By Bridget
McCrea
Rebates,
federal tax incentives, higher energy bills, and the desire to operate in a
“greener” manner are driving building owners to rethink the way they light
their buildings, institutions, offices, and even their own homes. With lighting
accounting for nearly 38 percent of the total electrical energy usage in the
average commercial office building, according
to OSRAM Sylvania, the business case for energy-efficient lighting is hard
to ignore.
The green
lighting trend isn’t new, but there are a few updated developments that
electrical distributors will want to pay attention to this year. Some of the
trends are informative while others can help distributors position themselves
as the “go to” source for green lighting upgrades and new projects. Here are
five to keep an eye on in 2013:
- This
year’s LIGHTFAIR show will be an “LED Fair.” Expect an LED fest at the annual show, which will be held in
Philadelphia April 23-25. “All the buzz right now around sustainable and green
is focused on LED,” says Paul Markee, general manager at Ft. Worth, Texas-based AZZ, Inc., which will unveil a number of new
LED fixtures at this year’s event. Markee says the trend is being driven by end
users who want to conserve energy and manufacturers who are answering the call
with a host of new LED products designed to do just that. “Everyone wants to
replace existing fluorescent fixtures with products that not only save energy,”
says Markee, “but that also reduce maintenance costs.” - Retrofits
will continue their reign. With new construction projects getting harder
and harder to come by, retrofitting existing buildings represents a significant
opportunity for electrical distributors looking to expand their footprints
within the green space. “We’ve traditionally focused on new construction but
the activity right now is in retrofits,” observes Rhett Thomas, sales director,
electrical channels for Lutron in
Coopersburg, Pa. Manufacturers have adapted to the market shift by developing
aftermarket-type products that don’t have to be integrated into the building’s
original shell to be effective. Lutron’s Energi TriPak wireless energy control
system, for example, requires no power or communication wiring. “It’s just a
wall switch,” says Thomas, “and all of the sensing takes place via the
airwaves.” - Controls
will gain ground in 2013. If a building owner is going to take the time to
replace the lighting in his or her facility, it just makes sense to add
controls to the mix. This revelation will hit more owners this year as they strive
to save money and time. “Adding controls creates even more energy savings,”
says Rita Renner, director of marketing for WattStopper, a Legrand brand. The interest in controls isn’t
just user-generated – in some cases, it’s also being buoyed by government
regulations. With energy codes such as ASHRAE 90.1 requiring controls in
new construction (and in the 2010 version, retrofits where at least 10 percent
of the connected lighting load is involved) Renner says the policy behind the
code requirements is straightforward, “and focused on energy efficiency.” - Customers
will want better control of outdoor lighting. Being “green” isn’t just an
indoor thing when it comes to lighting. More owners are paying attention to
outdoor areas that are lit up overnight and figuring out ways to mitigate their
energy and maintenance costs outside of their four walls. “Outdoor
controls are big right now,” says Cheryl Ford, marketing manager for OSRAM SYLVANIA in Danvers, Ma. “A lot of
users are looking to combine white lights and controls to replace the
high-pressure sodium/yellow lighting in their parking lots.” Also of interest
are controls that can, say, dim outdoor lights by 40 percent after a supermarket
or mall shuts down for the night, and then turn them back up again when someone
pulls into the parking lot after hours. “In many cases,” says Ford, “it just
doesn’t make sense to have that full brightness on overnight.” - Distributors
that offer the “complete package” will be the winners. Commercial building
owners and managers don’t want standalone lighting, HVAC, and security systems
– they want it all in one bundle. They also would like to be able to replace
traditional bulbs, add ballasts and sensors, and even tap into the power of
natural daylight. These wants and needs present significant opportunities for
electrical distributors that can pull together entire packages and serve them
up on both retrofit and new construction projects. “We’re seeing a big focus on
integration right now and on seamless solutions that come in a single box,”
says Thomas, who expects lighting and controls to come under even more scrutiny
this year as building owners strive to lessen their carbon footprints while also
becoming more energy efficient. “If you can offer up a complete solution that
ties in these various elements,” Ford adds, “you can make it easier for your
customer to put an entire retrofit together quickly and efficiently.”
—
McCrea is a Florida-based writer who covers business, industrial, and
educational topics for a variety of magazines and journals. You can reach her
at bridgetmc@earthlink.net or
visit her website at www.expertghostwriter.net.