U.S. Department of Energy and Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Sign MOU to Advance Industry Lighting Standards

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 17, 2006, agreeing to work together on the development of strong industry lighting standards. The MOU (PDF 70 KB) underscores the Department's commitment to support the development of needed metrics and standards for solid-state lighting (SSL) technology, which are a foundation for the DOE ENERGY STAR® criteria for SSL.

The MOU serves to solidify and strengthen the ongoing collaborative relationship between DOE and IESNA. The agreement outlines five broad goals for joint DOE-IESNA efforts:

• Promote and support the DOE Building Technologies Program and the development of DOE efficiency standards by gathering input from technical experts, and by developing appropriate IESNA standards and procedures
• Develop and maintain guides and procedures to assist the lighting community in the photometric measurement of SSL devices and other technologies to support DOE programs (including the development of ENERGY STAR® criteria for solid-state lighting), and to provide consistency and uniformity in photometric reports
• Develop and maintain standards that include a focus on energy conservation strategies to benefit design professionals and users
• Encourage the participation of DOE personnel in IESNA technical committee activities and provide the opportunity for dissemination and publication of related research
• Develop and maintain appropriate education modules for inclusion in IESNA course materials for use by IESNA members and other organizations

IESNA is the recognized technical authority on illumination, and communicates information on all aspects of good lighting practice to its members, the lighting community, and consumers. Through technical committees, with hundreds of qualified individuals from lighting and user communities, IESNA correlates research, investigations, and discussions to guide lighting professionals and lay persons through consensus-based lighting recommendations. For more information on IESNA, visit http://www.iesna.org/.

To learn more about DOE's efforts to support development of SSL standards, see the Standards Development section of this website.