The IALD board recently approved the hiring of a public policy director in 2008 to do just that.
“We want quality lighting designers assisting in the development of more codes and legislation,” Abernathy says. “
Lawmakers must begin to realize that the use and time of lighting
are as important as watts per square foot. IALD designers have
the expertise to reduce electric lighting’s negative environmental impacts through careful design, daylighting integration and
lighting controls such as dimmers and occupancy sensors.”
One public policy issue that’s been in the spotlight is the
incandescent light bulb, widely used in household and commercial lighting, for portable lighting — such as table lamps,
some car headlamps and electric flashlights — and for decorative and advertising lighting. From Australia to California and
across Europe, there are proposals to ban the incandescent
light bulb. The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of
2007enacted in December will phase out certain types of
incandescent light bulbs by Jan. 1, 2012. However, this may
not be enough time for lamp manufacturers to develop new
technologies that are energy efficient, according to the IALD.
No lighting technology currently exists that can replace certain
types and uses of incandescent lamps. There are still drawbacks
such as poor color, bad dimming performance and high cost
that make replacement technologies ineffective in some applications, according to an IALD position statement on incandescent
light fixtures. A grace period is needed to allow the development
of light sources that can replace incandescent light fixtures in
all applications, and they should not be banned until their replacements are proven to be an overall environmental improvement.
While the IALD strongly supports the development and use of
technologies, methods and appropriate regulation to minimize the
energy use of lighting systems, it believes “incandescent bans”
must be carefully conceived or they are likely to be ineffective.
“This law is one of the reasons the IALD is trying to become
one voice and more visible,” Abernathy says. “The DOE is creating task forces and committees to implement these types of
laws in the future. That’s where the IALD is getting strong. We’re
already on their radar.”
According to the IALD’s position statement, phasing-out of
inefficient light sources is one step in reducing lighting energy
use. The most efficient electric, energy-saving light source is
the one that is turned off. Effective use of daylight and aggressive use of lighting control technologies will be needed to significantly reduce lighting energy use.
A Bright Future
Good building in the United States and around the world
coincides with sustainability due to the increasing popularity
of the LEED rating system, especially in the past few years,
says Loeffler. “The number of projects seeking LEED certification has practically doubled each year since 2000. Almost
every new building now has an aspect of sustainability —
such as water conservation and the use of recyclable materials — and lighting is a part of that. The IALD wants to make
sure the lighting still has visual appeal, but we are doing it
with the perspective of maximizing daylighting and decreasing
energy consumption. We tell interior designers and architects
they can achieve beautiful lighting that is also environmentally
responsible.”
Blankenheim says her firm always has tried to design with
budget and the environment in mind.
“Back in the early ‘90s, we would push compact fluorescent
lamps in casino hotel rooms. Now it’s not a hard sell. About
75 percent of our projects express sustainable elements in their
lighting criteria,” she says. “About 50 percent of our projects
try to achieve a LEED rating. The LEED rating system inspires
people who always have been concerned about the environment
and now have an avenue to express it.”
Building green can mean operating in the black. The USGBC
states building green generally decreases project energy consumption from 10 to 40 percent compared with conventional
construction. Worker productivity also increases. According to
the Rocky Mountain Institute – an organization dedicated to
research, publication and consulting of profitable innovations
for energy and resource efficiency — energy efficient buildings
increase productivity from 6 to 16 percent by decreasing absentee rates and improving the quality of work.
The concept of investing more in quality and sustainable
lighting upfront to lower costs over time is greatly accepted by
schools, universities, hospitals and government since visual
quality and saving energy are part of the ethic, Loeffler says.
But more education is needed with homeowners, smaller operators and retailers.
“It can be challenging to work with retail environments that
depend on high-level lighting for visual impact, but it is possible to have visual impact while decreasing energy consumption,”
he says. “However, this is often achieved through newer and
more expensive technology. Lighting designers need to better
educate these clients that they may spend more now, but save
more in the long run.”
However, clients have come a long way in just five years,
Loeffler says. “Back then, most clients were reluctant to invest
in sustainable design, but it can be done and must be done
because the world demands it. Going green has greatly impacted
the lighting design industry in a positive way. More businesses
are requesting our services.”
The increasing demand for designs that reduce energy use
and improve the working environment means IALD has an
opportunity to take the lead in providing lighting design that
supports these goals, Abernathy says. “As more and more projects recognize the need to integrate good quality sustainable
lighting design, they should automatically look to IALD members
as the leading practitioners.”
Heather Ryndak Swink is associate editor of FORUM. She may be reached at
swink@associationforum.org.
THE MAY 2008 SIGNATURE STORY features a comprehensive and
coordinated effort led by the National Marine Manufacturers Association
and its 1,700 member companies to grow the boating industry and promote
the boating lifestyle, one new boat sale at a time. DiscoverBoating.com,
an interactive boating Web site designed to address consumers’ questions
and concerns, is part of the NMMA’s Grow Boating Initiative. In 2007
alone, DiscoverBoating.com recorded 3 million visits, and 20,000 of
those visitors requested to be contacted by boat manufacturers or dealers.
To learn more about NMMA, visit www.nmma.org.
