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Often overlooked as an element within a building's infrastructure, lighting can account for as much as 30 to 40 percent of electricity used in the typical commercial facility and is a primary source for significant cost savings. U.S. Department of Energy studies reveal that, while more and more facilities are becoming energy savvy, a majority of the nation's estimated 4 to 5 million commercial buildings still contain outmoded lighting systems that readily could be upgraded to achieve substantial energy and cost savings.

Fortunately, the lighting industry has developed a wide variety of innovative technologies that have revolutionized the end user market, delivering high-performing and energy-efficient lighting products that can reduce lighting costs by as much as 30 to 50 percent, and total facility energy consumption and costs by as much as 20 to 25 percent. Following is an overview of some of the most popular energy efficient lighting technologies currently in the market:

T8 and electronic ballasts

First introduced in the early 1990s, T8 lighting systems involving 32W fluorescent lamps driven by electronic ballasts have been rapidly replacing older and less-efficient T12 fluorescent lamps systems driven by magnetic ballasts present in many commercial facilities - a trend that has been accelerated by federal legislation including the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This popular commercial upgrade can reduce energy consumption and costs by 30 to 40 percent, driving two- to three- year paybacks while significantly improving the quality of light.

In addition to standard T8 lamps and electronic ballasts, a new generation of optimized, "high-efficiency" T8 lamps and electronic ballasts recently has been introduced. Available in a range of energy-saving models including 30W, 25W, and 17W versions, these products can reduce total system wattage by more than 45 percent relative to the use of older T12 fluorescent systems driven by magnetic ballasts and by as much as 20 to 30 percent relative to the use of conventional T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Low mercury versions are also available to insure that the lamps do the utmost to promote environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Controllable lighting systems

Gaining increasing popularity within the nation's commercial and institutional facilities within the last 5-10 years, dimming options are readily available for fluorescent lighting configurations and allow users to reduce energy consumption, minimize maintenance concerns, increase the degree of personal control over lighting systems, and promote environmental sustainability. Offering end users a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and controllable alternative to their existing lighting systems, dimmable fluorescent systems combine the long-life and energy-efficiency of fluorescent lamps with the controllability and full-range dimming capabilities of incandescent systems and represent an easy-to-install undertaking.

Dimmable fluorescent lighting involves the combination of fluorescent lamps, dimmable electronic ballasts, and control products such as manual dimming controls, light-level sensors, occupancy sensors, clock switches, and centralized controls.

Dimmable fluorescent lighting systems have evolved rapidly, resulting in the availability of an increasingly powerful and easy-to-use-and-install array of options optimal for retrofit as well as new construction applications. A wider variety of lamp types than ever before are capable of being dimmed and the market's broad selection of ballast and control components have been made increasingly compatible. Advances in electronic ballast technology over time have enabled manufacturers to dim lamps to levels of 5 percent and lower, and the installation of dimmable fluorescent systems has been simplified by the availability of ballasts that require no extra wiring (due to the removal of additional control leads), enhancing ease of installation.