Lighting projects that involve updating CFL lighting systems should consider all viable retrofit options. When retrofitting between CFL four-pin lamps and LED solutions, it is important to observe safety precautions and consider performance variables.

The California Energy Commission has adopted a voluntary lighting quality specification for LED replacement lamps. The new standard requires LED lamps to meet certain performance criteria in order to qualify for incentive programs and rebates. These criteria include the color of a lamp’s light, its consistency over time, and its accuracy in rendering colors. The specification for incentivized LED lamps also includes requirements regarding dimming and flickering.

The Core Sunlighting Alliance is a group of leaders in the fields of design, construction, energy-efficient technology development, and energy regulation who are committed to accelerating the commercialization and widespread adoption of core sunlighting systems.

The California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the U.S. Department of Energy recently completed a state-of-the-art lighting system demonstration at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, California. On March 19th, 2014, the project received an award for “Best Use of Lighting Controls in a Single Facility” from the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign.

Working in partnership with lighting sensor and control manufacturers and PG&E, CLTC will develop a next-generation exterior occupancy sensor capable of reliable operation in a variety of exterior applications not currently serviced by existing products. This includes applications with high mounting height requirements, broad coverage zones, and areas with diverse traffic flows.

The project consists of three main tasks: 

CLTC partnered with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the California Energy Commission to create Lux, a retail lighting showcase that lets boutique owners see, firsthand, how LED lamps perform in a realistic store setting. The space includes information and demonstrations of LED parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) lamps, primarily PAR 38 lamps, and smaller multifaceted reflector (MR) lamps, MR 16s, used most commonly for accent lighting in retail applications.

Ubiquitous Communication by Light (UC-Light) is an emerging technology that uses visible light to perform wireless machine-to-machine communication. The mechanism at work with UC-Light is similar to the infrared technology used in TV remote controls, but UC-Light uses visible white light from modulated light emitting diodes (LEDs). Visible light communication (VLC) is potentially cheaper than conventional wireless communications because VLC can use pre-existing LED luminaires for communication purposes.

With support from a CITRIS seed grant, researchers at CLTC and UC Berkeley are working together to develop advanced lighting control algorithms that make use of multiple data streams, both local and remote, to improve lighting and energy management in buildings. Applications include electrical lighting systems in commercial spaces with windows and/or skylights.

CLTC is partnering with the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center (EEC) to address untapped efficiency opportunities in the Multi-Tenant Light Commercial (MTLC) building sector. The project is focused on identifying and overcoming the biggest barriers to energy-efficiency retrofits in the MTLC market. More than half of the energy-saving contributions of the team's proposed solutions will come from lighting-related retrofits, as the group hopes to reduce interior lighting energy consumption by 20% and exterior lighting energy consumption by as much as 50%.

CLTC has partnered with CIEE to develop and demonstrate adaptive lighting systems for retail and agricultural buildings. These lighting systems will ensure lights are off or dimmed when no occupants are present or when daylight is available.