Lutron Electronics recently participated in a roundtable discussion focused on President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13514, which mandates that the federal government lead the industry in energy efficiency advancements.
Andy Wakefield, Lutron’s director of government solution, joined White House, agency and industry leaders in the roundtable where it became clear that industry/government collaboration will prove a driving force behind the success of this initiative.
The roundtable was hosted by Federal News Radio anchor Francis Rose and aired live on Federal News Radio 1500 AM on August 16, 2012.
Wakefield was one of five federal and industry leaders. Other participants included:
- Thomas Day, chief sustainability officer, United States Postal Service
- David Fricke, CEO, ECO Electric
- Craig Hooks, assistant administrator, Office of Administration & Resources, Environmental Protection Agency
- Jonathan Powers, federal environmental executive for the Council on Environmental Quality in the White House
Panelists reviewed the challenges in meeting the goals of Executive Order 13514, as well as the many successes.
“There is recognition how we can learn from the private sector and the great work that they’re doing, and translate government and private efforts into good policy and good implementation” said Powers.
As an industry representative, Wakefield shared how knowledge of specific energy spend can open additional opportunities for improvements in energy efficiency.
“Lighting consumes about 30 percent of a building’s energy,” said Wakefield. “Advanced lighting control can save approximately 60 percent of that energy, but if you reduce energy used for lighting by three watts, you are also cutting HVAC energy use by one watt. This means when government facilities are updating or retrofitting their lighting control system, they can also potentially resize to a smaller HVAC system for even greater energy savings.”
In the first set of energy efficiency targets under Executive Order 13514, 15 percent of federal properties must meet targets in design strategy, energy-use performance, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and the impact of construction materials by 2015. By 2030, all federal properties are to comply with these targets, and all new-construction buildings will be zero-net energy consumers with and zero carbon emissions annually.
“This Executive Order spurred government projects that required industry leaders to deliver creative solutions to meet energy reduction goals,” said Wakefield. “Lutron is delighted to have been part of this roundtable discussion and honored to partner with the government in achieving these sustainability goals.”
The discussion is available via webcast.
Lutron Electronics, headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, designs and manufactures energy-saving light controls, automated window treatments and appliance modules for both residential and commercial applications. Founded in 1961, Lutron estimates that the installed base of its products saves the nation nearly 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs per year. Lutron manufactures more than 16,000 energy-saving products, sold in more than 100 countries around the world.
Information from Lutron news release
Tagged with tED