Check out this video of the Green Button demo at Grid-Interop 2011:

More information on the event from the event’s website:

What will happen?
The Connecticut Science Center will open its doors at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 20th. At precisely 10:15 pm, The Science Center and other participating Hartford public and private sponsors will shut their unused office lights off to create rare spectacle in honor of conservation. In celebration of Earth Day 2012, we will view the spectacular event from Science Alley.

Why Join the Party?
Your $50 donation will be used to fund Rebuilding Together Hartford, a nonprofit, nonsectarian, volunteer organization dedicated to helping low-income homeowners, through home renovation and repair. It will go far to help provide underprivileged people in the Hartford area with safe, efficient and livable homes. Connect with like-minded professionals in the Connecticut energy community to create long term energy awareness.

Click here to purchase tickets to the event or make a $50 donation!

The information listed on the utility rebate pages represent the published rebate information of the various utilities as of the date of this compilation. The actual rebates available may vary based on utility program changes or financial availability. Aelux continuously monitors for changes and updates. The rebate amount included in a specific proposal is always accurate as of the proposal date.

In October 2008, Act 129 was passed to curtail energy demand, create jobs and reduce pollution in Pennsylvania. The Act required Pennsylvania electric utilities to reduce their electricity load by 1 percent by May 31, 2011 and by 3 percent by May 31, 2012. Utilities are also required to reduce their peak electricity demand by 4.5 percent by providing their customers with energy-efficiency and conservation programs.

PennFuture’s study, conducted by Optimal Energy, analyzed the Act’s results through May 31, 2011. This study concluded that Pennsylvania’s electricity load was reduced by 2,073 gigawatt hours (GWh), which equals over $278 million in annual savings for electric customers that participated in Act 129 programs.

The first year of Act 129 also created an estimated 4,000 job years (job years are measured as one full-time job for one year) and eliminated approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the installed energy efficiency measures. The Act’s first year in energy savings is also equivalent to taking four million cars off of the road for one year.

If the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission decides that Act 129 has been successful, they have until November 30, 2013 to extend the program and set new savings goals for Pennsylvania electric utilities. According to the study by Optimal, Pennsylvania has the opportunity to reduce its energy by 31,500 GWh by continuing the energy efficiency Act 129.

Aelux has participated in the completion of several energy efficient lighting retrofit projects at Pennsylvania businesses served by participating Act 129 utility companies such as Duquesne, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, PECO, PPL and West Penn. Pennsylvania utility rebates are still available for lighting retrofit energy efficiency projects. To find out how Act 129 can benefit your company and reduce electricity costs with a lighting retrofit, fill out our contact form and an Aelux team member will respond as soon as possible.

To view the complete press release regarding the Penn Future study, click here.

Under the new voluntary commitment, effective October 4, 2010, NEMA members will cap the total mercury content in CFLs of less than 25 watts at 4mg (milligrams) per lamp. The total mercury content of CFLs that use 25 to 40 watts of electricity will be capped at 5mg per lamp.

This agreement builds upon the companies’ March 2007 voluntary commitment and is consistent with NEMA’s initiative to reduce use of hazardous substances whenever feasible.

“NEMA lamp companies acknowledge the importance of reducing mercury content of fluorescent lamps while continuing to achieve the high performance and quality consumers expect,” said NEMA Lamp Section Chair Pam Horner. “NEMA’s update of the voluntary commitment today is made possible by research and engineering innovation in the lamp industry.”

While these lighting innovation initiatives are just reaching the residential market, trace mercury fluorescent lamps have been available for some time now for use in commercial applications.  Previously in commercial applications we saw the use of metal halides, HID fixtures, and T12 lamps, but we are seeing a phase out of these fixtures as they are both inefficiency and contain higher mercury levels, with levels as high as 10mg per lamp. While metal halides may be suitable in some commercial applications, such as outdoor lighting, there are certainly more energy efficient alternatives available for indoor commercial and warehouse settings that are designed specifically for use in retail, property management, commercial, and industrial segments.

The most commonly used lamps in lighting retrofits are T8 & T5 linear fluorescent lamps, which are highly efficiency, TCLP-compliant, and at the highest have 5mg of mercury and at the lowest 1.4mg.   Many manufacturers offer low mercury T8 lamps that contain approximately 3.5 mg per lamp, and some even offer an extra low mercury T8 lamps with less than 1.7 mg of mercury per lamp.  Newly designed T5 lamps are also more versatile, offering increased lighting flexibility, especially in tight spaces and low profile applications.

All the more reason to retrofit your existing lighting system: energy efficiency, better lighting, safer, and more environmentally friendly

TCLP stands for Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. Fluorescent bulbs that are TCLP compliant reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment. Mercury’s greatest threat comes when it is vaporized and can be inhaled, like when a bulb containing mercury is broken, shatters or ruptures in your place of business. Lamps with reduced mercury content pass the EPA’s TCLP tests, and pose less danger to the environment, your employees and your patrons in the event of breakage.

(Sources: NEMA & http://www.zeromercury.org/)

While solar power makes sense for some obvious reasons, what are the implications from what we do not see on the surface of this technology?  Since solar plants rely a large water supply, how will it affect our water sources in the years to come?  Robert Glennon, a law professor at the University of Arizona who has written two books on water use says it well, “This technology uses gobs of water.” He adds, “We are not paying enough attention to energy and its water needs, and solar energy needs a lot of water.” (Source)

So, will water recycling become a part of everyday life in US living, as areas such as the Netherlands have embraced such energy efficient practices?

Are there easier ways to reduce energy usage and cost while avoiding a vicious circle of destruction on our planet?  Perhaps an easier way already exists and we can forget about reinventing the wheel.  Maybe it is as simple as all warehouses in the US receiving a lighting retrofit.

This year the International Energy Agency classified onshore wind as “potentially cost-competitive” with fossil fuels for the first time.” (Source) Yet, we must consider local factors.

Will investing in turbine energy pay-off? Furthermore, could we avoid having giant windmills outside our front door if each one of us was to be more energy conscious? Maybe it can start with changing current lighting systems, rearranging lights where we need them most, and using them only when we need them. Cost-benefit analysis…the simplicity of a lighting retrofit could save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

The same day, NEMA took their stand asserting the Better Use of Light Bulb Act is Not Better.  “The Lamp Section of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) reaffirmed its commitment to public policies that encourage transitioning to more energy-efficient lighting, including the energy-efficient light bulb provisions of EISA 2007.”

According to NEMA Vice President of Government Relations Kyle Pitsor, the lighting industry is investing heavily in new products that meet consumers’ demands for efficiency and light quality while developing marketing information that will help people understand the variety of products available to them as this transition takes place.

Sure consumers may be anxious about the shift, but “the reality is that consumer preference already has been shifting away from incandescent products, with the market for standard household incandescent bulbs declining by 50 percent over the last five or so years. With lighting consuming approximately 22 percent of all electricity in the U.S., the potential for energy savings and energy conservation that the country—and the world—can realize with this change to higher-technology light sources is immense. American businesses and consumers will annually save billions of dollars in electricity bills once the transition is complete,” Pitsor said.

As we talked last week about the bulb ban backfiring on the EU, it seems there may be brighter days for the US considering the statistics above, and US consumers’ drive to conserve spending.  (Source)