News Updates for the Week of November 26

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1.      Philips Lighting’s CEO Bruno Biasiotta Announces Reorganization - With greater attention to the customer experience, Philips Lighting is creating a one lighting go to market organization focused around geographies and differentiated by channel.

• They will begin to move towards a single Professional sales team by providing access to the entire Philips portfolio, also maintaining partnerships with independent agents. Leading this division is Ed Crawford. 
• The Consumer sales team, led by Kerry Vachon, will represent the full portfolio for the Consumer channel.
• The OEM sales team will report into the Lighting NA market organization. 
• The National Accounts and Services group will expand its activities and establish and invest in Turnkey Projects & Solutions (TP&S) to build solutions selling capability as a growth platform. Bill Schoettler is in charge here.  
• Danny Garst will head up a centrally led Customer Fulfillment and Sales Support Centers. Customer Fulfillment to offer a one Philips point of contact, while continuing to focus on forecast accuracy and on time order delivery. Sales support to focus on functional excellence and capabilities.  

2.      FMI Releases 2013 Construction Outlook - FMI, the Raleigh, N.C.-based provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, has forecast an 8% increase in construction activity for 2013. Robust growth in residential construction, as well as a few strong markets in nonresidential and non-building construction, will contribute to the expansion, the report said. http://www.fminet.com/resources

3.      City Announces $10 Million Available for Energy Efficiency Loans - A new public-private initiative is offering Knoxville businesses a funding source to help finance energy efficiency improvements such as heating system upgrades and building retrofits. Through the city's partnership with Pathway Lending, a total of $10 million in loans will be available for businesses in Knoxville and Knox County.  Low-interest loans from $25,000 to $2.5 million are available through a the "Mayor's Energy Efficiency Challenge." Details are available at www.pathwaylending.org

4.      Incandescent Lamp Shipments Index Remains Resilient Through Third Quarter - NEMA’s index for traditional A-line incandescent lamps increased 20.2 percent during Q3 2012 rebounding from a slide of 18.2 percent in Q2 2012. Meanwhile, the CFL index registered a decline of 3.3 percent compared to the previous quarter. Halogen A-line lamp shipments gained momentum, increasing by 83.3 percent on a quarterly basis. The index for halogen A-line lamps has increased in 7 out of the last 8 quarters. http://www.nema.org

 

5.      Nexxus Lighting Changes Name to Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NEXS) announced that the company has changed its name to Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. (RVLT), effective November 15, 2012. www.rvlti.com

6.      DOE Updates the Latest L Prize Lamp Test Results, Rebate Offers - The US DOE continues to test the Philips Lighting LED 60W-equivalent retrofit lamp that won the L Prize with no failures reported over more than 20,000 hours of operation. The full lot of 200 sample lamps are all still operating. The tests have reached what the agency considers the equivalent of 18 years of household use with no failures. Moreover, the average lumen maintenance remains above 100% of their initial output. The DOE also released a summary of rebates available for the solid-state lighting (SSL) product that range as high as $20 per lamp. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/13

7.      Existing Home Sales Rise in October - According to a report from the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales in the U.S. rose 2.1% in October.  Existing home sales grew to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million units, according to a report issued Monday morning. The figure is up 2.1% from September’s rate, and up 10.9% from the 4.32 million level in October 2011. 11/19 HCN

8.      Housing Starts Rise Again - The residential construction surge from September stayed the course in October, as the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts increased to 894,000. The figure is up 3.6% from a downwardly revised September estimate of 863,000. More impressive, it is up 41.9% from the October 2011 rate of 630,000. Like the September figure, the October figure is the highest since July 2008. 11/20 HCN

9.      Daimler to Introduce Luxury Car Lit Entirely with LEDs - The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be the first car to be fitted completely with LEDs as standard, while optional extras will include adaptive LED headlamps that adjust according to other road users. The car will use over 190 LEDs that will illuminate the road ahead, as well as the vehicle’s exterior, interior and luggage compartment. Of course, Daimler’s rivals have also been hard at work introducing LED lighting into their vehicles. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/15

