News Updates for the Week of September 24

1.      Number of LED Rebates Increases by 51% - Over the past year, rebate and incentive programs have caught up to the growing number of LED lighting solutions being used in the market today. Today, thousands of programs are available for LED solutions. An interesting trend is that while the number of rebates has steadily grown over the past year, the average rebate amount has actually gone down. For LED replacement lamps, the average rebate has decreased by 4% since January 2012. Incentives for LED recessed down lights have also decreased by 29% during the same time period. These reductions are mostly due to the cost of LEDs coming down over the last year, which means less incentive money is needed to make these solutions financially attractive. http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Sept12-1.html

2.      The Current US Lighting Rebate Climate - As we enter the final stretch of the calendar year, an increasing number of rebate and incentive programs are exhausting their funds. According to our North American Rebate and Incentive Database, 9% of all US commercial lighting rebate and incentive programs are currently out of funding. This situation is mainly due to increased participation in the programs. Locations that would have previously qualified for rebates may no longer be eligible because the rebate organization has no money left.

http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Sept12-2.html

3.      Forces of Change by Mark Lien - A recent DOE study projects that the LED market share will total just 9.5% by 2015 and 35.8 % in 2020. Innovation is often stifled because the concept is embraced but new ideas are not. Lighting products and applications will not be the same in 10 years. New industry leadersd will emerge with their success being in large part by how they define LED innovation. 8/’12 LD&A 

4.      Builder Confidence Continues to Rise - Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose for a fifth consecutive month in September to a level of 40 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The three-point rise brought the index to its highest point since June 2006. Any number higher than 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor. 9/18 HCN

5.      Housing Starts Improve in August - Government data released Wednesday morning show residential construction climbing slowly out of an historically deep hole. Housing starts increased in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 750,000--that’s up 2.3% from the July rate and up 29.1% from the August 2011 rate. To put the numbers in an historical context, a full year with 750,000 starts would be the fourth lowest year since the government began keeping track of the statistic in 1959. However, an end-of-year figure of 750,000 would be an increase of 39%, 28% and 23% when compared with the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. 9/19 HCN

6.      Existing-Home Sales Rise 7.8% - Existing-home sales continued to improve in August, according to the National Association of Realtors. The NAR’s tally shows existing-home sales in August increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.82 million, up 7.8% from 4.47 million in July. Compared with a year ago, the rate of sales is up 9.3%.  9/20 HCN

7.      Half Of Chinese LED Chip Makers Predicted to Go Bust - Half of all LED chip making companies in China will go bankrupt owing to a slump in global demand and cuts in subsidies to certain manufacturers, according to a piece of research by Reuters. Analysts say oversupply and the economic downturn has depressed prices to below production levels, meaning large numbers of small companies have already closed their businesses. Under a new government resolution to reduce subsidies, these businesses may be left with no choice but to integrate or declare bankruptcy. Due to government support, global share of the market for packaged LED components rose from 2 per cent in 2010 to 6 per cent in 2011. But the boom years are coming to an end, with many of China’s LED chipmakers operating their factories at 50 per cent capacity. Around half of the 700 or so factories that received government help have been left idle. http://www.lighting.co.uk

8.      Energy Efficiency Initiative Putting NY on the MAP - The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has launched a $30 million initiative to accelerate the market utilization of emerging, cutting-edge energy-efficiency technologies. The Energy Efficiency Market Acceleration Program (EE-MAP) will fund research and development activities and demonstration projects to help leverage investments and promote business development opportunities for emerging energy efficiency technologies. This will be done in coordination with state agencies, authorities and electric utilities to improve industry access to investments made at public facilities. http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/energy-efficiency-initiative-putting-ny-map/2012-09-18

9.      NYSERDA Announces $1.1 Million Equipment Rebate Program to Help Small Municipal Governments Reduce Energy Use - The “Buy Green, Save Green Rebates for New York State Local Governments” program is available to encourage small municipal governments to replace inefficient appliances and equipment with energy-efficient models. The program begins Sept. 25, 2012. The rebates will pay 75 percent of the purchase price of eligible products, which include ENERGY STAR® refrigerators, dehumidifiers, commercial dishwashers, room air conditioners, imaging equipment (including copiers and fax machines; digital duplicators; printers, scanners and all-in-one devices; and mailing machines), as well as CFLs and LEDs in quantities of 10 or more.  www.nysappliancerebates.com 

10.  Newly Remodeled New Jersey Energy Data Center Website - The NJEDC is funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and is a data collection and processing tool for New Jersey policy makers, businesses, educators, and citizens. The website includes links to electricity, natural gas, petroleum, energy efficiency and renewable energy data for the State, as well as many other energy-related links. The purpose of the site is to help promote public understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. http://www.njenergydatacenter.org/

11.  Five Connecticut Colleges Sharing $1M Loan to Boost Energy Efficiency - Connecticut's Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority is making a $1 million loan to help a group of Connecticut colleges become more energy efficient. The money will be used to launch "Campus Efficiency Now," a program that will allow participating schools that are members of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges to implement energy-saving measures with no upfront costs. The money will be repaid by the five schools participating in the program--the University of Hartford, Mitchell College, Connecticut College, University of Saint Joseph and the University of New Haven--using the energy savings yielded over five years. 9/19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional

12.  Oregon Becomes Energy Special Improvement District - Oregon City Council has established the city as an energy special improvement district, a move that will enable businesses to draw on a federal grant to make energy efficiency improvements and repay the money as a special assessment with property taxes. Businesses taking advantage of the district can get financing for their improvements from a $15 million U.S. Department of Energy Better Building Program grant awarded to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the city of Toledo in 2010. 9/18 McClatchy-Tribune Regional News

13.  Local Governments Launch Ambitious Energy Efficiency Program - Under the auspices of California's largest statewide joint powers authority, 14 California counties and 126 cities are today launching the nation's largest PACE program, an innovative financing tool to help commercial property owners reduce their buildings' energy and water use. The CaliforniaFIRST program, which is a program of the California Statewide Communities Development Authority, allows commercial property owners to use municipal bonds to finance energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy upgrades–which the owners repay through a special assessment on their annual property tax bill. http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/09/18/4272526/local-governments-launch-ambitious.html