Interest In Energy Savings And Legislation Dominate Lightfair

June 12, 2008
Three themes that dominated Lightfair International 2008 were the environment, quality of life and legislation. Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center May 27-29, the show attracted thousands of lighting professionals, 500-plus exhibitors and offered 70 lighting classes.

Three themes that dominated Lightfair International 2008 were the environment, quality of life and legislation. Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center May 27-29, the show attracted thousands of lighting professionals, 500-plus exhibitors and offered 70 lighting classes.

Environmental concerns addressed at Lightfair 2008 were slashing energy costs, utilities’ demands to reduce power consumption, and a reduction of hazardous substances in lighting products. A related concern about quality of life was evident in the new products on display and conference courses that focused on design/aesthetics, daylighting, versatile lighting control, human health and security.

Federal, state and local legislation are creating demand for more efficient lighting products. For example, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 created higher lamp efficiency standards for the 40W to100W incandescent and halogen general-service lamps. Starting Jan. 1, 2012, 100W lamps will have to become 30 percent more efficient. In 2013 and 2014 timeframe, 40W, 60W and 75W lamps have to follow the same efficiency route. To satisfy energy codes calling for lighting energy reduction, daylight harvesting and provisions for demand response, several addressable controllable ballasts, architectural control systems and electrical distribution panel products were displayed.

While some of the reduced-profile compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) products that were at Lightfair can respond to legislative mandates, incandescent technology will still be a choice. For example, Philips Lighting Co.’s Halogena lamps, made in 40W, 50W and 70W sizes, can replace 60W, 75W and 100W incandescent lamps respectively, providing about 30 percent energy savings, at nearly a 10 percent output reduction. Additionally, in the recent acquisition by Advanced Lighting Technology (ALT), Solon, Ohio, of the lighting technology division of Schott AG (Auer Lighting), ALT got access to new “nano film capsule technology” to produce hybrid incandescent lamps with twice the efficiency of standard incandescent lamps.

The benefits of durability and maintainability inherent in light-emitting diode (LED) light sources were seen in a great majority of booths displaying both lamps and fixtures. To efficiently withdraw heat from LED dies within ceiling-mounted fixtures, firms such as Nexxus Lighting, Charlotte, N.C., Rudd Lighting, Racine, Wis., and its Beta Lighting subsidiary are using heat pipes (developed by NASA) rather than the larger and heavier finned aluminum heat sinks. Other lighting manufacturers showed LED installed in strips or clusters as “lamps.”

Lighting professionals are looking for meaningful LED criteria to measure useful life, safety, color stability and lumen maintenance. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 13 solid-state lighting (SSL) research and developments projects to receive up to $20.6 million in funding to assist in developing general lighting applications. Among the lighting firms selected to receive funding for SSL research are: Cree, General Electric, Osram Sylvania Development and Philips Lumiled Lighting. All of these companies showcased breakthrough products at Lightfair 2008.

Exterior street and parking lot/garage lighting seems to be the first widespread application of LEDs in the general lighting market because these low-profile luminaires use cool-white LED sources from 4,000K to 6,000K, with higher efficiency than warm white sources. LEDs’ average operating life of five to seven years means that maintenance and energy costs are much lower than what’s available from the HID family.

Lightfair International 2009 will take place May 3-7, 2009, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.