LED Lighting: 80% of Market by 2030

The U.S. Department of Energy is reporting that light-emitting diode (LED) lighting will achieve an 84% general-lighting-market penetration by 2030, substantially more than the 74% penetration DOE predicted just last year. 

In their "Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications" report, DOE found that in 2013, LED-lighting sales comprised an overall 3% market share. By 2020, the federal agency believes, LED sales will comprise almost half (48%) of all U.S. general-lighting-market sales. 

By 2030, DOE estimates that LEDs will dominate in each of the eight sub-markets it examined-five indoor to include general service lighting and three outdoor that includes street lighting.

The Tennessee-Based Edison Report says that LED penetration of the general-service sub-market will grow fast-with the DOE saying it will attain a 55% market share by 2020. In the street/roadway sub-market, DOE is projecting an 83% LED market share by 2020 and an almost 100% share by 2030. LEDs’ market penetration should accelerate after that date, however, and is expected to also achieve a near-100% sub-market penetration by 2030.

Interesting to this blogger, the DOE report said that in 2013, lighting was responsible for about 17% of the nation's total electricity consumption and expect an increased reliance on LED lighting as the technology reduces U.S. lighting-energy consumption by 15% in 2020 and by 40% in 2030, saving about $26 billion at today's electricity prices.  This point not lost by the largest advocate of High Benefit Lighting® for nearly four decades, the National Lighting Bureau.

“I’m confident that these are the best predictions available on this subject, but – like all predictions – they cannot consider the unknown," said National Lighting Bureau Chair Howard P. Lewis. "One of the biggest unknowns is ‘what will the lighting industry come up with next’?  Between now and 16 years from now, it’s highly likely that we’ll be dealing with ‘the next big thing'. This means that more products and more types of products will be competing on the basis of efficiency, cost, and functionality, and that’s a good thing.”

The key here is efficiency.  At some point, LEDs will be the only clearly viable solution to reducing energy while lighting our way in a growing world.

Need an LED solution for your facility? Check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789.  We are a provider of Independence LED Lighting and Deco Lighting Inc. products-Made in America!!!

Independence LED-"More Efficient" say DOE

When the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) talks about energy efficiency, America listens.  Our friends at Independence LED Lighting have won accolades recently from DOE and continue to outclass the Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Tube Lighting marketplace.

According to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report data, Independence LED tubes are 15% more efficient in lumens per watt than the average from the field of over 30 LED manufacturers, including tubes from major competitors Philips, Cree, and Osram Sylvania.

In the report, the DOE found that LEDs are more efficient than ever. The CALiPER Summary Report 21: Linear (T8) LED Lamps concludes: “Compared to previous CALiPER testing of the same product type, there have been notable performance gains. With the efficacy (lumens/watt) of many lamps now equivalent to or exceeding that of fluorescent lamps.” 

Independence LED has stayed well ahead of the curve. As the below chart indicates, the U.S.-made Independence LED tube is 15 lumens per watt more efficient than the average of the tested field (15.95%) and over 10% more efficient than global lighting companies like Philips, Osram Sylvania, and Cree.

“We could not be more proud of how our American-manufactured LED lights squared up in the 2014 Department of Energy CALiPER Report," said Independence LED Lighting CEO Charlie Szoradi. "Independence LED tubes are substantially more efficient than competitors, yielding extraordinary energy savings, particularly when retrofitting existing light fixtures. Safety is a paramount concern, and Independence LED’s external-driver system ensures that switching the lights won’t be shocking anything but your electric bill. And because we manufacture right here in America, Independence LED tubes and fixtures are supremely reliable, allowing us to offer an industry-leading 10 year warranty.“

Also, the 2014 report indicates that, based on their design, Independence LED tubes are potentially safer than competitor products. Typical fluorescent fixtures bring line voltage into the fixture via Alternating Current (AC), and then convert it through the ballast to lower-voltage Direct Current (DC). Internal driver LED tubes – like most of Independence LED’s competitors -- override the ballast, creating a potential safety issue. 

Additionally, the Report did elaborate on how the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved clamp system for Independence LED provides safety and the ultimate flexibility to either use, or not use, the existing fixture sockets. This flexibility is important for de-lamping to center new tubes in two to one retrofits.

What does this all mean?  

The cost and performance of an individual LED tube is only a subset of the fixture performance, so end users should look at the LED efficacy, warranty, and cost to determine the technology and manufacturer that is most appropriate for their facility.

Keep up the great work Independence LED Lighting!  