News Updates for the Week of November 19

1.      Osram Sylvania Wins Race to Offer 100W-Equivalent LED A-Lamp - Just a few weeks back, Philips Lighting announced that it was readying to ship its 100W-equivalent and that the lamps would be in Home Depot by December 1. So the race is mainly for bragging rights, but the availability of 100W-equivalent LED lamps is a positive move for the industry.  The Osram lamp is selling for $50 at Lowe's now. Philips has said that Home Depot will price its product at $55.  The Sylvania product outputs 1600 lm with efficacy of 80 lm/W. It has a CRI of 80 color temperature of 2700K, 25,000-hr rated life, and is dimmable to 10%.  Philips says its lamp will deliver 1780 lm and is a 22W lamp. Both are A-21. Back at LFI, GE Lighting said its lamp would deliver 1600 lm and consume 27W and will be A-19. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/6

2.      LIGHTFAIR to Move to San Diego in 2016 - The 2016 staging at the San Diego Convention Center marks the San Diego premiere for LFI, which is produced alternately annually in large east- and west-coast venues. The San Diego location follows LFI’s long-running staging in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center, its west-coast venue beginning in 1998, continuing in 2001 and then recurring in even years 2004-2012. LIGHTFAIR^® International 2013 is set to produce the single-largest trade show and conference in its 24-year history April 21-25 in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center, which will house important new category additions accommodated by expansion to an additional exhibit hall. www.lightfair.com

3.      World LED Lighting Markets (2012 Update) - The LED lighting market is growing, driven predominantly by supportive legislation phasing out inefficient lighting technologies. Frost & Sullivan research service examines the global LED lighting market, providing specific breakdowns for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World. Decreasing prices, improving quality, and increasing technical advantages are significant influences on the market’s anticipated growth trajectory. The study period is 2008-2018, with a base year of 2011 and a seven-year forecast period of 2012-2018. Key market drivers and restraints, market engineering measurements, and forecasts and trends for the total market, are analyzed. http://www.frost.com

4.      Google Investing in Green Energy in Greene County, Iowa - Google invested $75 million in a 50 MW wind farm in Rippey, a small town in Greene County, Iowa, bringing the company just short of $1 billion in investments in green energy projects. The wind farm, developed by RPM Access, is expected to produce enough energy to power over 15,000 Iowa homes. It uses turbines produced by Nordex USA at their Jonesboro, Arkansas facility. The energy produced by the wind farm has been contracted to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, an Iowa-based utility that will deliver the energy to local consumers. http://www.google.com/green/energy/investments/

5.      LEDucation Expands Expo Floor for 7th Annual Educational Event/Expo on MARCH 20, 2013 in NYC - The new larger expo space at the Penn Plaza Pavilion allows for additional exhibitors to join the long list of veteran exhibitors from previous years. Exhibit hours for 2013 will begin with expo doors opening at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. LED presentations will begin at 11:00 a.m. thru 7:00 p.m. Visit theLEDucation website (leducation.org) for details on attending, exhibiting, and educational sessions or visit the host website at (www.dlfny.com).

6.      Lighting for Aging Vision & Health - Robert Dupuy, IALD, LC & Eunice Noell-Waggoner, LC provide an in depth perspective on the subject of lighting for aging vision & health for the November session of the Human Centric Lighting Committee. http://humancentriclighting.com/?p=738

7.      White Paper: Choosing the Right LED Product for Industrial Applications - If you’re using HID or HPS fixtures, your lighting energy costs are probably in the range of $1 per square foot per year--meaning that your 200,000 square foot facility likely costs $200,000 annually. The way to reduce that massive energy expense is to upgrade to industrial LED lighting, which can reduce lighting energy use up to 90%. This white paper by Digital Lumens provides a comprehensive overview of the industrial LED alternatives—from plain LED fixtures to Intelligent LED Lighting Systems. http://ecmweb.com/whitepapers/white-paper-choosing-right-led-product-industrial-applications

8.      PECO Develops Additional Programs to Help Customers Save Energy and Money - On November 1 PECO filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for enhanced PECO Smart Ideas energy efficiency programs for residential and business customers. Following PUC review and approval the new programs would be available beginning in June, 2013. Included in PECO's filing are seven new programs for residential and business customers as well as the continuation of six existing programs. The programs are part of the company's ongoing support of Pennsylvania Act 129 and specifically the second phase of Act 129 energy efficiency and conservation targets. To view PECO's filing visit www.peco.com. To learn more visit www.peco.com/SmartIdeas.

