The National Lighting Bureau (NLB) reaches millions of lighting decision-makers each year and, despite the nation’s and the lighting industry’s economic woes, the Bureau reached more people in 2009 than ever before.

According to NLB Chair Howard P. Lewis (Lighting Alternatives, Inc.), “The vast majority of people who make decisions about lighting – especially whether or not to invest in upgrades – don’t know much about the technology involved or about the impact of High-Benefit Lighting.”

Mr. Lewis explained that High-Benefit Lighting is a copyrighted Bureau coinage used to describe lighting that delivers an array of economic benefits attainable through “function-focused” lighting; i.e., lighting designed specifically for the applications involved. He said, “The lighting that’s optimal for a given function depends on what the functions involve, where they are taking place – the dimensions and finishes of the space involved – and who’s performing them, principally in terms of people’s ages, because older eyes require different lighting conditions.” Optimal functionality boosts lighting’s bottom-line value, by helping people perform seeing tasks faster, with fewer errors; by providing a safer environment, be it in a factory or in a parking lot; by enhancing security; by improving the appearance of a space or an outdoor area; by lowering liability insurance costs and boosting retail sales; by increasing curb appeal and lowering unit and space turnover; and even by increasing the value of a building.

“High-Benefit Lighting also maximizes lighting energy efficiency and contributes to sustainability, but the value to be derived from energy efficiency is almost always less than the value that can be contributed by the other benefits. Somewhat ironically, though, the value of energy savings is the only value that all too many financial managers consider in deciding whether or not to upgrade an existing lighting system.”

Not all of High-Benefit Lighting’s benefits are easily translatable into dollars and cents, Mr. Lewis noted. For example, new research shows that the proper lighting can help slow the onset and progress of dementia. “There’s obviously a lot we don’t know yet about human lighting receptors – those associated with vision and those that are not. Clearly, however, the notion that ‘light is light’ is just plain wrong. There’s an infinite variety of light, defined in each case by the amount of light involved, the manner in which it’s distributed, the angle at which it enters our sensory receptors, and the influence of the environment involved, among other factors. As we learn more, we will be able to improve our ability to provide exactly the kind of lighting needed to produce optimal results, and most of those results will still have some influence on the bottom line.”

The National Lighting Bureau strives to create greater awareness of lighting’s overall value, to encourage more lighting-system owners and managers to look into High-Benefit Lighting upgrades. In 2009, Mr. Lewis said, “the Bureau made well over 7.5 million impressions, in a wide range of print media, through e-zines and other online media, and even through social networking media and blogs. “Traffic to our website – www.nlb.org – continually increases,” Mr. Lewis said, “in part because of growing reliance on our lighting-system designer and Commercial-Building Tax Deduction (CBTD) certifier directories, that are free to those listed and to those using the listings.” The website also provides a variety of research information and links.

“The Bureau is an overachiever, because it is able to have a significant amount of influence despite a relatively low level of funding,” Mr. Lewis commented. “We could do a lot more for everyone with increased support, of course, but it takes a special kind of organization to get involved. The Bureau’s impact is not readily apparent on our sponsors’ bottom lines, be they not-for-profit or for-profit. They support us – financially and through volunteered efforts – because they know we provide an important service. People need to know about High-Benefit Lighting and what it can do for them and for the environment. That message is well-received, and not just in the U.S. and Canada. We’ve seen news we’ve reported appear in any number of languages worldwide. To a very real extent, we’re working to provide High-Benefit Lighting to the entire global village.”

Established in 1976, the National Lighting Bureau is a not-for-profit, independent, lighting information source sponsored by professional societies, trade associations, manufacturers, and agencies of the U.S. government, including, among others:

• enLIGHTenAmerica;                     
• GE Lighting Industrial Technology, Inc.;
• Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES);
• interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies (NALMCO);
• Lutron Electronics Company, Inc.;
• Magnaray;
• National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA);
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA);
• OSRAM SYLVANIA;
• Philips Lighting Company;
• Philips Lighting Electronics (makers of Philips Advance-branded ballasts); and
• U.S. General Services Administration.

To become a sponsor of the National Lighting Bureau, or for more information about what it does, High-Benefit Lighting, and related topics, refer to the NLB website (www.nlb.org) or contact NLB staff by telephone (301/587-9572) or e-mail (info@nlb.org).