ABSTRACT
Lighting is a principal user of electrical energy in commercial buildings, accounting for about 30% of commercial sector consumption. Since the 1980s, lighting efficiency programs have been popular with electric utilities to improve overall efficiency of electricity use and as a low-cost alternative to building expensive power plants. These demand-side management programs usually paid rebates directly to the customer. For lighting auditors, the utility sector activity in lighting surveys and audits is expected to at least hold steady, and it could increase. Most of the utility surveys will require auditors who work for independent lighting companies as utility staffs continue to be downsized. The utility market is shifting and the perceptive auditor will track these shifts to take advantage of them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Lights program is a voluntary, nonregulatory program aimed at promoting energy efficiency through investment in energy-efficient lighting.