To learn more about the lighting products that GET, LLC provides, including the LED lines of our partners, Independence LED Lighting and Deco Lighting Inc., please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or call us at 671-483-0789 to discuss solutions for your important lighting needs-All Made in America!!!

DOE Releases Pedestrian-Centric Outdoor Lighting and Glare Report

The US Department of Energy (DOE) through its Gateway Demonstration Program has once again struck a chord with lighting designers and manufacturers related to the development of pedestrian-friendly outdoor lighting.  I have witnessed first hand that nighttime outdoor lighting has been designed locally for the vehicle driver, rather than the pedestrian.  This was reaffirmed by DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in a report issued late last year.  

The Pedestrian Friendly Outdoor Light Report noted that metrics such as pavement illuminance or luminance, illuminance uniformity ratios, vertical illuminance on objects or faces, and glare metrics such as Veiling Luminance Ratio or Glare Ratings from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Luminaire Classification System (BUG) guide decision making among municipal and state governments and agencies.

 The U.S. Department of Energy GATEWAY Demonstration Program featured pedestrian-focused projects at Stanford  University in California and the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The results from these projects revealed that pedestrians  have different criteria and priorities than drivers, especially in areas where cars are subordinate to bicycles and users on foot. Both of the demonstration areas tested multiple light fixtures based on LED and legacy sources in an attempt to identify luminaires that were both safe and pleasant for the residents with minimal glare. The results of the demonstrations showed that of the current commercial technologies, LED luminaires can serve the communities' needs with warmer correlated color temperatures (CCT) and glare reduction techniques, and also may change the thinking of lighting professionals on appropriate light levels.

Also in both cases, it  became clear that users

• Cared about the daytime appearance of the luminaire

• Found luminaire glare to be a significant factor in luminaire acceptability

• Preferred luminaires that produced a soft-edged pattern of light on the ground

• Preferred a warm color of light (2700K to 3000K) given the character of their neighborhood and the  fact that they were used to either incandescent sources or high-pressure sodium as a baseline

The work verified that glare is a significant factor in pedestrian ratings of lighting. Indeed, the LED products that proved most preferred were augmented with diffusers to further soften the appearance of the lights. The test subjects also preferred a soft-edge pattern of light on the ground, whereas streetlight projects often seek sharp boundaries on beam patterns.

The research also revealed that area lighting in pedestrian-centric areas could essentially offer better nighttime visibility at the low end of IES guidelines on luminance and illuminance. Elimination of glare, enabled in part by lower lighting levels, allows the human visual system to better perceive objects and possible danger in areas of lower light away from the nearest light source.

Every outdoor lighting project is different.

The needs vary according to the project client, the users, and their activities, and therefore the best lighting solution will also vary from project to project. There

are invariably trade offs that must be weighed among visual comfort, color, visibility, efficacy, and other factors. There is no glare metric that works reliably for pedestrian lighting, so full-scale mock ups or pilot projects are an important step for gathering feedback from users.

DOE said "The report is meant to stimulate discussion among specifiers,users, energy specialists, and industry in hopes that new approaches, metrics, and standards can be  developed to support pedestrian-focused communities, while reducing energy use."

To learn more about outdoor lighting, check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789.  We are a provider of Independence LED Lighting and Deco Lighting Inc. products including the Deco D8624-LED Strada I Cobra Head-ideal for highway, parking lots, public entrances, off-street areas or other commercial applications-Made in America!!!

US Department of Energy Releases Report on Dimming LED Lights

Our friends at the Tennessee-based EdisonReport recently wrote an on-line article on a recent publication of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Dimming LEDs with Phase-Cut Dimmers: The Specifier's Process for Maximizing Success.

This particular Solid-State Lighting GATEWEAY Demonstration Project was created in response to issues raised by the industry about dimming by energy efficiency organizations and specifiers-namely poor performance with existing dimming control systems.

The DOE report noted that while progress has been made in the dimming capabilities of LED luminaires with carefully matched dimming systems, challenges remain with compatibility and performance of LED replacement lamps and dedicated LED luminaires on existing phase-cut dimming systems, which dominate the installed base of dimmers. The new report reviews how phase-cut dimmers work, how LEDs differ from the incandescent lamps these dimmers were originally designed to control, and how those differences can lead to complications when attempting to dim LEDs. Such complications are often due to incompatibility between the LED source and the dimmer, rather than to any shortcomings in the LED source itself.

EdisonReport noted the report provides both general guidance and step-by-step procedures for designing phase-controlled LED dimming on both new and existing projects, as well as real-world examples of how to use those procedures. The general guidance aims to reduce the chance of experiencing compatibility-related problems and, if possible, ensure good dimming performance.

