Lutron's EcoSystem Lighting Control Solution Makes Front-Page News

COOPERSBURG, PA.The ability of Lutron's EcoSystem® lighting control solution to cut an office building's lighting energy use up to 60 percent took center stage in Philadelphia recently. The Philadelphia Inquirer, in a front-page story on April 27, reported ongoing energy efficiency tests inside the Cira Centre, one of the city's newest high-rise office towers. The paper reported test results showed that offices using the EcoSystem lighting controls were consuming 67 percent less energy than identical offices not using the system.

The EcoSystem lighting control solution employs a combination of strategies and cutting edge technology.

The ongoing tests evaluate conditions in offices occupied by the global consumer products company, SCA Americas. An apple-to-apple comparison is being made between four single-person offices equipped with EcoSystem on the 26th floor with four identical offices not using EcoSystem one floor below.

The study uses two meters tied directly to the lighting system electric lines governing the eight sample offices and measures both amperage and kilowatt-hour consumption. The offices chosen for the study are identical in design, size, and orientation, and they share similar usage profiles.

The Inquirer's lengthy article focused on the latest advances in fluorescent lighting technology, which represent a shift away from energy-inefficient incandescent lighting. The headline for the article read, "A dim future for standard lightbulbs."

The paper noted that EcoSystem is being installed in some offices of the U.S. Capitol at the urging of Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who has introduced legislation to make federal buildings energy efficient.

The EcoSystem lighting control solution employs a combination of strategies and cutting edge technology, including dimming, daylight sensing, occupant sensing and personal control. With EcoSystem in place, building occupants use only the exact amount of electric light they need at any given time. Adjustments to the lighting level can be made with a personal computer, a PDA, a remote or a wall control.

It is estimated that roughly 10 percent of all the electricity consumed in the U.S. is used to light commercial buildings. Lighting is a commercial building's largest source of energy consumption, accounting for 44 percent of energy use in office buildings and 56 percent in educational structures, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

To read the entire Inquirer article, visit
www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/daily/20070427_A_dim_future_for_standard_lightbulbs.html

Lutron Electronics, headquartered in Coopersburg, PA, is the world leader in the design and manufacturing of lighting control solutions for residential and commercial applications. Lutron offers a variety of light dimmers, whole-home and whole-building dimming systems, controllable window treatments, and color-matched accessories, including wall plates, receptacles, and fan controls. For more information about Lutron, or about EcoSystem in particular, please visit www.lutron.com.