The potential to reduce energy consumption in existing and commercial buildings is enormous. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lighting has a large potential for energy savings for any U.S. building end use, with a significant fraction of that potential coming from lighting controls.
One of the features of networked lighting controls is the ability to monitor lighting energy use over time and adjust the system to achieve the best possible performance. Facility managers can match system use to expectations and adjust system settings to result in optimized user comfort while maximizing savings. Real-time energy monitoring offered by some control systems has also piqued the interest of utility program managers in locations in the U.S. where rebates assist with the accelerated adoption of emerging technologies.
CLTC, in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and the California IBEW-NECA Labor Management Cooperation Committee (CA LMCC) is working to expand career pathways in the electrical industry. With new funding from the California Energy Commission, CLTC will develop training resources to increase workforce development opportunities in disadvantaged communities.
So cool, so green! That’s what Sierra magazine says about the University of California, Davis — ranked No. 2 in the magazine’s 2015 “Cool Schools” report, released on Aug. 11.
This makes four out of the past five years that UC Davis has been among the top five in the environmental magazine’s evaluation of sustainability efforts at U.S. colleges and universities. UC Davis was the No. 1 “Cool School” in 2012.
The California Energy Commission has adopted a voluntary lighting quality specification for LED replacement lamps. The California Quality LED Lamp Specification requires LED lamps to meet certain performance criteria. The requirement to use the standard to guide Residential Lighting Incentive Program currently applies to the investor owned utilities, but several municipal utilities are considering the adoption of the standard.
Professor Michael Siminovitch recently presented, “Circadian Design Principles—Application to Healthcare Facilities,” at a lecture sponsored by the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC). This seminar reviewed the ongoing collaboration in circadian design research and development for healthcare applications.
On June 10, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved building energy efficiency standards that will reduce energy costs and increase comfort in new and upgraded homes and other buildings.
The standards, which take effect on Jan. 1, 2017, focus on three key areas: updating residential requirements to move closer to California's zero net energy goals, updating nonresidential and high-rise residential requirements, and improving the clarity and consistency of existing regulations.
