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IN THE works

light sources

EISA
by kristy Alpert

2012
Understand the new requirements for efficient lighting.

he lighting industry is already experiencing the greatest changes in residential lighting in more than 130 years. But one more major change will take place in 2012, when the federal energy bill known as the Energy Independence Security Act of 2007 (EISA), goes into effect to phase out inefficient lighting. The act builds on the foundation set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which created a comprehensive energy strategy for the 21st century. EISA is a significant step in the right direction for reducing the nations dependence on oil, thereby increasing energy security and making the country cleaner for generations to come. These lighting standards will provide U.S. consumers and businesses with massive savings, says Noah Horowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the principal architects for the 2007 bill. Once all sockets contain an energy efficient bulb, our nation will save roughly $13 billion a year in the form of lower electric bills and we will eliminate the need for 30 large (500 MW) power plants. In addition, the standards will prevent the emission of 100 million tons per year of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping pollutant responsible for global warming.

The legislaTion So what exactly does the legislation say about incandescent lights? As of 2012, general service light bulbs must be up to 30 percent more energy efficient than current standards require. Contrary to media reports and water-cooler speculation, it will not ban the sale of incandescent lamps, says Chris Calwell, senior research fellow and founder of Ecos Consulting. Instead, it requires many types of incandescent lamps to consume less power. Some technologies already meet the requirements, like Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), but, according to Calwell, incandescent products can also comply through various strategies: Significantly improving efficiency: Using halogen fill gas and advanced heat-reflecting coatings to keep light output the same while reducing power consumption Reducing light output: The law allows lamps that are significantly dimmer than todays

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incandescent products to be sold; these products will be cheap, but many customers will find they arent bright enough Improving efficiency a little and reducing light output moderately: Many of these products have already been introduced; they are an adequate (but not optimal) option for consumers When one retailer, Bulbrite, first noticed the gap in the market for energy-efficient lamps, they decided to do something about it. We launched an EISA-compliant halogen alternative in January, called the Eco-Friendly Halogen A19, says Cathy Choi, president of Bulbrite, who refers to halogen as the forgotten child of light source technology that is coming back for a revival. Were trying to let people know that there are a lot of other energy efficient, compliant options out there, and it doesnt have to be CFL. Essentially, if you buy the frost version of our halogen lamp, you wouldnt know it looked different. Its just that the way it produces light is different than the standard incandescent household bulb, and it is compliant with 2012. She says that people who are interested in keeping that same warm light and full dimming options can choose the halogen, but they also have a more energy efficient option like CFLs or LEDs. The impacT Obviously, this legislation will have serious ramifications for lighting retailers when it takes effect in 2012. The biggest change is that they will no longer be able to stock the conventional incandescent light bulbs known today (40, 60, 75, 100 and 150 W). The standard has two tiers, explains Horowitz. The first tier requires lamps to use roughly 30 percent less power than todays inefficient bulbs and begins to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. The regulations create lumen bins around todays conventional incandescent. In 2012, the brightest bulbs (equivalent to bulbs 100W and brighter) are covered, in 2013 the 75W equivalents, and in 2014 bulbs 60W and below are covered. The table below, provided by the NRDC, explains the details of the first tier: U.s. Tier 1 rATEd LumENs 1490-2600 1050-1489 750-1049 310-749 MaxiMuM Wattage 71 53 43 29 U.s. Tier 1 in simple words TodAys buLb 100 W 75 W 60 W 40 W after the stanDarD 72 W 53 W 43 W 29 W effective Date 1/1/2012 1/1/2013 1/1/2014 1/1/2014

