Lighting and Electrical Project Team

Commercial lighting uses about 4.0 quads of primary energy per year, which is over 20% of total commercial building energy use. Fortunately, lighting can often provide some of the easiest, most cost-effective energy-saving opportunities for building owners and occupants. Better Buildings Alliance (BBA) Lighting and Electrical Project Team members reduce lighting energy use by sharing cost-effective solutions to interior and exterior lighting challenges and developing lighting specifications to build demand for higher efficiency technology.

Alliance members as diverse as Safeway, Cleveland Clinic, USAA Real Estate, Walmart Stores, and BJ's Wholesale Club are already saving millions of dollars annually through lighting improvements that others can replicate using the specifications developed by the lighting team. For a list of BBA member companies currently participating on the Lighting and Electrical Project Team, please see below.

If you would like to work on the Lighting and Electrical Project Team and are a BBA member, email the BBA coordinator. If you are not a member, learn more about joining BBA.

Current Project Team Initiatives

• Working with BBA members and industry partners to encourage building owners and managers to upgrade inefficient lighting systems.
• Helping members quickly qualify for the lighting 179d tax deduction.
• Developing and encouraging use of advanced, energy-saving Lighting System Specifications including:

  • Site (parking lot) specification: Most parking lots are illuminated by older high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting technology without any energy-saving controls. New light-emitting diode (LED) technology with controls can cut parking lot lighting energy bills by 40% or more while delivering additional benefits including long life, reduced maintenance costs, and improved lighting uniformity. BBA developed a performance specification to help building owners take advantage of these improved lighting technologies.

  • Parking structure lighting specification: Parking structures or garages are typically lighted by older HID lighting technology without any energy-saving controls. The latest high-efficiency alternatives with energy-saving controls—including LED, induction, and fluorescent technology options—can save building owners over 40% on their parking lot lighting bills while delivering additional benefits such as better-lighted spaces. BBA developed a performance specification that can deliver energy savings of about 40% compared to a typical code, and even more with controls.

  • Troffer lighting specification: Many buildings still use older, inefficient T-12 bulbs in their lighting troffers. New, efficient LED or fluorescent fixtures, combined with advanced power supplies/ballasts and controls, can deliver huge savings over older lighting technologies. BBA developed a high-efficiency specification with potential savings ranging from 15–45% on a one-for-one basis.

  • Refrigerated display case lighting: The refrigerated display case lighting performance specification delivers nearly 50% energy savings compared to typical display case lighting. If all retail refrigerated display cases switched today to LED systems, over 2.1 TWh of electricity could be saved annually.

Resources

• BBA High‐Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specification Benefits and Energy Savings Fact Sheet
• BBA Site (Parking Lot) Lighting Specification
• BBA LED Site (Parking Lot) Lighting Fact Sheet
• Walmart Parking Lot Goes LED Case Study
• BBA High-Efficiency Parking Structure Lighting Specification
• BBA High-Efficiency Parking Structure Lighting Fact Sheet
• Cleveland Clinic Goes LED in Parking Garages Case Study
• BBA LED Refrigerated Display Case Lighting Specification
• BBA LED Refrigerated Display Case Lighting Fact Sheet
• BBA High-Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specification
• BBA High-Efficiency Troffer Lighting Fact Sheet
• LED Outdoor Area Lighting Fact Sheet
• Lighting Measurement and Evaluation Protocol
• Exterior Lighting for Energy Savings, Security, and Safety
• U.S. Department of Energy GATEWAY demonstration projects completed on LED site lighting applications to date
• FEMP Resources for Outdoor SSL Applications Fact Sheet
• Maximize cost-effective retrofit opportunities with the ENERGY STAR^® Building Upgrade Manual. In particular, see Chapter 6 on lighting.

Additional Information

Sign up to receive updates from the Lighting Project Team or request more information.

Lighting and Electrical Project Team Members

• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Best Buy Co., Inc.
• BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.
• Boston Market Corp.
• CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc.
• CC Frost Properties, Ltd.
• CentraCare Health System
• Cleveland Clinic
• Costco Wholesale Corp.
• Food Lion, LLC
• Green Parking Council
• Health Care REIT
• HealthSouth
• IASIS Healthcare
• Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES)
• International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
• Jones Lang LaSalle
• Kaiser Permanente
• Kimco Realty Corp.
• Kohl's Department Stores
• Lamey-Wellehan Shoes
• Legacy Health System
• McDonald's Corp.
• MGM Resorts International
• OfficeMax Inc.
• PetSmart, Inc.
• Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association
• Publix Super Markets
• Rosemont Realty
• Ryan Companies US, Inc.
• Safeway Inc.
• Sinai Health System
• Staples, Inc.
• Target Corp.
• The Home Depot, Inc.
• The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• The Related Companies, L.P.
• USAA Real Estate Co.
• University of Maryland
• University of Maryland Medical Center
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• U.S. General Services Administration
• Veterans Health Administration
• Walgreen Co.
• Walmart Stores, Inc.
• Wawa, Inc.
• Whole Foods Market, Inc.