United States. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its "Alliance for Better Buildings" program, recognized 18 organizations for their leadership in utilizing efficient outdoor lighting technologies. These types of initiatives, the agency said, not only contribute to reducing the payment for energy consumption, but also improve conditions for workers and customers.
Over the past year, award-winning organizations installed efficient lighting in more than 470 million square feet of parking space, reducing their energy consumption by 60 percent.
It is important to mention that in the United States, building owners spend more than US$16 billion annually on light consumption in parking lots and garages, so a reduction in average consumption of 60% means savings of more than US$9 billion a year.
The restaurant chain Arby's, California State University Fullerton, and the real estate company USAA Real Estate Company, are some of the companies that participated in this initiative and were recognized by DOE.
