Lamp Maker Seeks To Table Overhead Lighting

By combining functionality with attractive design, a pair of scientists at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) in Berkeley, Calif., has developed a fluorescent lamp that could provide better light for office workers—and lower energy bills for office managers.

The units are available in both floor and table models and were originally conceived for residential and hotel use. However, the lamps are increasingly popular in offices in the wake of California's energy crisis. They incorporate two separate compact fluorescent lamps, separated by reflector bowls. The lamps are independently dimmable, creating both upward illumination for ambient lighting and downward illumination for task lighting.

The City of Berkeley's Public Works and Engineering Office installed 18 of the lamps in 2001, and turned off the overhead fluorescent lighting, reducing lighting costs by 58%, according to LBL reports. Other units have been installed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii and in several National Park Service locations. Research is now underway on new units incorporating occupancy sensors and advanced controls.