Specifiers should also consider alternatives to phase-control dimming for LED sources, such as digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) or even wireless approaches. While they, too, have their pluses and minuses and typically cost more, separating the control signal from the AC mains voltage may result in higher levels of performance, more predictability, and fewer headaches.

DOE's SSL Technology Demonstration GATEWAY program features high-performance SSL products for general illumination in a variety of exterior and interior applications. The  products are installed at demonstration host sites, where their performance can be evaluated. Performance measures include energy consumption, light output/distribution, and installation/interface/control issues. Qualitative performance is investigated via feedback surveys of the relevant user communities.

To learn more about the lighting controls products that GET,LLC provides, please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or call us to discuss solutions for your important lighting needs-Made in America!!!

New U.S. Department of Energy LED Fact Sheet on Lifetime and Reliability Rolled Out

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Lighting Program Manager Dr. James Brodrick sent out a recent fact sheet from his office on Solid-State Lighting (SSL) that speaks to just how important Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting will be to the collective energy futures of building owners across the United States.

Dr. Brodrick recently told the Tennessee-based Edison Report that, "long life has been touted as a key advantage of LEDs, but understanding and communicating how LED products fail and how long they last can be challenging. The U.S. Department of Energy has come out with a new SSL Technology Fact Sheet, Lifetime and Reliability, to help users gain a better understanding of typical causes for LED product failures, the difference between lifetime and reliability, and methods for measuring and reporting lifetime and reliability."

The fact sheet points out that LED system performance is more affected by interactions between system components than most conventional lighting systems and the failure of any system component can lead to product failure.

The DOE concluded that the dependence of LED package performance on other components will continue to require that discussions about lifetime be focused at the luminaire, and not component or even lamp level, as lamp performance in different luminaires can vary.  Additionally, as with many performance attributes, LEDs have the potential to best other technologies in terms of longevity, but choosing the right product requires some understanding of expected failure mechanisms, lifetime, reliability, and serviceability, as well as asking the right application-specific questions.

Dr. Brodrick notes that the accurate portrayal of LED product lifetime and reliability is important for consumers, manufacturers, and the lighting industry as a whole.

To learn more about LED lighting products and other related electrical products please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or call GET,LLC at 671-483-0789 to discuss solutions for your important lighting needs.

Independence LED Lighting CEO Busts Myths of LED Tubes

The July/August 2013 issue of LEDs Magazine featured a good friend of GET, LLC.  Independence LED Lighting CEO Charlie Szoradi contributed to the recent issue of the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based industry publication and wrote that  it's only a question of when the time is right to install LED tubes in place of fluorescents and not if it's the right retrofit path. The article is spot on:

"Fluorescent tubes have dominated commercial illumination in American ceilings for more than 50 years — more than 2.3 billion tubes are installed, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). That huge potential retrofit market has drawn the interest of many in the solid-state lighting (SSL) space and resulted in a lot of myths related to LED tube technology. Let's bust some of those myths, considering that LED tubes save 50% or more energy over fluorescent tubes.

To date, the hurdles for adoption of LED tube technology fall into three categories: trust, technology, and cost. Let's explore them, in that order.

Many believe that the LED tube industry has not matured to a trustworthy level, but manufacturers have improved thermal management, and installations now range from Fortune 100 companies to leading health care institutions to leading higher-education institutions. Organizations such as the DesignLights Consortium have qualified LED tubes, and warranties have increased to as long as 10 years on some LED tubes

Meanwhile, some worry that imported LED tubes lack UL or CE marks or other trusted output testing. Simply ask for source documentation and third-party testing data, and look into LED tubes that are made domestically or that meet the International Class A-10 LED Tube Standards.

And then there are those concerned that new LED manufacturers won't be around to support the warranty. An easy way to protect your business is to look for performance-based programs such as savings shares, lighting service contracts, or LED rental center opportunities. This way you don't fully pay for the technology and aren't chasing the seller if failure occurs.

Let's turn to technology, and the worry that a typical LED tube doesn't give off as much light as its fluorescent counterparts. Fluorescent tubes may have more lumens, but 35% percent of the output is often wasted going up into the fixture. Make sure to look at fixture output side-by-side in foot-candles after a sample LED tube retrofit.

Others worry that an LED tube does not have the same color consistency as a fluorescent tube. Yet the thermal management of many LED tubes has improved to protect the phosphor coating that dictates color temperature. Still others question the quality assurance for LED tubes. The answer is to look for LED tube manufacturers that are ISO 9001:2008 certified.

