Proposed amendments to the Senate Energy Bill related to outdoor lighting, including both lighting associated with buildings and street lighting, are due for mark-up and eventual floor consideration in both houses of Congress.

The IALD has recommended that these amendments incorporate a few key points which are critical to successful energy conservation and enhanced efficiency over a 20 to 30 year time frame:

1. Application Approach: Adopt a systemic, total application efficiency-based approach, not a lamp or fixture efficacy approach. Standards and incentives that regulate the energy performance of the total lighting application while maintaining lighting quality are the most effective way to increase lighting energy efficiency and reduce energy waste.
2. Street Lighting: For roadway and street lighting, require the Department of Energy to conduct a rulemaking process to develop an effective energy efficiency standard. This process should focus on total application efficiency.
3. Building Sites: For lighting associated with buildings (e.g., parking lots, walkways, etc.), apply ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1, which is an application-based standard.
4. Controls: Require or incentivize lighting control technologies that will turn off lights when not needed.
5. Incentives: Use incentives for improvement, such as accelerated depreciation for investments, rather than prohibitions of specific types of equipment.