Experts from 30 States, Canada and China Kick Off Meetings on Next Frontiers in Energy Efficient Lighting

With US market penetration for LEDs under 13 percent, opportunities abound for greater energy savings to meet city and state efficiency and climate goals nationwide,

as DesignLights Consortium Stakeholder Meeting convenes in Boston

 

BOSTON – July 11, 2018 – Utility company executives, energy efficiency thought leaders, solid-state lighting manufacturers and other industry leaders from across the US, Canada and China today officially kicked off a three-day conference aimed at maximizing energy savings while improving quality and controllability in the commercial lighting sector.

 

Convening at the Boston Park Plaza hotel, over 250 commercial lighting and energy efficiency professionals were welcomed to the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) annual Stakeholder Meeting by Brad Swing, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s Director of Energy Policy and Programs. DLC Executive Director Christina Halfpenny and executives from conference co-sponsors Eversource and National Grid (operators of the Mass Save energy efficiency programs) also shared with conference participants the City of Boston’s recent advances in energy efficiency and what lies ahead for Massachusetts, the nation’s top-ranked state for energy efficiency according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

“The commercial lighting landscape is in the midst of a sea change and ripe for innovation on several fronts – from controls technology and a greater emphasis on quality to keeping pace with new demands for efficient and effective horticultural lighting for expanding indoor cultivation facilities around the world,” DLC Executive Director Halfpenny said. “The DLC is excited to host this annual conference in our ‘hometown’ of Boston as we continue working together with our stakeholders to accelerate wider adoption of high-performance, energy-efficient commercial lighting solutions.”

 

The DLC is a Medford, Massachusetts based non-profit working across the US and Canada to improve the efficiency of high-quality lighting technologies. Its Qualified Products List (QPL) of over 375,000 lab-tested luminaires, is the industry standard for products approved for use in utility-led efficiency programs across North America.  The DLC’s annual Stakeholder Meeting brings together leading US and international professionals from across the solid-state lighting and energy efficiency industries who are supporting local, state, and national efforts to cut electricity use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Lighting generates five to six percent of global GHG emissions.

 

The DLC conference coincides with a significant increase in demand for horticultural lighting for food crops and newly-legal cannabis cultivation facilities in several states, as well as development of more efficient products to replace first-generation LEDs, new research on the impact of lighting on human health, and the potential for networked lighting solutions to drive the movement toward smart, connected buildings.

 

Much has been accomplished since the DLC launched its annual conference seven years ago, but much work remains to improve the high performance lighting landscape.  With US market penetration of LEDs below 13 percent, the lighting market remains ripe with opportunity for energy savings. First generation LEDs are ready for replacement, networked lighting is providing a gateway for more smart/connected buildings, lighting controls technology promises savings of up to 47 percent per project, and horticultural lighting presents a new menu of opportunities and challenges.

 

These issues and more are on tap through the end of the conference at 5 p.m, July 11.  For media credentials or more information, please contact:  Lisa Capone at [email protected]; 781-589-0326.

 

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