Note: All lamps must have: Minimum rated life of 1,000 hours CRI 80

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edUcaTing consUmers With noticeable confusion already occurring, once the bill goes into effect in 2012, it will become more important than ever to educate consumers about what this bill means for them and what it doesnt mean. Todays consumers are used to buying lighting based on the products power use, says Horowitz. They need instead to shift to buying a product based on the amount of light they provide. Rather than telling a roommate or spouse to pick up a 100W bulb, instead they should tell them to buy a 1600 lumen bulb. This transformation will take a while and we can expect a lot of confusion initially. Bulbrite is doing its part to help ease the initial confusion. The company launched a campaign to educate retailers and consumers about what the changes will mean and how they will impact sales and purchases. Since the changes are right around the corner, Bulbrite decide to start the conversation early to help avoid mass confusion. After meeting with numerous confused retailers at the June market in Dallas, Choi realized how dramatic the need was. Bulbrite quickly launched a micro site within their Web site to break down what the legislation is and what replacements are available. They even included a countdown clock that tells retailers how many days left until 2012. After launching their Eco-Friendly Halogen A19, they realized consumers could use a little help making sense of this option, so they developed an educational display to accompany the new bulbs. [Consumers] think everyone will have to buy CFLs, and thats not true, says Choi. We put together a tree display, a point of purchase display, and a consumer-friendly brochure so that showrooms will be able to tell them whats going on by showcasing the compliant products and explaining to them the whole education process. I think whats happening now for the retailers is that the savvy ones are starting to realize that everyone is looking for that leg up or competitive advantage with this new legislation, and this is where lighting showrooms in particular can use and leverage what theyre already good at: service and expertise. geTTing prepared Although the change is still a ways out, wise retailers are already getting their inventory primed for the new market. Starting now, retailers need to revise their purchasing and stocking strategies, Horowitz says. He also recommends that in order to gain that competitive edge in this market, retailers should consider participating in consumer education campaigns through their advertising and in-store materials. Once the change hits, unprepared retailers could potentially be stuck with large amounts of returned merchandise. To prevent this, Calwell recommends retailers stop promoting dimmer lamps as equivalent to the 40/60/75/100W incandescent lights people purchase today and begin using Energy Stars current equivalence criteria in customer education.

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current affairs

sed in television screens, cell phones, computer monitors and more, organic light emitting diodes (OLeDs) are daily proving their versatility in the market. OLeDs are thin sheets of organic materials printed on smooth surface like glass or plastic. When given a charge ranging anywhere from 4 to 10 Dc volts, these sustainable materials produce a brilliant light with a lifetime potential of 17 ,000 to 25,000 hours. since the market for LeD and OLeD lighting grew so rapidly, many retailers found themselves caught in the hype without fully understanding the capabilities and differences between the two sources. thats where Wac Lighting stepped in.

ORGANIC LEDS bECOMING MORE pOpULAR u

People were asking a lot of questions about LeDs when they were first being delivered to the market, and we found there was a lot of misinformation out there, says Jim McMahan, vice president and general manager of Wac Lighting. a lot of people were confused about the performance of the technology, so we developed a training course that explains both technologies. the comprehensive course covers topics like what to look for when buying LeD or OLeD, the benefits and components of both technologies, and the main differences between them. to learn more, visit www.waclighting.com. KA

dIffErENcE bETwEEN oLEd ANd LEd:

oLEd flat light surface no glare effect Made of organic material, soluble when disposed More efficient heat dissipation, no need for heat sink able to form transparent flat light panel able to form on flexible substrate Potentially cheaper to fabricate LEd Point light source has glare effects, needs light distribution elements Made of synthetic materials needs heat sink

current affairs

exploring The many faceTs of responsible lighTing

Manufacturing and developing sustainable lighting Practicing environmental protection and conservation utilizing quality materials, artisanship, technologies and processes thinking globally while acting locally, recognizing the economic and social interdependence among our factory, offices, vendors, distributors and end-users honoring and respecting human and civil rights while implementing fair and ethical business practices recognizing the fair values of diversity in the workforce continuing to maintain strong social bonds to the community customers appreciate the extra steps taken for them, and in turn, they feel comfortable taking their return business to a company that values their best interests. Our clients are extremely happy with the results we provide for them, says Mor. KA

aking energy allowance, illumination levels, budgets and usability into consideration, responsible lighting is a longterm design solution for clients and for light pollution. responsible lighting is about being responsible for the energy use of a design, providing the proper lighting levels (i.e not too much, not too little), meeting a customers budget and being respectful of their money, says avraham M. Mor, iaLD, LeeD aP, Mies and partner at Lightswitch architectural. We like to start every project by listening. in a retail environment we are always looking for how to increase the income of a space, using the least amount of dollars to do so. Other retailers, like Wac Lighting, have taken a pledge to their customers about responsible lighting. their pledge includes: Manufacturing, engineering and developing innovative, reliable and safe lighting products at fair and competitive prices

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