News Updates for the Week of June 24

1.      ACEEE: Energy Efficiency Still Cheaper Than New Generation - Energy efficiency programs continue to be the lowest-cost resource for utilities. Efficiency programs cost around 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 7 cents and more for new generation, the organization said—meaning investments in energy efficiency continue to be an effective way to keep rates down for customers.The numbers came out of the ACEEE report "Leaders of the Pack: Utility Energy Efficiency Programs Innovate, Evolve, and Expand," released on June 20. The organization conducted similar reviews in 2003 and 2008 to publicize effective utility energy efficiency programs. http://aceee.org/blog/2013/06/leaders-pack-utility-energy-efficienc

2.      UL Expands Zhaga Testing Capabilities For LED Light Source Interchangeability - Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recently announced that it has been named an authorized testing laboratory for three new Zhaga Books—Zhaga Interface Specification Book 4: high-intensity LED light engines; Zhaga Interface Specification Book 7: indoor light engines with separate electronic control gear; and Zhaga Interface Specification Book 8: socketable LED light engine with integrated control gear (85 mm base). http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/lighting/index.jsp

3.      Los Angeles Has Swapped Out 140,000 Street Lights for Highly Efficient LEDs - A move that could save the city $10 million annually. The effort was the largest such street LED light replacement program in the world. The replacement program cost an estimated $57 million over the four years. It was funded through a $40 million loan and $16 million in rebate funds. Since Los Angeles started the program, the practice of mass conversion to LED has been sweeping across the country. In 2012, Baltimore completed its conversion of 70,000 street lights, which saves roughly $2 million a year. Portland, OR is launching a retrofit this year. Other major cities like San Francisco, San Antonio and Seattle are looking into swapping street lights as well. 6/20 The Daily Beast

4.      Hawaii Vows to More Than Double Energy Savings - Hawaii wants to more than double the energy it saves over the next two years by retrofitting government buildings with new lighting, air conditioning and other energy saving equipment. The plan is expected to cost about $300 million which will be paid for by savings gleaned from reducing energy use. Potential targets include Hawaii's 15 airports, the public safety department's prisons and jails, 30 buildings on the University of Hawaii at Hilo's campus and Honolulu's largest wastewater treatment plants. 6/14 AP

5.     Valoya Claims Additional Benefits for LEDs in Horticulture, Bees Like SSL - LED grow-light manufacturer Valoya has announced that horticultural research focused on growing tomatoes under artificial lighting at PlantResearch in Made, Netherlands has revealed additional benefits attributed to solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. The study revealed that the pollinator bumble bees, which are necessary for crops such as tomatoes and strawberries, are very active under SSL whereas with legacy high-pressure sodium (HPS) sources, the bees are only active when there is also some level of natural light. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/6/13

6.      Walgreens to Expand Solar Energy Installations to More Than 200 Stores - Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, together with Chicago-based solar developer SoCore Energy, today said they will build more than 200 new solar installations at Walgreens drugstores throughout California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. This latest expansion will bring the number of completed solar installations at Walgreens stores to more than 350, making the company the leading retailer in number of solar powered stores. 6/19 BUSINESS WIRE

7.     The LED Show Named the Top 25 Fast-Growth Shows in EXPO’s Annual List for 2013 - The LED Show 2013, offers an intense two day conference with a pre-conference workshop.  The conference will deliver education on a broad spectrum of essential LED technologies, trends and innovations. Speakers will reveal new technological advances for LEDs in manufacturing, design, testing, color definitions, controls, and final assembly. The latest in LED fixtures from multiple sources are featured on the exhibit floor enabling attendees to make informed specifying or purchasing decisions. http://www.theledshow.com/conference.html

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP: AUGUST 13, 2013
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION: AUGUST 14 - 15, 2013
RIO ALL SUITE HOTEL & CASINO 
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA

 

8.      May Delivers Robust Existing-Home Sales - On the heels of promising housing starts figures from last month, May's existing-home sales also experienced a sizeable year-over-year bump, according to the National Association of Realtors.  May's total existing-home sales rose 4.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million, up from 4.97 million in April and delivering growth of 12.9% from May 2012's 4.59 million rate. This is the highest it's been since the tax stimulus of November 2009, with sales staying above year-ago levels for the past 23 months. 6/20 HCN