9.      Maine Ripe for Energy-Efficiency Savings - Maine homes and businesses could trim their overall electricity consumption by 16 percent over the next decade by installing more-efficient lights, equipment and appliances, a new study for Efficiency Maine Trust has concluded. Efficiency Maine, an independent agency, was set up three years ago as a trust to guide and administer energy-efficiency and alternative energy programs in Maine. It spent $45 million in its first two years, with the money coming from a small surcharge on electricity bills. That spending leveraged as much as $50 million in private participation.  http://www.efficiencymaine.com/about

10.   An Afterlife for the Electric Car - Advocates of electric cars and renewable energy have talked for years about repackaging the battery packs built for cars as home energy storage devices once they can no longer hold enough charge to run a vehicle. The idea behind the prototype is two-fold: to provide a market for past-their-prime batteries, giving them a resale value that will lower their cost of ownership, and providing distributed storage that could be used to shore up weak spots on the grid or to absorb energy from intermittent sources like solar panels and wind machines and deliver it in a steady stream suitable for the power grid. A battery pack from a Chevy Volt. A new prototype lashes five of them together in an array that is supposed to provide two hours of electricity for three to five average houses. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

11.  Ford, Toyota Will Lead Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales in the U.S. Through 2020 - Assembly lines in Japan and the United States produced more than 20,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in 2011, an all-time record for such vehicles.  But optimism about the market for PEVs has gradually been replaced with a better understanding of the practical challenges of launching new models and expanding PEV sales to mainstream consumers unfamiliar with the technology.  Nevertheless, according to a recent report from Pike Research, sales of PEVs in the United States will climb steadily over the remainder of this decade with Ford and Toyota leading the way in the U.S. from 2012 to 2020. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/plug-in-electric-vehicles

Something to Think About

Social Marketing: Key Trends and Tools for B2Bs and B2Cs - http://www.marketingprofs.com/

More than three-quarters (76%) of marketers say their brands are conducting social media marketing, and an additional 16% plan to begin doing so by the end of 2012. Most of the marketers surveyed are focusing their social marketing efforts on the three largest US social networks: Facebook (89%), Twitter (77%), and LinkedIn (63%).

However, breaking those out into B2C and B2B pureplay responses proves more interesting:

• Among the pureplay B2B marketers surveyed who are conducting social marketing, LinkedIn is the channel of choice (85%), outpacing both Facebook (77%) and Twitter (77%). 
• Among B2C-only marketers who are conducting social marketing, Facebook is most popular at 94%, Twitter hovers at 78%, but LinkedIn drops to 39%.

More than two in five B2B and B2C marketers share video on social websites such as YouTube and Vimeo: 43% and 45%, respectively.

B2C marketers are more focused on Pinterest: 39% report using the image-sharing site for marketing, compared with 20% of B2B marketers. 

Notably, Pinterest adoption indexes even higher among various consumer verticals: content publishers (67%); entertainment companies (56%); and retailers (45%).

News Updates for the Week of November 12

1.      E Source Finds U.S. Businesses Annually Waste $60 Billion on Energy - A new E Source report reveals that U.S. businesses waste more than $60 billion annually on energy, presenting significant opportunities for utilities to increase enrollment in energy-efficiency programs. The report includes energy-use data from a variety of industries, including restaurants, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, data centers, education, and government.  E Source found that restaurants are among the worst offenders, with nearly 80 percent of the $10 billion spent annually by the commercial food service sector lost to inefficient cooking methods. Another sector of note is healthcare: On average, hospitals use twice as much energy per square foot as office buildings. For more information: http://www.esource.com/Blog/ESource/9-27-12-Waste

2.      Energy-Efficient LED Lighting Hits the Streets: 95 Percent of Cities Satisfied - There are more than 50 million streetlights in the United States. From parking lots to park trails to bridges, these ubiquitous lights permeate our night lives and go largely unnoticed by the sustainability-inclined city dweller.  But this necessary technology comes with a whopping energy cost. A 2009 University of Pittsburgh study shows most streetlights use high-pressure sodium bulbs. A 2012 survey by Northeast Group LLC was published in October, claiming 95 percent of U.S. cities that have tried LED streetlights are satisfied with the results, saving nearly 60 percent in costs. Yet, LED lighting currently accounts for only about 1 percent of the streetlights in the country. http://www.motherearthnews.com/energy-matters/led-streetlights-zb01210zrob.aspx

3.      400 Builders Commit to ENERGY STAR Homes in 2012 - Although we wonder how many new homes will be built in 2012, 400 of the nation's builders pledged they will meet newly upgraded ENERGY STAR standards, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 400 builders include six of the country's largest - Ashton Woods Homes, Beazer Homes, KB Home, Meritage Homes, M/I Homes and NVR, Inc. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23139

