Growing Green Lights
Growing Green Lights
The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Green Lights program is growing at a steady pace. Green Lights is a voluntary program that aims at getting the US industry, public agencies, universities, etc., committed to energy-efficient lighting. The program started in 1990 and originally targeted the "Fortune 1000" group of companies (the 1 000 largest companies in the US-See IAEEL Newsletter 1/92). Soon, the program began to spread to companies outside the Fortune 1 000 group. A new group to be targeted is small businesses.
As of Dec 6, 1993, Green Lights had 1 183 members, of which ~600 were Partners (companies and institutions that commit themselves to lighting upgrades). Four hundred and sixty were so-called Allies (e.g. lighting manufacturers), and ~130 were Endorsers (research establishments, public-interest groups, etc.).
In total, the Green Lights membership controls a building floor-space area of ~390 million m^2 (almost 10% of US commercial floor area). Within the program, ~3 600 lighting-upgrade projects have been initiated, representing a total floor-space area of 32 million m^2. About one-third of all projects have been completed so far.
EPA estimates that the average energy savings of all these projects are 45 to 50%, and that the projects completed so far have generated annual electricity bill savings of US$ 17.5 million with 20 to 40% of internal rate of return.
Green Lights background (IAEEL 1/92)