Lighting may not seem like an obvious investment, but it's one that's highly effective. Starting this month, T12 replacement bulbs or lamps wll no longer be produced.
Starting this month, T12 lamps will no longer be produced as part of a longer-term mandate issued by the Department of Energy a couple of years ago. This means that businesses and organizations with T12 lighting will no longer be able to purchase replacement bulbs or lamps.
The mandate has been in the works for quite some time. It began in July 2010 with the end of production of the magnetic ballasts most commonly used in T12 lamps. The latest phase out may seem like it would create challenges for many businesses and organizations with T12s, but actually it creates more opportunities when looking at the big picture.
Lighting may not seem like an obvious investment in your business, but it’s one that’s highly effective. Businesses and organizations have chosen Efficiency Made Easy (EME) as one way to finance lighting upgrades within a large facility or across multiple facilities. EME allows businesses to bundle their electricity procurement and their energy efficient lighting upgrades by including the cost of the lighting projects – and other efficiency projects if needed – into their power contract. The lighting projects are then funded through on-bill financing without impacting the balance sheet as the costs of high-impact efficiency lighting measures are factored into the price per kilowatt-hour of electricity used. It typically takes a large energy consumer anywhere from one to two years to pay for the project, however, with lighting upgrades customers realize immediate cost savings as a result of reduced electricity use.
There are also federal incentives and programs available to help building owners or tenants replace the old lighting with new energy efficient systems.
Determining the most ideal or practical approach to replacing old lighting and other equipment is where the real challenge exists as it takes time and resources to sift through and analyze the high volume of information regarding the T12 phase out. Businesses and organizations that need assistance with exploring their lighting and other efficiency options should visit http://info.constellation.com/lightsout.