4.      Honeywell and Tinker Air Force Base Launch Landmark Efficiency Project - Honeywell today announced an $80.6-million energy efficiency project for the U.S. Air Force that will improve operations and cut utility costs at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) near Oklahoma City, Okla. The project is the Air Force's largest domestic energy retrofit funded through guaranteed savings to date. And, combined with previous Honeywell-led improvements and other on-base initiatives, it will help Tinker meet the mandated 30 percent energy reduction goal defined by Presidential Executive Order 13514. It should also remove Tinker from atop the list of the most energy-intensive Air Force bases. 10/30 PRNewswire

5.      New DOE GATEWAY Report on Occupancy Sensors for the Outdoor Lighting Market – The report, Use of Occupancy Sensors in LED Parking Lot and Garage Applications: Early Experiences, describes the results at four sites–two parking lots and two parking garages–where LED lighting was controlled by occupancy sensors. At this early stage, simply installing occupancy sensors in parking lots and garages don't guarantee you'll get energy savings, or that the energy savings you do get will be worth the initial cost. But the potential is there, waiting to be tapped by those who are willing to do their homework. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/2012_gateway_sensors.pdf 

6.      Cree-Powered LED in Best Buy Stores - An LED light bulb started selling in more than 1,000 Best Buy stores last week that’s made to look like a typical incandescent light bulb.  The bulb, called the Insignia LED bulb, is made with LED technology from Cree Inc., a Durham-based company.  This is the second consumer product made with Cree LEDs on the store shelves of a major national retailer, which also has an LED light that directs light downward selling in Home Depot stores.  The cost is $13.99 for an Insignia LED bulb that produces 450 lumens of light, and is meant to be equivalent to a 40-watt incandescent. An Insignia LED bulb that creates 800 lumens of light, and is equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb, is selling for $16.99. The Herald-Sun - Cree powered LED in Best Buy stores

7.      Rexel Acquires Munro Distributing Company - Rexel announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Munro Distributing Company, an electrical products and services distributor specializing in energy efficiency solutions in the Eastern United States and California. According to a Rexel press release, "Munro Distributing Company significantly reinforces Rexel's position in the U.S. as a premier provider of energy efficiency solutions. The combination of Rexel's robust energy platform within its Gexpro and Rexel Inc. banners and Munro Distributing Company will create an energy efficiency solutions offering of unrivaled scope in the U.S. market." http://www.tedmag.com

8.      Millions in Green Energy Grants, Loans Remain to Be Used - More than two years into a three-year government program to create jobs and boost energy efficiency in homes and businesses in three southeastern Wisconsin cities, many millions of dollars in grants and low-interest loans available for property owners remain uncommitted. Funded by federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the $20 million program is focused on Madison, Milwaukee and Racine. And, while more than 500 homeowners and about 100 businesses have seen green updates under the program--known collectively as Wisconsin Energy Efficiency, or WE2, and as Green Madison locally--much opportunity remains in the program's last seven months. After that, any unused money must be returned to the federal government. 11/04 Wisconsin State Journal

9.      DOE Releases Feasibility Assessment of LED Roadway Lighting on the Golden Gate Bridge - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a technical feasibility assessment of replacing existing high-pressure sodium and low-pressure sodium roadway lighting on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The goal was to identify solutions which would reduce maintenance and energy use without compromising the quantity or quality of existing illumination. However, the historic status and high efficacy of the existing luminaires—as well as their accepted color characteristics—present challenges for energy-saving alternatives. The report is available for download at: www.ssl.energy.gov/gatewaydemos_results.html

10.  Election Results: What It Means for Energy in CA - Energy took the stage in Tuesday's elections, from the presidential race to California's long list of ballot propositions, and the results hold immediate and long-term implications for Southern California. The approval of Proposition 39 should funnel an estimated $500 million a year for five years into energy efficiency retrofits on buildings, starting with public schools and universities. As for Proposition 39, the measure closes at out-of-state tax loophole and is expected to raise up to $1 billion a year. Half of those funds will be dedicated to energy-efficiency retrofits.  That infrastructure investment is designed to pay off in long-term energy savings, adhering to existing state laws that stress conservation ahead of all other energy solutions. 11/8 North County Times