Lighting Crossroads:

Research Centers

• Businesses, Products & Services
• Case Studies
• Energy & Global Climate Change
• Energy Efficiency Around the World
• Fun With Lighting
• Hot Topics: Torchiere Fixtures
• Industry & Professional Organizations
• Lighting Design & Analysis Tools
• Lighting Publications & Other Information Sources
• Major Lighting Programs & Initiatives
• Market Data
• News Groups & Discussion Groups
• Research Centers
• Solar Photovoltaic Lighting

• Other Lists Of Lighting Web Sites

Building Research Establishment(UK)

BRE's main role is to advise and carry out research for Government, principally the Department of the Environment (DOE), on technical aspects of buildings and other forms of construction, all aspects of fire, and environmental issues related to buildings. It also manages information transfer for DOE's Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme. BRE provides the technical basis for the Building Regulations and many British codes and standards, and communicates its findings widely to the industry and building owners through BRE publications and seminars. BRE also contributes to the development of European codes and standards, and supports Government departments and UK industry in the implementation of the Single European Market.

Electric Power Research Institute, (EPRI) Customer Systems Group(USA)

EPRI does not currently have a single part of its web site devoted to lighting. Select the "Find" option and do a search on lighting to generate a list of links to EPRI pages dealing with the topic. Brief information on EPRI's Lighting Information office is provided. Parts of EPRI's web site are accessable only to members.

Industrial Assessment Data Base(USA)

Formerly known as the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Program (EADC), the Industrial Assessment Center Program, funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technology (OIT), consists of 30 university based Centers in the United States, each conducting 30 on-site assessments annually at small to medium sized manufacturers. The database, which is updated daily, includes lighting-related projects. The Industrial Assessment Data Base housed at Rutgers University contains data pertaining to 5,000 industrial assessments with 60,000 recommendations made since 1977.

The Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) of the National Research Council Canada (NRC)

 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Center for Building Science (USA)

• Lighting capabilities

  LBNL is well-known for its early groundbreaking work in helping to commercialize the electronic ballast. The Lab has gone on to other R&D enterprises, as well as a whole host of cross-cutting lighting projects that span the areas of technology (light sources, power supplies, controls, optics, daylighting), human factors, design tools, design assistance & demonstration projects, collaboration with industry, energy & economic analysis, utility issues & demand-side management, international topics, codes & standards development, and development of various information products. This link provides a listing of major areas of expertise at LBNL, illustrated with specific projects.

  • Sky Simulator: Computer-instrumented artificial sky for conducting detailed daylighting studies using scale models.
  • Energy-Efficient Fixtures Laboratory
  • Integrating Sphere: Measurement of total light output from any lamp type.
  • Dirt Depreciation Chamber for CFL Fixtures: Measurement of reduced light output as luminaires gather dirt from the surrounding environment.
  • Lamp Construction Laboratory: Glass-blowing facility for developing new lamp designs.
  • Goniophotometer: Automated facility for performing photometric analyses of luminaires.
  • Luminaire Thermal Performance: Equipment and data collection facilities for quantifying the loss of light output from fluorescent sources operating under non-optimal thermal conditions.

Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA)

Flip a switch...pull back a curtain...the light that fills our homes and offices is something we seldom think about. But how does light affect us? Is it safe? Efficient? Does it help us feel happy, productive, and creative? How can we introduce the lighting we need without endangering our environment? The Lighting Research Center (LRC) in the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was formed in 1988 to answer these questions.

National Research Council Canada - Lighting Quality Project(Canada)

The purpose of the project is to examine the relationships between interior lighting systems for offices, lighting energy consumption, and behavioural outcomes such as cognitive task performance, clerical work, mood, visual performance, comfort, and satisfaction.

The Building Design Assistance Center at FSEC(USA)

The Building Design Assistance Center (BDAC) at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) promotes energy-efficient building design in Florida. BDAC provides the architectural and engineering community with free design assistance through plan reviews, building energy simulations, development of construction details, and assists with selection of appropriate materials and equipment. BDAC also conducts extensive laboratory and field tests to measure the effectiveness of new and existing products designed to improve energy efficiency. Recent lighting-related projects have examined daylighting, occupancy sensors, and torchiere fixtures.