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Prior to the late 1970's, ballast manufacturers used a group of compounds called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, to insulate and cool the inner components in certain electrical products. One common application was to cool the internal capacitor of fluorescent lamp ballasts. These components contained a small amount of PCB oil and most of it is typically absorbed by several layers of paper within the device. Since these compounds were found to be health hazards and were linked to the developm …

All commercial and industrial customers of West Penn Power can now apply to the Non-Standard Lighting for Business Program to receive cash incentives for energy efficient lighting projects. Eligible customers include schools, local governments, institutions, not-for-profits, private businesses, industrial firms, or any other non-residential facility in the West Penn Power territory. The Non-Standard-Lighting for Business Program provides cash incentives for energy efficient lighting projects, …

Lessons from New England energy efficiency study (http://bit.ly/g3Zndd can be applied to all states, via @seth_leitman http://bit.ly/gjzjVj # A Plan for 100% Renewable Energy by 2050 (http://bit.ly/fREgnr w/ half coming from energy efficiency is generating a lot of great comments. # LA remains in first place for the third year in EPA's list of cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings http://1.usa.gov/gJaR6r # Siemens to spin out Osram to focus on energy efficient lighting under …

I'm sure you've realized by now that in order to calculate the return on investment for a new lighting system, you're going to have to know how much energy your new fixtures will save you. In order to know that, you're going to have to have an idea of total wattage the existing fixtures you have are consuming. You could dismantle a sample of the fixture and read the specs for the ballast and lamps you have, but that can be tedious and very time consuming. Another option is to use a standardized …

President Obama is proposing new efforts to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings across the country. Last year, commercial buildings consumed roughly 20 percent of all energy in the U.S. economy. Improving energy efficiency in our buildings can create jobs, save money, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and make our air cleaner. The President’s Better Buildings Initiative will make commercial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade by catalyzing private se …

It's February and Ameren Illinois' Act On Energy ® program is offering a sweet deal!  For all new applications submitted from February 14th through March 31st of 2011 that include electric measures, an additional 15% cash bonus will be added on top of the incentive.  This could improve your project's ROI and increase your incentives for high bay lighting replacements and other non-T12 retrofits.  Since the T12 lighting phase-out program already pays a 10% bonus, T12 measures are not eligible f …

EERE News: DOE to Offer LED Lighting Workshop in Dallas http://bit.ly/bPhuTy # Lowe-Martin Group gets kudos for reducing environmental footprint http://bit.ly/cMgYRm The T5 lighting retrofit identified as key component. # NYSEG and RG&E Offering Rebates to Encourage Commercial and Industrial Customers to Become More Energy Efficient - http://bit.ly/d46GTj # Leviton introduces Zipline integrated ballast and lamp holder system for 32/30/28W T8-based fixtures to lower mfg cost. http://bit. …

We have just lowered our prices on all of our T8 and T5HO vapor proof high bay fixtures!  These fixtures provide excellent light output even in the harshest environments. The fiberglass reinforced polyester housing includes a closed cell poured polyurethane gasket that completely seals the fixture against humidity, dust, moisture penetration and corrosion. A clear acrylic lens is standard and an optional polycarbonate version is available for maximum impact resistance.  Both the T5HO vers …

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced support for energy-saving commercial building projects as part of an ongoing effort by DOE to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the United States. With money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, DOE's national laboratories will select and fund technical experts to provide technical guidance to commercial building owners and operators. The goal of this Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) initiative is to incr …

Efficiency Vermont, Vermont's statewide provider of energy efficiency services, has announced a new program promoting the replacement of T12 and HID High-Bay lighting with more efficient technology.  The newLIGHT program is being made available from April 1st to December 31st, 2010, and is offering businesses significantly enhanced rebates for upgrading their old T12 fluorescent and HID high-bay lighting systems to more efficient equipment.  This comes as the Department of Energy has passed n …