If you trouble to search the Eleblog, you’ll find 3 previous (pre-NECA 2012 convention/show) references to Jim Benya, a lighting expert (see this IEEE Spectrum article on him)
Here’s a look at what I heard from him at a session at NECA in Las Vegas:
- We’re now doing lighting at 0.6 watts per sq. ft. In 1973, it was 6 watts/sq. ft. Tell me any other (electricity) load that’s done that.
- “Get ready for lighting’s best era.”
- There are 54 billion sq. ft. of commercial space (under roof in the U.S.). I seldom see a building that can’t use a good retrofit. Maybe 1% or 2% of the buildings that Benya sets foot in don’t need a retrofit.
- Adding things up, that means there is close to $1 trillion of (lighting retrofit) work that need sto be done over the next decade (or less than 10 years, he added).
[later on, Benya noted that this national effort could take U.S. energy use down by 5% to 7%]
- LEDs will dominate in 5 years. Right now, tho, LEDs are not (yet) good for high-bay applications.
- On dimming ballasts: “You can turn lighting levels down 20% — no one notices.”
- Expect (many) utilities to move to time-of-use pricing in 3 to 5 years.
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