Lighting programs at your fingertips
Lighting programs at your fingertips
More and more organizations are finding that the web offers a useful tool for deploying lighting programs. When utilized to their fullest, web-based program support materials can be far more effective than the static printed information to which program designers have been limited in the past.
One of the simplest sites of this type is the Nordlicht (Northern Lights) website which is part of a public campaign in Germany dedicated to protecting the climate through energy conservation. Consumer information is posted here in a brief brochure-style format.
In a very different use of the web, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) uses an "intranet-style" approach to provide highly technical lighting retrofit information intended for those actually implementing efficient street lighting in California. The site contains detailed LED traffic signal product and installation specifications for designers, contractors, highway engineers, and manufacturers. By keeping the information on this site current, Caltrans has found an ideal way to ensure that all parties use the proper specifications.
In some cases, such as the IEA«s Task 21 - Daylight in Buildings, the web is used strictly as an ÒintranetÓ site for participants. It serves as a place where researchers from all corners of the earth can meet and share draft reports and the like. Since it is for participating researchers only, this site is password-protected.
The most advanced program-support site that we«ve come across is the one set up by the US Environmental Protection Agency«s (USEPA) Green Lights Program. The site offers current lists of program partners and allies, full-text copies of the Memorandum of Understanding that all participants sign, and both current and archive issues of the Program newsletter. Also available is their complete on-line Lighting Upgrade Manual containing 12 detailed chapters ranging from lighting surveys to waste disposal. The program website allows visitors to download software tools designed by the EPA to assist with lighting retrofit analysis. Links enrich the site by bringing visitors to the sites of manufacturers and others who provide the products, services, and financing required for successful lighting retrofits. Interested parties can contact the program managers directly through email links from the website, and the EPA hosts a specialized internet discussion group for program participants.
A considerable amount of information on energy-efficient lighting for federal facilities is available from the U.S. Department of Energy«s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Although the information on lighting is not conveniently located in one part of the website, a simple site search using the word lighting will reveal all relevant documents. These range from procurement guidelines to downloadable software.
For more on these and other lighting programs, see IAEEL«s listings in Lighting Crossroads, www.stem.se/ iaeel.
Evan Mills