New Postings for Lighting Positions Network

1.      Flextronics International is Looking for a Director, Business Development – Medical Business Segment - This candidate must have demonstrated a consistent and proven ability to function exceptionally in all phases of sales and delivery (e.g., engagement identification and qualification, engagement scoping and management, client relationship management, closing).  A Senior Business Development role responsible for +$20M in business development possessing +7 years of progressively advancing Business Development and/or account management experience working with large Medical Device and/or Pharmaceutical OEMs; experience working in the EMS industry selling Medical Device design & manufacturing services is highly advantageous. Possessing a working knowledge of the North American Medical market, capable of selling comprehensive design and manufacturing services into new accounts.  Send resumes to Michael A. Rothstein, Managing Principal, Executive Advantage Group, Inc. at mrothstein@executive-advantage.com  Direct: 503-372-9084. 

2.   Executive Positions from NETSHARE - The following is a sample of open positions that have been posted with NETSHARE over the past week. This list changes every day…with some dropping off and some added. View the job listings below and many more on the website at: http://www.netshare.com/jobs_public.aspx?d=815 Email your interest and resumes, reference the EnergyWatchBlog, directly to Jan Furste jan@netshare.com.

• President, Connecticut/Greater New York City area, Competitive base + bonus + equity

• Chief Executive Officer, Southern California, Competitive

• Chief Operating Officer, Northeast U.S., $200,000-$250,000 plus bonus to 50% based on results

• President/Chief Executive Officer, Southeastern U.S., $175,000-$225,000 plus bonus, plus equity

• President, Louisville, KY, $200,000-$250,000 plus bonus

 

 

News Updates for the Week of June 17

1.      Smart Technology Makes Its Way into Lighting - The smart lighting industry is undergoing a major transition. Different kinds of smart lighting solutions are expected to become increasingly popular in homes, public buildings and offices. According to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the lighting systems of the future could be multi-purpose devices not dissimilar to smart phones. In the future, lighting will not just allow us to see but could also be used to survey surroundings, transmit information, reflect moods and make our lives more comfortable. Smart lighting could also save as much as 80 per cent of energy compared to traditional lighting solutions. As more applications become available, the smart lighting industry will also be revolutionized. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-smart-technology.html#jCp

2.      2013 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop Presentations Posted - The workshop provided a opportunity to gain cutting-edge perspective on the LED and OLED manufacturing landscape, including global manufacturing trends and strategies for reducing costs, improving product quality, and increasing volumes. The presentations and materials have been posted on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/boston2013_materials.html

3.      LED Lighting in Buildings to Reach $25 Billion by 2017 - Market analyst Memoori Research has published a new report http://www.memoori.com/portfolio/led-lighting-in-buildings-2013-to-2017/  on the global market for LED lighting in buildings, bringing together market sizing data, investment data and all the factors that influence the industries future. The company commented, "We predict that revenue from the global LED lighting market for buildings will rise from $9.5 bn in 2013 to a total of $25.4 bn by 2017. This would represent a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the overall market of 22%, over the five-year period. http://optics.org/news/4/6/19

4.      Global Lighting Equipment Market to 2017 - Market Size, Growth, and Forecasts in Nearly 70 Countries - A comprehensive package designed for companies who want to gain a comprehensive perspective on the global lighting equipment market. This package makes it easy to compare across different countries and product groups to be able to find new market opportunities and make more profitable business decisions. It provides the market size, growth, and forecasts at the global level as well as for each of the 70 countries: The market data covers the years 2006-2017 and includes the total market size for lighting equipment as well as the market size and trends. For more information: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/m74mgb/global_lighting_equipment_market_to_2017_ma

5.      CFL Safety Issues an Urban Myth, Says NLB - The rumor that CFLs pose a fire hazard when they reach the end of their lives is "absolutely, categorically untrue. An urban myth." Ironically, the basis of the rumor might very well be the normal performance of well-designed CFLs' fire-safety systems. http://www.tedmag.com. Those who want a complete technical description of the process can download a free white paper published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association http://alturl.com/z9jht

6.      Study Finds Commissioning of Daylight Harvesting Control Systems Critical to Success - Daylight harvesting control, or the practice of using light sensors to automatically reduce electric light in a space when sufficient daylight is present, has been demonstrated to produce significant energy cost savings in buildings. As a proven energy-saving strategy, it has been implemented into many sustainable building projects. It was also incorporated into ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 and IECC 2009/2012, the major energy standards. Daylight harvesting should soon become a staple in new construction. http://www.tedmag.com Download the study at: http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/study-finds-commissioning-of-daylight-harvesting-control-systems-critical-to-success/

