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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) recognized 14 organizations for leading the adoption of advanced lighting controls and integration of lighting with other building systems. This campaign is part of the Better Buildings Initiative and worked with these partners, as well as 18 recognized last year, to demonstrate that integrated lighting systems are enabling deeper energy savings in buildings and creating an enhanced user and occupant experience. Partners were recognized at the Illumination Engineering Society (IES) annual conference on August 5th, 2023.  

DOE recognized the following organizations this year: 

Recognized Participants 

Morenci Area Schools in Morenci, MI is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category for investing $1.4 million in energy system improvements in their schools. Improvements include lighting controls, LED lighting upgrades, new building automation controls, and an energy management system. The upgrades are expected to save more than $1 million in energy and operational costs over 10 years and nearly 490,000 kWh. The schools' lighting upgrades have noticeably improved the overall lighting experience for visitors, providing consistent, even, and brighter illumination, receiving positive feedback from staff and offering increased safety, improved athletic facilities, and enhanced maintenance efficiencies.

Freeform in Boise, ID is being recognized under the Advanced Lighting Solutions for Small Buildings and Sustainability in Lighting categories. The project involved a comprehensive redesign of the lighting system, including LED fixtures/retrofit kits, luminaire level lighting controls, motion and photocell sensors, remote access bridge, switches, and individual occupant switches. The project resulted in a 40% reduction in number of fixtures and significant energy savings, in addition to improved lighting uniformity, customization, remote control, and automation capabilities.

City of Berkeley, Public Safety Building in Berkeley, CA is being recognized under the Innovative, Maintenance, Operation, and Financing Service Models category. The project included replacing fluorescent with LED lighting, with additional lighting controls and vacancy sensors. The combined efforts resulted in an annual energy savings of 33%, equivalent to 336,573 kWh, and the implementation costs were fully covered by incentives and grants. This project also used On-Bill Financing (OBF), which is a zero-interest loan that pays the contractor up front, and the customer pays the loan back on their monthly energy bill. The monthly loan payment is equal to, or less than, the monthly energy costs saved by the retrofit. 

The State of Michigan's General Service Building in Dimondale, MI is being recognized under the Innovative, Maintenance, Operation, and Financing Service Models category. The building serves as a secure warehouse for mail reception, IT deployment, printing services, and the state police. The project involved replacing 900 linear fluorescent lamps with 200 18-inch square luminaires. The new lighting system, along with the controls, reduces lighting power by over 90% when compared with the previous fluorescent setup, while also generating significant maintenance savings. The control system allows for mobile phone interfacing, offering features such as occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, and energy monitoring. The implementation resulted in a $110,000 rebate from Consumers Energy. What is exemplary about this project is the use of the State's revolving fund, which uses energy savings from existing energy upgrades to fund future energy efficiency projects.

Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities, Jerry Gamble and Southside Village Clubs in Minneapolis, MN are being recognized under the Energy Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category. The clubs upgraded the exterior and interior lighting resulting in improved lighting quality, cost savings, and a better environment for club members. Inadequate and outdated lighting at the Clubs created safety and well-being concerns and the lighting upgrade set out to address issues such as poor light levels, maintenance costs, safety concerns, and an unwelcoming atmosphere. This upgrade created a $7,000 a year savings and achieved a simple payback of 7.29 years. Grants and rebates helped the club save $38,826, cutting the project's cost in half.

Texas A&M University, Evans Library, in College Station, TX is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category for deploying an energy savings program at the university’s Evans Library. The objective was to increase light levels to meet ADA requirements and allow for bookshelf relocation. By upgrading to LED lighting and installing an IoT lighting control system, the library achieved a substantial energy savings after one year, cutting down on 83% of energy consumption. The project also resulted in saving up to 20% of HVAC energy costs by reducing air-conditioning. The intelligent lighting control system adjusted lighting based on occupancy, incorporated daylight harvesting, and allowed for scheduled lighting.