Then there are those who say LED tubes with external drivers are more difficult to install than internal driver LED tubes. Not so: Installers need to open the cover to the fluorescent ballast in order to install either type of driver system, so the time is roughly identical.

Finally, some contend that the diodes get so hot that they burn out the LED tubes. To combat this, seek out LED tubes with deep-fin, aircraft-grade thermal management and external drivers.

Now let's turn to cost where some argue that specifiers wait to invest in LEDs because of dramatically falling prices. But the cost of waiting, in terms of energy and maintenance, is most likely higher than the price drop, particularly for 24/7 illumination areas. At the least, consider a rolling retrofit where you replace fluorescent tubes and ballasts as they fail with new LED tube technology.

There are other cost-related issues that are top of mind for some specifiers. Those who replaced T12 fluorescent tubes with the better T8 tubes and don't want to upgrade again should still calculate ROI, especially for 24/7 areas. Payback is three to five years, and some worry about warranties in that same range; however, as we mentioned, longer warranties are becoming commonplace.

American-made products are more expensive than imports. Property owners and managers should not focus on the race to the bottom of pricing but instead consider the race to the top of performance. All tubes are not created equal, so look at the equipment and operating cost of a total fixture versus a tube.

It can't be stressed enough that specifiers should find a qualified LED manufacturer and start changing out old fluorescent tube technology in 24/7 areas as soon as possible. Switch to LEDs as fluorescent tubes fail and make a three-year plan to purge your outdated "glass and gas" tubes for toxic-free SSL."

Charlie has the Last Word in this issue. Our last word- to learn more about the Independence LED Lighting products and other related electrical products that GET, LLC provides, please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or call us to discuss solutions for your important lighting needs.

Spec for LED Street Lights and Report of Parking Garage Lighting Released by DOE

It appears that times are busy at the US Department of Energy (DOE). 

LEDs Magazine is reporting that the DOE, via its Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium (MSSLC), has released its model specification that municipalities and utilities can use as a template for procuring LED street lights with integral network and adaptive-control technology. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based on-line media group said last week that the final specification is another step in the MSSLC's goal of helping cities, local agencies, and utilities accelerate the deployment of solid-state lighting (SSL) technology for roadway and parking applications.

You can download the "Model Specification for Adaptive Control and Remote Monitoring of LEDRoadway Luminaires" document from the DOE SSL web site. This new spec follows the original baseline model specification document for roadway luminaires, a financial analysis tool, and demonstration reports released by the MSSLC.

The same MSSLC Program also announced last week that at the parking structure of the U.S. Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C., LED luminaires were installed in place of the incumbent high-pressure sodium (HPS) luminaires and evaluated for relative light quantity and performance.   On-line lighting giant Edison Report said that results showed energy savings of 52% from the initial conversion of HPS to LED—which increased to 88% by using occupancy sensor controls—and simple payback periods of 6.5 and 4.9 years for retrofit and new construction scenarios, respectively.

I have truly enjoyed the reports from the MSSLC.  You should check them out.  The DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium shares technical information and experiences related to LED street and area lighting demonstrations and serves as an objective resource for evaluating new products on the market intended for those applications. Cities, power providers, and others who invest in street and area lighting are invited to join the Consortium and share their experiences.

Give us a call or drop GET, LLC a line to discuss bringing an LED solution to your respective building or facility.

How LED Lighting Can Reduce Energy Use-An Electric TV Feature

GET, LLC wanted to share a very informative video that explains how LED Lighting can reduce energy.  

The myth that "size matters" is dispelled in this program focusing on the future of solid state lighting. 

Also it features the U.S. Department of Energy.  Many will say, "why is the federal government poking their nose in this industry?".  I would opine that over the next 20 years, their advocacy will see reductions all around the world in total energy consumption.

DOE Lighting Program Manager, Dr. James Brodrick spends time with Electric TV to explain some of the advantages of LED lighting and where to look for information that can help you learn more.

Check it out at http://youtu.be/wpjALb_8Wxk

BTW-my brothers would be proud of me writing about this particular video segment as Electric TV is sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). I am proud of them and their work with their local IBEW in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This video made me reflect on these three things: There is no question that the increasing global appetite for power continues to increase the cost of electricity with no end in sight.  Guam and the island nations across the Pacific Rim have above average electricity costs.  Light Emitting Diodes can reduce the electricity cost of lighting by 50 percent or more with very short payback periods.

Give us a call or drop us a line to discuss bring an LED solution to your respective building or facility.