By Sam Rashkin, National Director of ENERGY STAR® Homes,Environmental Protection Agency & Jeff Beiter, Director of Business Development, Energy Efficient Products, Sea Gull Lighting Products, Inc.

Despite the increasingly unpredictable economy, real estate remains one of the few hot commodities.

However, this is no secret to the nation’s many builders and architects. Look around. Even if you’re not involved with the latest projects, new housing developments are on the rise throughout the nation with starting prices likely tens of thousands of dollars more than they were a year ago.

Unfortunately for those in the home building and enhancement profession, more demand usually accompanies greater competition. As a result, all forms of electrical professionals including builders, designers and architects must constantly stay on the outlook for new ways to grow sales, establish leadership and enhance customer satisfaction.

Nevertheless, despite the sales advantages, many professionals continue to overlook the potential of lighting, and in particular the value of energy efficient lighting packages, when evaluating home standards and upgrade packages. This is especially unfortunate since lighting remains an untapped and excellent quality complement for virtually any housing style.

Available at varying price points, energy-efficient lighting has also become an ideal option for consumers and communities concerned with rising energy costs and the continued depletion of natural resources. As a result, the individuals best informed of the many economical and societal advantages presented by energy-efficient lighting can prove to be the best customers in the short- and long-term.

In addition, today’s professionals need to confidently disregard any old prejudices against energy efficient lighting by selecting products that are specifically ENERGY STAR® qualified. No longer the utilitarian fluorescent light fixture with a flicker start and hum, today’s ENERGY STAR qualified lighting offers instant starts, warmer color output and styles equal to their incandescent counterparts.

However, buyers within this market must remain wary of competitive products since not all energy efficient lighting products are certified or offer the same guaranteed minimum benefits. As a result, builders, electrical contractors and designers alike should continually look to partner with manufacturers that offer ENERGY STAR labeled products, since only ENERGY STAR qualified products guarantee the highest quality and standards.

In fact, to learn more about the ENERGY STAR program, builders need only visit the EPA’s website at www.energystar.gov. Here, they will not only learn program specifics and benefits, but also how they too can become ENERGY STAR partners and create alliances with the industry’s top manufacturers.

Launched in 1992, the ENERGY STAR program was formed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act as a voluntary partnership with industry to bring products to market that reduce energy consumption and prevent greenhouse gas emissions caused by the generation of energy.

Today, more than 8,000 organizations representing 40 different product categories are partners with the U.S. government’s ENERGY STAR program. Consequently, the EPA estimates that Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, have saved $9 billion in energy costs to date -- enough energy to power 20 million homes -- and have reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 18 million cars.

At the foundation of this program stands the ENERGY STAR mark, which certifies that all products bearing the symbol meet the strict energy efficiency guidelines and rigorous testing requirements set by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

In addition, to ensure the constant advancement of these technologies, the EPA continually reviews and strengthens the guidelines for each product category so that only the top 25 percent of products can earn the honor of this mark.

For instance, in the area of lighting, all ENERGY STAR qualified products must meet strict EPA criteria for efficacy, color rendition and temperature. In addition, ENERGY STAR lighting products are third-party tested, must also prove long lasting, use up to 75 percent less energy than traditional lighting products without sacrificing quality and offer a two year manufacturer’s warranty.

With the dramatic jump in quality, design and profitability of today’s ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures, it is unfortunate that these benefits have escaped the notice of all but a few builders based throughout the nation. To bolster awareness, a new program launched by the EPA has been designed to better protect the environment, educate consumers about ENERGY STAR benefits and enhance builder sales for energy efficient products.

Introduced by the EPA in the fall of 2003, the ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package program is a voluntary construction option that details the use of quality high-efficiency, ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures in homes and offices.

To qualify as a partner in this program, builders must ensure that at least half of the lighting fixtures used within high-use rooms such as kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms and family rooms consist of ENERGY STAR qualified products. In addition, 25 percent of the lighting used in medium to low use rooms such as bedrooms, basements, dens and garages must bear the ENERGY STAR mark, while 50 percent of affixed outdoor lighting must be ENERGY STAR qualified.

As a further incentive to enroll in the ENERGY STAR or Advanced Lighting Package program, the EPA has allied with numerous lighting manufacturers to produce a wide assortment of ENERGY STAR qualified products designed to match the decorative style of any environment. Sea Gull Lighting for one, has dedicated its efforts to producing the market’s most extensive line of ENERGY STAR lighting. This now includes more than 500 energy efficient lighting products ranging from chandeliers, wall sconces and pendants, to recessed fixtures and outdoor systems. All of which are marketed in a wide assortment of finishes, styles and colors.

As for other consumer benefits, there are numerous saleable advantages including ENERGY STAR qualified lighting in your next housing project. For example:

• ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures use at least one-third of the energy to operate, which can add up to considerable savings. For instance, switching five traditional fixtures in every American home to ENERGY STAR models would save each home owner $60 a year in energy costs and reduce greenhouse emissions by one trillion pounds. The energy saved would also equal the output of more than 21 power plants
• ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures use bulbs that last at least 10,000 hours compared to typical incandescent bulbs that last about 750 hours. Thus, ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures used for an average of three hours per day will not require bulb changes for at least seven years substantially reducing the nuisance buying, stocking and changing bulbs.
• ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures generate 78 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which can translate into cooler rooms during summer months and additional savings on utility costs for air conditioning.

Once enrolled in the program, the EPA and manufacturers such as Sea Gull Lighting have joined forces to support all ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package partners with numerous marketing materials including cost-saving calculator tools, brochures, fact sheets and a listing on the ENERGY STAR Web site.

By partnering with the electrical profession, the goal is then to not only increase the awareness and proliferation of ENERGY STAR products, but also to reward contractors, builders, designers and architects by positioning them as community leaders in environmental stewardship and efficient construction.

For information on ENERGY STAR qualified lighting products visit www.SeaGullLighting.com/energystar or visit the EPA website www.energystar.gov for more specific information on the ALP program