Full Title: Climate Tech Book: Lighting Efficiency
Author(s): Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Publisher(s): Center for Climate and Energy Solutions
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Nearly all of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the residential and commercial sectors can be attributed to energy use in buildings. Embodied energy – which goes into the materials, transportation, and labor used to construct the building – makes up the next largest portion. Even so, existing technology and practices can be used to make both new and existing buildings significantly more efficient in their energy use, and can even be used in the design of net zero energy buildings—buildings that use design and efficiency measures to reduce energy needs dramatically and rely on renewable energy sources to meet remaining demand. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) calls for all new commercial buildings to be net zero energy by 2030. An integrated approach provides the best opportunity to achieve significant GHG reductions because no single building component can do so by itself and different components often interact with one another to influence overall energy consumption. However, certain key building elements can play a significant role in determining a building’s energy use and associated GHG emissions. Lighting accounts for about 11 percent of energy use in residential buildings and 18 percent in commercial buildings, which means it uses the second largest amount of energy in buildings after heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems