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Utility Lighting Programs in the USA - A Look Toward the Future
Karl F. Johnson
Manager, Commercial Building Systems, Customer Systems Group
Electric Power Research Institute, P.O. Box 10412, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA
Abstract
The utility industry in the United States (U.S.) is preparing for the arrival of an increasingly competitive, deregulated marketplace. Most U.S. utility companies have already begun reorganizing to adapt to this new business environment and many are reevaluating their needs for demand-side management (DSM), which has been a major factor in sales of new lighting technologies. Many utilities are tailoring their customer programs in new ways to provide services of increased customer value in the emerging competitive environment.
This paper reviews the recent DSM history and energy policy changes in the U.S. with a brief look at some European activities affecting electric power generation, transmission, distribution, and sales, and discusses the likely impacts of these changes on utility business and lighting DSM programs. It examines current traditional and innovative lighting programs and shows that refocused lighting activities can still form the basis of key utility customer service programs. Descriptions of example programs and results of utility and non-utility DSM studies are used to illustrate the characteristics and potential impacts of emerging lighting DSM trends. The paper concludes by discussing the impact of utility industry DSM changes on the overall U.S. lighting industry.
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