ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY
The 50% Rule
What is the 50% rule? Well, I just made it up – just now. It’s not a new concept by any means; I’m applying it to lighting, although I suppose you could apply it to just about anything. It’s about efficiency and utility: how much of something do you get versus how much you... »
The Lure of the Time-Based Energy Code
Energy codes got you down? Is squeezing wattage cramping your design? You’re not alone – a lot of designers feel this way, and for good reason. As the country demands more and more energy efficiency, we’re spending more and more time counting watts and squeezing every last drop from power allowances just to make... »
Season’s Energy Code Greetings
With the onset of the holiday season, we have also come to the end of the three-year energy code development season. The new 2010 version of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 has been published, and IECC-2012 will be published in April 2011. (No, that’s not a typo. IECC-2012 will be published in 2011. Don’t ask, I... »
Specification Grade Sustainability
Recently a lighting company came into our office to show us their new LED fixture. I prepared myself for the usual spiel: tight quality binning, a high-performance heat sink, ELV dimming option. However, this particular fixture had been designed in a way that we haven’t seen from many other companies: the entire fixture, an... »
New Energy Codes, New Challenges
Readers of this blog have already heard about the new Green Building codes, but there are new versions in the works, both of the energy code standard ASHRAE/IES 90.1, and of the International Conservation Code (IECC). What will these codes look like, and how will they affect the work of architectural lighting designers? The... »
Will Green Building Codes Leave You Seeing Red?
Now that ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 has been published, it’s time for the building design and construction communities to consider the implications of the new green building codes coming out. What is a green building code, and why do we need one? Imagine LEED written in code language – site sustainability, water use, energy, indoor... »
How Much Energy Do You Use on Your Commute To Work?
Lighting systems have gotten vastly more efficient in the last decade. This is thanks to better bulbs, better luminaires and controls, and better lighting design – and let’s all keep working hard to make them even more efficient as technologies and design methods continue to improve. But, let’s also give ourselves a little credit... »
Solar Decathlon: Not So Sunny, But Full of Energy!
I was fortunate to be able to spend the weekend visiting the Solar Decathlon houses on the Mall in Washington, D.C. (see the Solar Decathlon website and Amber’s last blog article “Curious” About Sustainable Design?). Miserable weather meant that the houses weren’t generating much electricity, but the energy produced by the students attracted many... »
“Curious” About Sustainable Design?
A local group of students from the Boston Architectural College and Tufts University are more than just curious. These students have combined creative efforts, engineering skills, and a shared passion to jump-start a wave of curiosity in others; Team Boston was formed to propose, design, and build an actual solar-powered model home. The Curio... »
Why Light It?
Light pollution and light trespass are hot exterior lighting topics, and they both relate directly to the broader topic of energy conservation. Simple logic tells us that shooting light into the night sky, either directly or inadvertently, is basically a waste of light and energy. The light that escapes above the horizon hits nothing... »
