CEE-Philips Color Kinetics Tour Sheds Light on Promising SSL Applications; CFLs Continue Savings

Participants at the CEE recent onsite workshop and tour at the Philips Color Kinetics facility in Massachusetts described the event as "informative" and "fun." The topic of the day was SSL lighting technology and its potential for energy savings. It was an excellent opportunity for the industry to share their perspective on the emerging SSL technology and market, while giving CEE members a close-up look at the products and the prospects for future energy efficiencies from increased use of SSL devices.

"Good quality light, with significant energy savings" is how one expert describes the "exciting" prospects of SSL. Tom Hamilton, a Product Marketing Manager at Philips, describes SSL as very well suited for specific applications, particularly those that are "directional, have lots of burning hours, and are hard to replace," with the exception of high output lighting. As the technology develops, both residential and commercial lighting programs stand to benefit from SSL.

The workshop featured an overview of the fundamentals of SSL technology, the current state of test procedures and standards, a tour of LED installations, and a look at current and future SSL products and applications. CEE continues to host activities such as this one as a way to help members move up the learning curve with new technology and keep them abreast of what manufacturers are offering. By sharing the latest, updated information on a regular basis, CEE helps members stay on top of both potential advantages as well as pitfalls of this dynamic technology, so that they can deliver successful programs in their service areas.

While SSL technologies are promoted as a very efficient alternative to other lighting, industry experts expect fluorescent light sources to continue delivering significant energy savings for quite some time. One example of this is a recent CALiPER report, which indicates that LEDs are not yet in a position to displace linear fluorescent lamps in recessed, general interior troffer lighting applications. A DOE report released in March concluded that residential markets can certainly continue to benefit from CFL savings. Similarly, commercial programs are working hard to increase the market share of T8 lamps and ballasts. In fact, the CEE T8 specification has been revised to allow 1-lamp and 6-lamp high ballast factor ballasts to qualify for instant and programmed rapid start categories, as of July 2009.

Both residential and commercial users will still be looking for products with documented performance, independent lab test data, a track record of successful installations, or ENERGY STAR ratings. Through the Residential and Commercial SSL Committee, CEE members have worked together to identify a common set of product information needs and to determine the most useful ways of accessing the information once collected. Over the next few months, the Committee plans to pursue development of a bi-national database to enable members to readily access SSL product information as they develop energy efficiency programs. Please contact Kate Baldacci, kbaldacci at cee1.org or Eileen Eaton, eeaton at cee1.org if you would like more information.

EERE provides information on recessed troffer applications. Two other resources to check out are the DOE CFL Market Profile and the presentations from the recent CEE Commercial Lighting Breakout Session.