the building uses 10 megawatts of power per year, with an annual electric bill of about $11 million. but after a 5-year, $500 million retrofit is complete, its energy use will drop by 38 percent and the bill will be cut almost in half. the makeover includes almost $20 million work of energy efficiency improvements.

the building’s heating and cooling will come from a combination of steam power and wind energy credits. also, each of its 3 million lights will be switched from incandescent to fluorescent, reducing lighting costs by 75 percent. every one of the building’s more than 6,500 windows will be upgraded with a film coating and argon and krypton gas between the panes. this allows the building to retain more heat in the winter while keeping it out in the summer, while making better use of natural light. the building is also letting in more light by moving air-conditioning units from the ceilings of each floor to the ground.

in “the light bulb ban,” energynow! correspondent lee patrick sullivan visits the lightfair international trade show in philadelphia to find the latest offerings in energy efficient bulbs. he finds a 60-watt equivalent led bulb that will be the first in the world to sell for less than $20 and the first 100-watt equivalent led bulb to hit the market in october. he also finds out how led technology is expanding to bring us bulbs that can be dimmed and programmed with a tablet computer or smart phone and wireless sound throughout the home.

tom benton of the lighting science group, maker of the under $20 60-watt bulb, explains how led manufacturers are bringing costs down. brett sharenow of switch lighting, which makes the 100-watt equivalent, tells lee patrick that the switch bulb, as it’s called, is designed as a direct replacement for 100-watt incandescent bulbs and that consumers shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two – until they see their electric bills. the switch bulb lasts 15 years and uses just 15 percent of the electricity that an incandescent bulb would use, so it will probably pay for itself.

but even for those who prefer incandescent bulbs, the news isn’t all bad. martha delgado of bulbright industries, a halogen light bulb maker, explains how the government’s phaseout of inefficient light bulbs works, and why consumers will still be able to buy incandescent bulbs.