is part of the LRC's Lighting Transformations program, headed by Mariana Figueiro. "Through our program, we hope to increase the penetration of energy-efficient lighting products into the market and promote the use of Energy Star luminaires," she says. "The success of our Saratoga project shows that energy-efficient lighting can be aesthetically pleasing and easily achieved in any type or style of home. Energy-efficient lighting can please homeowners and save energy at the same time."
In order to create changes in a market, though, it's not enough to work solely on the consumers' side to increase demand; it's also necessary to work on the manufacturers' side and increase supply.
"We want to assess both the supply of and the demand for energy-efficient products," Rizzo explains. "We want to know whether these products will be available for replacement luminaires in existing homes. We also want to see the consumers' reaction to these products in a residential setting, and whether consumers think it's worth the extra initial investment in energy-efficient lighting to get the results we know are possible."
Even before the opening of the showcase, the LRC had already collected one data point. "The owners of the house were very excited about trying out the new concepts and technologies, and they're happy to be part of dispelling the myth that energy-efficient lighting has to be ugly," Rizzo reports.
As it happened, they weren't the only ones pleased with the lighting. The demonstration house was a dramatic success. During the three weekends in September and October that the Showcase of Homes exhibit was open, more than 6,000 people toured the house and viewed the latest in energy-efficient residential lighting products and design.
"The responses we got on our questionnaires were overwhelmin-gly positive. People liked the lighting in this house better than that in the other houses on display. In fact, of 400 surveyed, 80 percent found the lighting more attractive than in the conven-tionally lighted homes in the showcase," Rizzo says.
Unfortunately, the LRC team knew they wouldn't be able to design the entire house with Energy Star products because there aren't enough currently available that are suitable for an upscale residence like this one. Rizzo says that situation will soon change. "Manufacturers are doubling the number of Energy Star products coming out next year. In future projects, we want to use many more Energy Star products so that builders will see that they can replace their regular products with a whole Energy Star package."
The next step is to publicize the project and its results to make builders aware of what can be done and what the customers' response to it will be. "The LRC's role will be to bring manufacturers, distributors, and builders together so they can discuss what people want and need, and what it will take to make energy-efficient lighting plans easy to implement," Rizzo explains. The first step toward that goal was during a roundtable for building professionals held after the exhibit ended. "This event showed us that builders are receptive to new energy-efficient products and technologies. Their response was definitely positive," she adds.
LRC lighting designer Jennifer Brons helped organize the round-table discussions. "We demon-strated some of the products available so that people could see the differences using real equip-ment instead of just talking about the differences in the abstract," Brons notes. "The builders commented that they were particularly impressed with the demonstrations of color temperature and color rendering. They were also amazed at the difference in operational cost between lighting for a typical kitchen and an energy-efficient kitchen."
The Saratoga showhome was equipped with a pair of matching chandeliers – one of which utilized incandescent, while the other employed compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). According to Rizzo, no one could tell the difference. That leads the way for greater acceptance of CFLs as a comparable replacement for incandescent bulbs. "Another positive is that people could see that there are alternatives to incandescent downlights," she explains. While downlighting is a particularly effective technique for concentrating light in one place, it is often misused or installed in applications that are less than ideal.
"The coves and valances we used to conceal linear fluorescent lamps create a soft, ambient illumination without glare and without the interruptions in the ceiling that downlights cause. We achieved the same lighting objective while creating less glare and using less energy," she adds. "The people we surveyed said that they liked the fact that it wasn't obvious where the light sources were — that the sources were unobtrusive."
Energy-efficient lighting has many advantages that a knowled-geable builder can use to attract customers. For example, CFLs last longer and have to be changed less frequently than incandescent lamps, which is good for older adults and people with mobility problems. Cost reduction is another advan-tage. Based on LRC's study, the annual operating cost of illuminat-ing a kitchen is reduced by 25 percent when energy-efficient products are used instead of incandescent lighting.
In addition, energy-efficient lamps are now available in a range of correlated color temperatures, so designers can choose either warm or cool light sources to accentuate a given décor.
"The color rendering index of CFLs should be greater than 80, and the correlated color temperature should be between 2700K and 3000K to match what people are used to," Rizzo comments. "If builders follow those guidelines, it will make for an easier transition from traditional incandes-cent lighting. They should choose Energy Star products whenever possible, and they should use CFL-dedicated (pin-based) luminaires so that future home-owners aren't tempted to return to the old A-lamps."
Energy-efficient lighting is a value-added amenity that can be incorporated into new homes. Having energy-saving lighting available in a new home makes consumers feel they're getting something special, and that they can create beautiful and interesting lighting effects. Best of all, it is less costly if builders work it into the initial construction than if home-owners retrofit these products later.
"I hope builders will realize the importance of [incorporating] lighting early in the building process. We want them to understand that Energy Star products are quality products and that the selection has improved immensely in recent years. We need to come to the point where energy-efficient lighting is the norm, not the exception," Rizzo states.
"Currently, lighting is near the bottom of the option list when people build a house. By the time people get around to thinking about the lighting, they've often run out of money because they've spent it on other luxury items like granite countertops. Energy-efficient lighting may be considered an upgrade item now, but it doesn't have to be an expensive one. The prices of Energy Star fixtures have come down – in fact, they're comparable to standard incandes-cent luminaires. The CFL, which is the most common reason for the added expense, is now often included with the fixture. Attitudes need to change, and builders can promote this by showing that it's economically feasible and aesthetically acceptable to use energy-efficient lighting products.
"It will take time, but it's in builders' best interests to move toward energy-efficient lighting. This is a good business opportunity for them because it increases the perceived value of the houses they build – value they can pass on to their customers. We can say this now with more confidence because Belmonte Builders has said they plan to offer energy-efficient lighting techniques in their future construction," Freyssinier-Nova concludes. Marilyn R. P. Morgan is a technical editor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center (LRC) in Troy, New York. The LRC is an interdisciplinary center of 40 faculty and staff devoted to lighting. It is the world's leading university-based center for lighting research and offers the world's only Master of Science degree in lighting. For more information, visit the LRC on the Web at http://www.lrc.rpi.edu or call (518) 687-7100.
