The Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), a program of the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was established by LRC in 2002. As the collaboration between researchers, manufacturers, and government organizations, ASSIST’s mission is to conduct collaborative research to enable the broad adoption of LEDs. ASSIST is sponsored by many LED manufacturers including Acuity Brands Lighting; Amerlux; Cooper Industries; Cree; Dow Corning; GE Lighting Solutions etc.

ASSIST recently released a new publication to aid consumers in selecting LED lighting products. The publication, The Lighting Field Guide: Upgrading to LEDs for Multi-family Housing, provides a simple and clear guide to select LED replacement lighting products for common interior and exterior lighting applications. The project was jointly funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and ASSIST.

“Energy-efficient lighting can reduce electricity and maintenance costs significantly,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA. “As part of New York State’s aggressive energy-efficiency policies under Governor Cuomo, NYSERDA is proud to support this project as part of our continuing partnership with the world-renowned LRC.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spends $5 billion per year on utility costs for public and other affordable housing. Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., LRC director of research and organizer of the ASSIST program, said that LED lighting offers the opportunity to control energy use and associated costs, which would provide significant benefit to this segment of the housing market.
 
The publication discusses the most important issues relevant to selecting LED lighting for multi-family housing, including important metrics and application issues, product labeling. The best practices for replacing existing incandescent or fluorescent lighting with new LED lamps or fixtures is also mentioned in this book, to provide users with convenience. You can get the free download from its website.