Lighting Environments in Baltimore, MD is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting and Integration with Other Building Systems categories. Lighting Environments redesigned their Baltimore office in 2019 and took it as an opportunity to turn it into a state-of-the-art showroom displaying the latest lighting controls and technologies. They sought to create an office space that comfortable and customizable for their employee, but also an example for their customers. The office features lighting technology that can change brightness, color, and create various lighting effects using pre-programmed shows. It also automatically adjusts the lighting throughout the day to create a dynamic and visually appealing environment. In addition, the building’s HVAC system is integrated with lighting schedules and motion sensors to reduce unnecessary energy consumption. Other reported benefits include occupant safety and all-day comfort. Presence-detection allows for well-lit spaces where occupants are always safe in all areas, and tunable white fixtures can be customized with lighting scenes that best-support employee comfort and efficiency throughout the day. The team can also access insights into space utilization to compare occupancy with other features like air quality or CO2 levels

Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, NJ is being recognized under the GUV Systems for Energy Efficiency and Improved Indoor Air Quality category. Kinnelon High School sought a solution to ensure ongoing sanitization and improve indoor air quality in shared learning spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution includes hybrid UVC air-purifier and whole room disinfection fixtures with embedded occupancy sensors. During the day, the fixtures perform recommended air changes using HEPA, UVC, and Active Carbon filtration in occupied spaces. At night, scheduled UVC treatments disinfect surfaces and airborne pathogens.

Lineage Logistics in Seattle, WA is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category. As a large cold storage facility, energy usage constitutes a significant portion of their operating costs. Thanks to a $99,000 incentive from Seattle City Light, Lineage was able to reduce the number of lights in their facility from 636 fluorescent bulbs to 585 LED fixtures, which brought down their energy usage from 561,081 kWh down to 109,866 kWh. An LED lighting upgrade project resulted in energy savings of $38,890, refrigeration savings of $5,890, and projected annual maintenance savings of $10,000, resulting in a total annual savings of $54,780.

Ortega Middle School in Alamosa, Colorado is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category. This project started out as a pilot of color tuning fixtures in only two classrooms at the middle school. When the school decided to replace asbestos ceiling tiles and install new LED fixtures, based on positive feedback from the pilot project, it was an easy decision to ensure that every classroom had color tuning lights. The new lighting received praise from teachers for greatly enhancing the learning environment for students. The lighting system includes control capabilities, such as occupancy, daylight, and scheduling controls as well.

Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation in Los Angeles, CA is being recognized under the GUV Systems for Energy Efficiency and Improved Indoor Air Quality category for installing upper room GUV technology in its offices and selected public facilities. The technology is deployed in sites with high employee density and frequent interaction with the public. The fixtures utilize UV-C light to neutralize airborne microorganisms in real-time, targeting the upper room of occupied spaces. It achieves a high air change rate, providing at least 12 equivalent air changes per hour (eACH) for efficient air disinfection. This deployment enables Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation to continue operations and provide safe environments for both staff and the community.

  • Partnering ILC Supporter: R-Zero

Recognized Supporters 

These organizations are recognized for their exemplary support and advocacy of the use of advanced lighting controls and technologies that facilitate integration of lighting with other building systems to improve efficiency and performance.  

The California Energy Alliance (CEA) in Sacramento, CA is a nonprofit organization advocating for energy productivity and various aspects of energy efficiency, including lighting technologies. They are being recognized as an Exemplary Supporter. CEA collaborates with business, government, and NGO leaders to achieve economic growth, environmental justice, energy security, affordability, and resilience. CEA has worked to promote the ILC since early 2022 through emails and announcements included in monthly newsletters. CEA invited ILC team to speak on their Member Meetings, which resulted in connections with CEA members and raised awareness for the campaign. CEA also invited ILC to participate in structured member discussions during LightFair 2022, connecting the campaign with other members and stakeholders.

LightJustice.org is being recognized as an Energy Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion. The open-access forum was established in 2022 for lighting professionals and the wider community to address lighting justice issues, which involve providing good lighting for historically neglected and under-resourced communities. The initiative challenges industry standards perpetuating social, economic, and racial inequities and advocates that good lighting is a human right, not a luxury. LightJustice.org collaborates with various organizations, guiding conversations and leading efforts to reshape industry standards and raise awareness about environmental justice and social equity issues related to outdoor and indoor lighting.

Evergreen Consulting Group in Beaverton, OR is being recognized as an Exemplary Support for advocating for energy-efficient lighting and lighting controls for over 25 years, primarily supporting utility programs to influence program design and incentives for basic and advanced controls. They have been at the forefront of offering incentives for advanced control systems, collaborating with utilities like Rocky Mountain Power to require controls in lighting retrofit projects, including providing technical trainings to industry professionals. They have partnered with Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) on the Luminaire Level Lighting Controls Market Transformation Initiative, working with various control companies to promote integrated controls and highlight the benefits to building owners.