Press Releases

The National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP) has released its latest Specifier Report, designed to help lighting professionals, contractors, and homeowners find and effectively use energy-efficient residential downlights, an increasingly popular technique for lighting a home.

Specifier Reports: CFL Residential Downlights presents photometric, electrical, and thermal performance data for selected CFL residential downlights that qualify for ENERGY STAR^® approval. The publication examines recessed downlight components, installation, operation, and performance and includes detailed illustrations, photographs, graphs, and data tables.

“For the past 25 years or so, the trend in residential new construction and remodeling has been to install recessed downlights as the predominant luminaire,” explained Patricia Rizzo, residential program manager at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) and one of the report’s authors. “Their clean, low-profile appearance appeals to many consumers,” she added.

Other, related NLPIP reports include Specifier Reports: CFL Downlights and Specifier Reports: Energy-Efficient Ceiling-Mounted Residential Luminaires.

The Specifier Reports series of publications are designed to provide an educational text and a combination of generic and brand name performance information for efficient lighting products and systems. Other publications, from NLPIP’s Lighting Answers series, answer specific questions about lighting products, systems, and subjects relevant to lighting decision makers. Lighting Diagnostics reports document actual cases in which NLPIP researchers have helped to diagnose and solve lighting problems. Technical Guides help lighting specifiers choose lighting products and systems. NLPIP publications are available online at www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/publications.asp.

About the National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP)

NLPIP, established by the Lighting Research Center (LRC) in 1990, helps lighting professionals, contractors, designers, building managers, homeowners, and other consumers find and effectively use efficient, quality products that meet their lighting needs. With the support of government agencies, public benefit organizations, and electric utilities, NLPIP disseminates objective, accurate, timely, manufacturer-specific information about energy-efficient lighting products in its series of Lighting Answers, Lighting Diagnostics, Specifier Reports, and Technical Guides.

NLPIP sponsors include: the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program; the Iowa Energy Center; the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).

NLPIP team members are LRC researchers and leading experts in efficient lighting, human factors, and technology transfer. The NLPIP product testing laboratory is one of only three non-manufacturer labs in the US accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for testing lighting products. NLPIP's research and product testing has spanned products such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), T5 fluorescent systems, metal halide lamps, dimming ballasts, and occupancy sensors, as well as timely subjects such as light pollution, parking lot illumination, and alternative light sources for exit signs. Visit www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP.