News Updates for the Week of January 16

1.      2012 Rebate Programs Have Started - Many electric utilities and government organizations across the nation have been busy updating their rebate programs for 2012. A majority have already released their new programs, with others to have them by the end of the month. While every program is different, some of the most common changes we have seen are different rebate amounts, additional restrictions on which lighting systems may qualify for rebates, and more programs adding incentives for LED lighting solutions.  At this time, energy-efficient commercial lighting covers 79% of the US. http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Jan12-1.html 

2.      LED Prescriptive Programs Increase 39% - LED lamps and fixtures have quickly been adopted by commercial lighting incentive programs across the US. A few years ago, there were virtually no prescriptive programs for LED solutions. Today over 800 programs are available to commercial customers; an increase of 39% from June 2011!  While the growth in programs could have been expected, it maybe be surprising to learn that the average rebate amount has decreased over the same time period. http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Jan12-2.html

3.      Highlights of What DOE's SSL Program Has Planned for 2012 -

• The ninth annual SSL R&D Workshop, which will be held in Atlanta from January 31 to February 2.
• January publication of two key DOE reports: Energy Savings Potential of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications estimates the national energy savings that could be realized through the market penetration of energy-efficient solid-state lighting if the technology achieves price and performance objectives; The 2010 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization estimates the number of lamps installed in the U.S. and their related energy consumption in 2010.
• DOE's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium with the release of a new tool called the Lighting Retrofit Cost Model
• A guidance document to help users customize the recently published Model Specification for LED Roadway Luminaires
• DOE will publish the latest Product Snapshot report from the LED Lighting Facts^® program
• DOE's CALiPER program will continue its ongoing testing and reporting, and plans to release two special reports in 2012
• The Next Generation Luminaires design competition is expanding in 2012

4.      Next Generation of Lighting-Class LEDs - Cree, Inc. recently announced the creation of the XLamp® XB-D LED, the first LED based on the new Cree technology platform. According to the company, the XB-D LED delivers twice the lumens per-dollar of other LEDs, in the industry's smallest lighting-class footprint of 2.45 mm x 2.45 mm. The XB-D LED offers 136 lumens per watt in cool white (6000K) or up to 107 lumens and 105 lumens per watt in warm white (3000K) both at 350 mA and 85°C. 1/09 Clean Technica

5.      Ohio State Loans to Aid Energy Savings - To help finance the projects needed to reduce energy consumption and costs, manufacturers, small businesses, nonprofit groups and government agencies have access to a new source of low-interest loans. The Ohio Department of Development has started the Energy Loan Fund that can lend money for projects such as installation of insulation, new lighting, more-efficient heating and cooling systems, renewable-energy projects and improved production processes that could cut energy consumption. The program will use more than $7 million in state funding from the Advanced Energy Fund that came from a utility-bill fee that expired last year.  The state also will tap federal funds from the State Energy Program. 1/07 Columbus Dispatch

6.      First Energy Paid Millions in Lighting Rebate Incentives to Cleveland and Akron Area Businesses - ROI Energy reports their lighting retrofit installations are up over 300% due to Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison lighting rebate incentives. First Energy provided millions of dollars directly to businesses who agreed to have lighting retrofit projects performed in 2011, in their effort to reduce energy use. ROI, Inc. Energy Solutions of Hudson, Ohio www.ROI-Energy.com  specializes in providing turnkey lighting retrofit projects for Ohio area factories, warehouses and distribution centers. Their specialty is retrofitting industrial, 400 watt metal halide high bay lighting to energy efficient T-5 and T-8 high bay fixtures. 1/10  PRWeb.com

7.      TEP Seeks Rate Surcharge to Give Rebates - Tucson Electric Power Co. customers will be able to get new rebates for buying variable-power pool pumps, recycling their old refrigerators and making other energy-saving moves, under a program up for approval by state regulators this week.  TEP is seeking approval of an $85.7 million plan to greatly expand energy-efficiency programs this year to meet a state requirement adopted in 2010. The plan would significantly expand existing so-called "demand-side management" programs, including consumer rebates for new energy-efficient appliances, and add a batch of new incentive programs to save energy.1/09 Arizona Daily Star

8.      Report: Utilities Are Behind Growth in Energy Efficiency - Electric utilities are a major force behind the trend, according to findings from a report published by the Institute for Electric Efficiency (IEE) http://www.edisonfoundation.net/iee/  States with regulatory frameworks that support utilities in their efforts to pursue electric efficiency as a sustainable business tend to be leaders in annual electric efficiency expenditures and budgets. Over the past two years, state regulatory frameworks have changed significantly in support of energy-efficiency programs. Given that state energy-efficiency resource standards are established in half of all U.S. states, covering two-thirds of the nation's population, and that several of these standards have scheduled increases, IEE believes that ratepayer-funded electric-efficiency budgets are very likely to exceed the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's high-case scenario projection of $12 billion by 2020. 1/09 Renew Grid

9.      No LED Replacement Found for Ornamental Post-Top Street Lights in DOE Pilot Project - The US DOE has published the final report from a demonstration of LED technology in ornamental post-top street lights, which was conducted in Sacramento, CA. Four different LED replacement products were evaluated using computer simulations, field measurements and laboratory testing. An evaluation has determined that none of four different LED replacement products for ornamental post-top street lights could match the performance of the existing 100W HPS fixture. Download at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/2011_gateway-msslc_sacramento.pdf

 

10.  Liquid-Cooled Lighting? - Cooling is a key consideration in the design of LED lighting. Heat build-up can shorten the life of LEDs and limit their usefulness, especially in retrofit applications. Switch Lighting http://switchlightbulbs.com/  San Jose, Calif., has an innovative solution: rather than the array of fins we see on many LED lamps, they’ve gone with a liquid-cooled design, which they claim gives the lamps better efficiency. http://livewire.electricalmarketing.com/2012/01/11/liquid-cooled-lighting/

11.   Profile of an L Prize Winner - No light bulb in history has endured more extensive public testing than the winning L Prize entry from Philips Lighting North America. It stood up to rigorous assessments in the field and laboratory, meeting or exceeding all performance targets, and along the way enhanced our knowledge of LED lighting performance in general. As an LED replacement for the 60W incandescent bulb, the winning product measures up in multiple ways, while consuming fewer than 10W. http://www.lightingprize.org/