Greentech Lead America: LED light maker Philips urges businesses and governments to step up actions to implement energy efficiency measures.
The company also announced partnership with World Resources Institute (WRI) to support research that ensures smart investments in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies are part of a clean and efficient future.
LED-based lighting technologies provide buildings with superior light performance and control, while providing the potential to reduce energy consumption up to 90 percent, and significantly reduce maintenance costs.
In the U.S. alone, 85 percent of buildings were built before 1984, with more than 72 billion square feet of commercial space, the majority of which have not had lighting systems upgrades to more energy-efficient options.
For residential applications, today’s LED bulbs offer high-quality light, but use 80-90 percent less energy and last more than 20 times longer than traditional bulbs. In the U.S., an estimated 425 million 60-watt incandescent light bulbs are sold every year, representing approximately 50 percent of the domestic incandescent light bulb market3.
According to calculations by Philips, this LED replacement has the potential to save enough energy to power the lights of 16.7 million U.S. households or 14.4 percent of the total number of households in the entire U.S.
“We believe the public and private sectors can be doing more to stimulate investments in new innovations, accelerate market penetration of sustainable technologies, and make a significant impact on our energy footprint and the environment,” said Greg Sebasky, chairman, Philips North America.
Sebasky said Philips strongly supports the enactment into law of the Shaheen-Portman Energy Efficiency bill which would save billions of dollars for the U.S. economy by encouraging adoption of energy-efficient technologies. “This bipartisan effort is a model for how business and government can work together to do what’s right for the environment and business.”