7.      Free LEED Certification to Groundbreaking Projects in New Markets - In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root. Coined “LEED Earth,” this campaign aims to bring LEED certification and thereby better-performing buildings into new markets. http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95094-free-leed-certification-to-groundbreaking-projects-in-new-markets

8.      Webcast Reminder: LED Troffers, Kits, and Tubes - On Thursday, June 20, DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast detailing key findings from its recently completed CALiPER Exploratory Study on Recessed Troffer Lighting. The performance of conventional fluorescent troffers with T8 LED tube retrofits, LED retrofit kits, and dedicated LED troffers will be examined. The webcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and will include a 40-minute presentation, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with attendees. For more information or to register, visit the DOE SSL website. The CALiPER study is available online at www.ssl.energy.gov/exploratory.html

9.     Now in Its 26th Year, Live Design International (LDI) for Design Professionals - LDI is the Premier Trade Show and Conference for Visual and Sound Technologies covering comprehensive professional training and education in Lighting, Audio, Projection, Staging, Rigging, Special Effects and Software.  For 2013, LDI will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, North Halls on November 22-24. Over 8,000 attendees working in theater, concerts, houses of worship, corporate presentations, clubs, theme parks, and any other live venue come to LDI from 72 countries. http://www.ldishow.com/ldi13/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1043817

10.  Greeley, CO Buildings to Get Energy-Smart Equipment Improvements - Greeley City Council members on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for an energy efficiency program for seven Greeley buildings in need of updates and improvements. The $1.6 million project includes energy-smart improvements to lighting, ventilation, pool pumps and other equipment this year, with the city set to repay that cost through savings on utility bills. The city will pay Xcel the same amount of money each year as it does now, but a portion of its utility bills will go toward paying for the improvements. 6/12 Greeley Tribune

11.  Centralia, WA Approves Energy Efficiency Projects - The Centralia City Council approved moving forward with a variety of projects aimed at energy efficiency Tuesday night, including updating 1,506 LED streetlights, improving the Fort Borst Park ball fields and replacing lighting at the Centralia Train Depot.  The cost to complete all the projects is nearly $1.7 million. 6/13  The Chronicle

12.  It's Official: HD Supply Goes Public - HD Supply Holdings, the indirect parent of HD Supply, announced that it will launch an initial public offering of 53,191,489 shares of common stock. The company hopes to raise $1.3 billion in its initial public offering. Shares of HDS are expected to become available through NASDAQ June 26. HD Supply, with more than 600 locations across 46 states and nine Canadian provinces, was the wholesale distribution arm of The Home Depot, until it was sold in 2007 for $8.5 billion to a group of investors including Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Clayton Dubilier & Rice. 6/14 HCN

New Postings for the Lighting Positions Network

1.      Amerlux Looking for a Director of Customer Service - To direct and oversee all aspects of the organizations policies, objectives and initiatives as it relates to Customer Service.  The position is responsible for the creation and management of all required reports to Sr. Management on the order inflow, open orders, commissions etc. The Director will set the goals, establish priorities and ensure that the team is focused on meeting the needs of its customers. The Director will be the primary interface with the factory and handle high profile projects, and will provide direction and support to the individual Customer Service team members when jobs are elevated beyond a certain level due to customer demands.  Send your resumes to: Bill Plageman bplageman@amerlux.com

2.      Executive Positions from NETSHARE - The following is a sample of open positions that have been posted with NETSHARE over the past week. This list changes every day…with some dropping off and some added. View the job listings below and many more on the website at: http://www.netshare.com/jobs_public.aspx?d=815 Email your interest and resumes, reference the EnergyWatchBlog, directly to Jan Furste jan@netshare.com.

• President, Houston, $275,000-$300,000 plus bonus incentive program(s)

• President/Chief Executive Officer, Southeastern U.S., $175,000-$225,000 plus bonus plus equity

• President, Louisville, KY, $200,000-$250,000 plus bonus

• President and Chief Executive Officer, Maryland, Competitive

• Chief Operating Officer, North East, US, $200,000-$250,000 plus bonus to 50%+ based on results