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| Some of the fixtures Progress Lighting contributed to the project |
From the outside, the 2,100 square foot house may look like any other home in Pittsburgh’s Cobblestone Estates. But this is not your typical house.
The Energy Efficient Lab Home is the latest demonstration project from IBACOS, a building consulting firm that acts as the team leader for the Department of Energy’s Building America program. IBACOS brought in S&A Homes to build the house and also teamed up with Best Practices Research Alliance, a research-based community focused on improving the quality and performance of homes.
The team works to discover methods to stretch the limits of efficiency in order to discover a way to make net zero homes-homes that waste no energy- affordable to build. S&A Homes completed the house in fall 2010 and the house will undergo round-the-clock performance testing for the next three years.
Along with many other systems being tested, various lighting schemes combining CFL, incandescent and LEDs will be tested. The study will look at how the Energy Star-rated appliances perform as part of the whole house. Progress Lighting was excited to have the opportunity to participate in the project by contributing several LED Energy Star qualified fixtures to be used in the house. We choose a variety of interior and exterior downlights, decorative lighting and outdoor fixtures to help complete this unique project.
“When it comes to solid state lighting products, Progress Lighting is committed to educating homeowners, homebuilders and consumers about the variety of lighting alternatives that are in the marketplace today,” says Todd Roy, director of builder sales and marketing for Progress Lighting. “By participating in programs such as the IBACOS Lab Home, Progress Lighting can show individuals, through real-world applications, that energy efficient lighting technologies can be incorporated into both new and existing homes, while saving energy and reducing environmental impact without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.”