News Updates for the Week of December 12

1.      Lutron White Paper by Michael Jouaneh - Commercial Building Energy Code Requirements for Light Control - The nation’s top building energy codes and standards reflect the importance of using lighting controls to conserve energy. In the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 – 2010, for example, there are mandatory requirements for area controls, automatic lighting shutoff, bi-level lighting, daylight harvesting, exterior lighting control, parking garage lighting control, and stairwell lighting control . Additionally, the designer must ensure that all lighting controls are functionally tested .On October 19, 2011, the DOE issued a ruling that requires all states to certify that they have updated the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency to meet or exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2010 by Oct. 18, 2013. It’s expected that these lighting control requirements will be in place for most states for all new construction and major renovations of commercial buildings. http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/3672234_codes%20and%20controls%20whitepaper_sg.pdf

2.      Lighting Options Expand at Lowe's - Lowe’s has added two new brands to its bulb assortment:

• Samsung Electronics will release its first LED lighting solutions for the U.S. consumer market through Lowes.com and at select Lowe's home improvement retail stores nationwide. The bulbs include A19, PAR20/30/38 and MR16 bulbs.
• Vu1 Corp. will introduce its R30 Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) light bulbs to the U.S. consumer market through Lowe’s. New York-based Vu1 will sell the bulbs at Lowe's 1,725 retail stores beginning in February and on Lowes.com starting Dec. 1.The ESL R30 reflector bulbs are a direct replacement for the 65-watt incandescent flood bulbs and will retail for approximately $14.98.  12/9 HCN

3.      Energy Efficiency Will Drive Utilities in Future - Electricity is at the heart of the U.S. energy economy.  A report by the Manhattan Institute cites this fascinating statistic: In 1950, 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product was directly dependent on electricity. By 2008, that number had tripled to 60 percent. Additionally, the report states that over 85 percent of the U.S. energy growth since 1980 was met by electricity. The United States spends $1 billion a day on foreign oil, while our electricity is made right here in America.   In today's world, energy efficiency must be a part of any energy discussion. http://energybiz.com/magazine/article/243237/rising-role-electricity

4.      A Master Plan for N.J.’s Energy Needs - The plan is not binding, but sets forth the Republican governor’s vision of how the state will meet its electricity needs over the next decade. It scales back New Jersey’s goals for renewable energy, calling for 22.5 percent of electricity to be generated from such sources by 2021, down from the previous administration’s goal of 30 percent. The state has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, but it defines such sources not just as renewables but also nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

5.      Seoul Semiconductor and Philips Enter into Cross-License Agreement - Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd., the Korea-based LED manufacturer, has announced that is has settled its LED patent dispute with Royal Philips Electronics. The two companies have agreed to enter into a cross-license agreement covering patents relating to specific LED technology areas. Under this arrangement, each party gains access to a substantial part of the other party's patent portfolios. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/4

6.      Keeping SSL Manufacturing in the United States - Although you do not often hear about growth in domestic manufacturing here in the United States, the solid-state lighting industry is steadily growing and establishing a manufacturing presence here at home. Solid-state lighting was not only born of U.S. ingenuity and R&D, but is riding the crest of a worldwide trend toward greater energy efficiency. This offers a golden opportunity for U.S. manufacturing to take a significant role in SSL. See the U.S. DOE white paper which grew out of DOE's 2010 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_whitepaper_july2010.pdf

7.      Energy-Efficient Buildings: Global Outlook - The market for energy efficiency services and equipment is on the rise as national governments look to reduce energy consumption by improving the efficiency of the building stock. Pike Research predicts the building energy efficiency market will soar more than 50 percent between now and 2017 to $103.5 billion. This Pike Research report provides data on the size and growth of energy-efficient building markets, including ESCO revenues, energy efficient HVAC equipment sales, and energy-efficient lighting sales from 2011 to 2017, as well as a qualitative description of key drivers and trends in energy efficiency in key markets, focusing on the commercial building sector. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/energy-efficient-buildings-global-outlook

8.      Addressable Dimming Controls Help Buildings Achieve LEED Points by Encelium - White Paper available at: http://www.encelium.com/en/case-studies.html; Download Word document

9.      “LED Lamp Locator” Industry Portal Is Enhanced with New, Easy-to-Use Comparison Tool -Lighting Internet Technology Enterprises (LITE) has just enhanced its web-based LED Lamp Locator www.LedLampLocator.com  It is designed to assist professional lighting users in searching, evaluating, comparing, and specifying the market’s broad range of LED replacement lamps. Allowing users to select and evaluate LED lamps from among multiple manufacturers across a standard and consistent platform, the LED Lamp Locator’s simple new tool further enhances the ease with which comparisons between the market’s broad range of LED lamp products can be made and the optimal product selected for the application at hand.

10.  Commissioners Move Forward on Downtown Lighting - Salina city commissioners agreed to move forward with an audit to determine whether a proposed project to spend $1.198 million replace almost 300 downtown lights with LED lights would save the city money. The project is a collaborative effort between Philips Lighting and Johnson Controls, of Kansas City. Preliminary estimates projected that savings over the current lights would pay for the new lighting in 23 years. 12/6 The Salina Journal