Industry News

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a new Lighting Market Characterization (LMC) report for baseline year 2020. This is the fourth edition of the LMC report; previous versions were released in 2002, 2012, and 2017. By publishing summary estimates of installed stock and energy use of various general illumination lighting products, these reports help DOE and others plan effective lighting research and development programs based on changing needs.

The new report details how many lighting products (lamps and luminaires) were installed in the U.S. as of 2020, where they were installed, and how much energy they consumed. It also highlights key changes in U.S. lighting market characteristics between 2015 and 2020.

One of the major changes was the increase in LED lighting penetration. In 2010 and 2015, LED installations represented 1% and 8% of overall lighting inventory, respectively. By contrast, LED installed units represented roughly 48% of the installed base in residential and commercial sectors in 2020.

Additional key findings:

-In 2020, residences accounted for 80% of all lighting installations nationwide, at 6.5 billion installed units compared with 1.6 billion lighting installations in commercial buildings. While this report does not analyze the industrial and outdoor sectors, they are historically smaller, accounting for a combined 5% of installed units in the 2015 LMC.

-In both the residential and commercial sectors, the average wattage per installed unit has decreased significantly to approximately 22 watts (W) and 27 W respectively, with much of the reduction attributable to the continuing decline of incandescent, halogen, CFL, and linear fluorescent lamps in favor of high-efficiency LED replacements.

-Of the 244 TWh of electricity consumed by lighting in U.S. buildings in 2020, approximately 69% was attributable to the commercial sector—although the number of installed units was relatively lower—due to the higher average wattage and operating hours.

-The report highlights persistent inequities in lighting upgrades based on building type. For instance, educational institutions lag all other commercial building types in adopting the most energy efficient lighting, and mobile homes and multifamily homes likewise lag other residential building types.

The report estimates are based on both public and confidential sources of information including building lighting audits, industry surveys, national lighting product shipment data, and interviews with lighting professionals and subject matter experts.

According to Christina Halfpenny, executive director of the DesignLights Consortium (DLC), “The DLC appreciates the work from DOE to update to the Lighting Market Characterization report. This report is a valuable resource for the DLC and for energy-efficiency programs to plan for market potential and to inform realistic goals to save energy through lighting. These reports provide a baseline for installed lighting that all stakeholders can access and shows progress of lighting technology advancement over time.”

Download the full report.