The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unveiled California’s Lighting Action Plan on June 30, with a webinar launch event that included opening remarks by the CPUC, highlights on progress to-date by lighting champions, and an opportunity for Q&A by attendees. The Lighting Action Plan implements the lighting goals of the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan and focuses on four goals for the lighting sector: policy for market transformation; best practices; end user demand; and research, development, and demonstration.
Lighting is responsible for almost 25% of California’s electricity use, but the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan says that number can be reduced by as much as 80% over the next decade. Said Commissioner Mark J. Ferron, “Instituting lighting best practices today is essential to realizing California’s energy efficiency potential tomorrow. The Lighting Action Plan utilizes experts across the industry - including manufactures, retailers, government officials, and trade associations - to create an effective and actionable path to realize the goals of the Strategic Plan and achieve a 60% to 80% reduction in lighting energy use by 2020.”
The Lighting Action Plan was developed by the “Champions Network,” a sizeable collaborative of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, public utilities, research institutions, and the CPUC. The California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan — published in 2008 and updated in 2010 by the CPUC — outlines energy goals and efficiency strategies for key market sectors and crosscutting resources like HVAC. It is designed to guide long-term changes in the market by reducing barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency measures until publicly funded intervention is no longer appropriate.
The Lighting Action Plan will identify key actions required to achieve milestones, secure leaders to implement these steps, and track and report on progress against the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan. To facilitate comprehension and action by the broadest cross-section of stakeholders, this roadmap relies heavily on graphics and summation. The Lighting Action Plan is based on a literature review, a series of public workshops (related to both new construction and existing buildings), ongoing outreach to key stakeholders, and participation in both state and national efforts.
The Lighting Action Plan is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Energy+Efficiency/eesp/.