Schools, hotels, and supermarkets are among the organizations basking in the savings and reduced carbon emissions from upgrading to energy efficient lighting. Technologies including fluorescent lamps and LEDs that replace incandescent lights are saving millions of kilowatt hours and tons of CO2.

Lighting comprises approximately 22 percent of all energy uses in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy The payback for purchasing the latest lighting technologies that reduce energy consumption by 50 percent or more can be as little as a few years, and federal tax incentives can offset some of the investment cost.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) can cut industrial lighting energy consumption by 60 percent or more. Celadon Energy Systems has engineered LEDs that do not contain mercury for greenhouses to enhance photosynthesis. Read the full story at Distributed Energy.