Electical Contractor

The Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction (CBTD) was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to encourage investment in energy-efficient interior lighting, HVAC/hot water systems and the building envelope.


Juno Lighting Group, a commercial and residential lighting solutions provider, hosted more than 200 specifiers, contractors and distributors at a grand reopening event of its Des Plaines, Ill., lighting education center.

According to Department of Energy statistics, about 22 percent of all electricity generated in the United States is used for lighting, and about 10 percent of that is used for outdoor lighting and signs.

Joel Spira, who founded Lutron Electronics Co. in 1961, invented the first solid-state dimmer in 1959. For decades after, dimmers were largely used to control the aesthetic environment. Only in recent years has dimming become an important part of the energy costs saving debate.

“The new and emerging energy market is creating quite a buzz among ECs at conferences like Lightfair International with LED lighting at the center of the conversation,” said Steven Witz, vice president, Continental Electrical Construction Co., Oak Brook, Ill.

The next step is to develop the basis of design or design intent, which can be expressed using two best practice tools. The first tool is the lighting control narrative, a document that describes how the intended control system will satisfy the owner project requirements.

With lighting and communications technology evolving rapidly, lighting manufacturers are under pressure to determine how to best reach out to and train busy electrical contractors (ECs) on new and existing products.

There’s little doubt that, in the ongoing phase-out of inefficient incandescent lamps, the homeowner is the most uninformed, concerned and resistant of the electrical contractor’s customers.

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a model residential and commercial building energy code produced by the International Code Council, an organization dedicated to building safety and fire prevention.