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Lighting Revolution in Two Graphs: LED distribution in residential and commercial applications

By Craig DiLouie | Jan 15, 2025
Lighting Revolution in Two Graphs: LED distribution in residential and commercial applications
As the LED revolution achieves increasing adoption, a recent report by the Department of Energy illuminates the growth. Published in April 2024, the “2020 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization” estimates technology distribution among the U.S. installed base of units (lamps/luminaires), along with energy consumption.

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As the LED revolution achieves increasing adoption, a recent report by the Department of Energy illuminates the growth. Published in April 2024, the “2020 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization” estimates technology distribution among the U.S. installed base of units (lamps/luminaires), along with energy consumption.

The report’s authors sought to answer three questions. For each major technology—LED, fluorescent, HID, incandescent and other—how many units were installed in each U.S. building sector in 2020? How much energy did they consume? How did these characteristics change from 2015?

The answers provide a bird’s-eye view of long-term lighting trends, lighting preferences and progress in achieving energy efficiency.

This is the fourth “Lighting Market Characterization,” with the first published for 2001 and the next looking at 2010, 2015 and 2020. Comparing data across the decades, a remarkable picture of LED adoption emerges—though the DOE unfortunately did not cover the outdoor stationary and industrial sectors for 2020, considering these markets too small (about 5% of the total lamps installed in the last study for 2015).

Residential sector

Let’s start with the residential lighting sector, where an estimated 6.5 billion units are installed, accounting for 80% of lighting installations. LED was the most popular light source in 2020 with 3.1 billion units installed or 48% of the total. As a result, DOE estimated residential lighting consumed 76 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2020, nearly 50% less energy than in 2015 and 63% less than in 2001. Of course, as 2020 was five years ago, the prevailing technological shift suggests that a much larger portion of residential lighting today is LED-based.

Along the way, significant milestones included the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which eliminated 40–100W incandescent lamps in favor of halogen, compact fluorescent and LED. In 2022, the Biden Administration revised its general-service lamp definition, eliminating popular exemptions. It interpreted the energy law’s backstop provision imposing a minimum 45 lumens/W efficacy as being effective, which eliminated the majority of halogen general-­service lamps. In April 2024, the DOE announced a new energy standard requiring much higher efficacies, which takes effect July 2028.

This resulted in the sunsetting of the majority of Energy Star lighting requirements and a sharp decline in rebates for small LED replacement lamps. Even as CFLs are not expected to comply with the higher efficacies, 10 states have already taken action to eliminate compact and linear fluorescent lamps because they contain mercury. Fluorescent lamps have also been displaced from new product development and subjected to regulations targeting T12 lamps and magnetic ballasts. 

Commercial buildings

In the commercial building sector, with its estimated 1.6 billion installed units, we see a similarly striking snapshot of LED earning virtual parity with other light sources. In 2020, LED reached an overall share of 48% of the installed base and a rough parity with fluorescent. As a result, DOE estimated commercial lighting consumed 168 TWh in 2020, nearly 30% less energy than 2015 and 57% less than 2001. Again, as this was five years ago, LED adoption likely continued into an era of saturation and is today the majority light source in commercial buildings.

Overall, the “2020 Lighting Market Characterization” provides an interesting snapshot of a major technological shift in lighting. As LED transitions from upstart to saturation, innovation will likely focus less on efficacy and more on performance and developing specialty markets such as color tuning and circadian lighting. Lighting rebates may shift to focus on redesign approaches, favoring the most efficient products, lighting controls (which are underused, according to the DOE report) and integration. 

Get the report here: https://tinyurl.com/3fczwe9s.

About The Author

DiLouie, L.C. is a journalist and educator specializing in the lighting industry. Learn more at ZINGinc.com and LightNOWblog.com.

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