News Updates for the Week of October 7

1.      2013 ENERGY STAR Products Partner Meeting – Cancelled Due to the Government Shutdown -

2.      $10 LED Price War Heats Up the Lighting Market - Earlier this year, Cree dropped the price of its 40-watt equivalent (6-watt) warm-white LED bulb to less than $10. The incumbents were watching and have answered.

• Philips at Home Depot selling its 60-watt LED equivalent for $9.97 after utility rebate. Also at Staples. For regions without a utility rebate available, its 10.5-watt is $10.97. 
• Wal-Mart is selling its line of Great Value LEDs for $8.88 for a 60-watt-equivalent.  
• Wal-Mart will also offer a new dimmable 60-watt equivalent by GE for $11.  
• GE is also selling its Reveal LED for about $20 at other retailers.  
• Ikea said last year it would only sell LEDs after 2016

       http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/10-LED-Price-War-Heats-Up-The-Lighting-Market

3.      LED Products and Building Partners Wanted for All High-Efficacy Project - California’s current Title 24 requirements for building energy efficiency call for some high-efficacy lighting in a limited number of residential space types, such as kitchens and bathrooms. CLTC http://cltc.ucdavis.edu is working with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Davis Energy Group (DEG) to develop specifications for residential lighting packages that will consist entirely of high-efficacy LED lighting products. More details are available here

4.      DOE Publishes Updated SSL Manufacturing R&D Roadmap - The Roadmap complements the SSL R&D Multi-Year Program Plan that guides the Core and Product Development R&D programs. One of the goals of the Roadmap is to guide the Manufacturing R&D program and help direct funding solicitations for it. The Roadmap also provides guidance for equipment and material suppliers, based on industry consensus on the expected evolution of SSL manufacturing—thereby reducing risk, improving quality, increasing yields, and lowering costs.  To download a PDF copy of the updated Roadmap, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html

5.      Hubbell Lighting Launches Create Change Upgrade Program for Commercial Buildings - Commercial buildings represent over 80 billion square feet of space in the U.S. and consume 36% of all electricity, making them one of the largest generators of greenhouse gases. Hubbell Lighting announced a new solution to cut electricity costs, enhance the quality of light and reduce the financial risk of upgrades–resulting in up to a 3% increase in net operating income while at the same time improving the property value and attractiveness for tenants. To learn more about the createchange® program for commercial buildings: www.hubbelllighting.com/solutions/retrofit/applications/

6.      NEMA Publishes Annual Standards and Products Guide - The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published the 2014 edition of its Electrical Standards &  Products Guide (ESPG), a comprehensive listing of NEMA electrical standards as well as an extensive directory of manufacturers and their products. A complimentary copy may be downloaded at no charge: http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/NEMA/espg_nxtbook/

7.     Lighting Systems Index Gains Continue During Second Quarter - NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index posted a modest increase of 2.4 percent on a quarter-to-quarter basis during the second quarter of 2013. This quarterly advance marked the LSI’s third consecutive increase. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments climbed 4.9 percent. Increased demand for fixtures, emergency lighting and miniature lamps buoyed the index by compensating for decreases in ballasts and large lamps. http://www.nema.org/News/Pages/Lighting-Systems-Index-Gains-Continue-During-Second-Quarter.aspx

8.      NEMA Publishes ANSI C136.25 Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Ingress Protection (Resistance to Dust, Solid Objects, and Moisture) for Luminaire Enclosures - ANSI C136.25 details the requirements for ingress protection of luminaires in roadway and area lighting equipment. While these requirements are suitable for most types of lighting, it should not be assumed that all listed degrees of protection are applicable to a particular type of equipment. The manufacturer should be consulted to determine the degrees of protection available. View the contents and scope of ANSI C136.25-2013

9.      High Rebates for High Bay Fixtures - Whether replacing antiquated T12HO systems or inefficient HID systems, installing fluorescent, pulse start metal halide, LED or induction high bay fixtures can bring in high rebates. Across North America, rebate organizations offer a lot of money to customers upgrading to energy-efficient high-bay lighting. http://www.briteswitch.com/news/06113.html

Prescriptive Rebates for Highbay Upgrades

Type of Fixture	Minimum Rebate	Average Rebate	Maximum Rebate
High bay T8	$10.00	$65.96	$325.00
High bay T5HO	$15.00	$76.24	$325.00
LED	$19.00	$89.00	$225.00
Induction	$10.00	$84.50	$400.00
Pulse Start Metal Halide	$45.00	$46.50	$400.00

10.  Future View: Technologies That Will Transform the Electrical Industry by Jim Lucy - Lighting, HVAC and building automation companies are blending their products together into integrated building control systems that can dramatically slash the amount of energy a commercial building consumes. http://ewweb.com/electrical-economy/future-view-technologies-will-transform-electrical-industry

 

11.  New Construction Can Get Rebates Too - New construction programs often base the incentives on the savings over a building code, most commonly a version of ASHRAE 90.1. Programs can cover equipment such as HVAC systems, interior lighting, exterior lighting, refrigeration, kitchen equipment and more. With new construction, it's important to consider rebates early in the planning process. http://www.briteswitch.com/news/01133.html

12.  ENERGY STAR LED Bulb Challenge http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting_landing

 

13.  Energy Department to Award $100 Million for EFRCs - The DOE currently funds 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers, which were selected for five-year funding in 2009. With support for those centers set to expire in July 2014, DOE has announced a competition for a second round of funding. The competition will be open to proposals both from existing EFRCs seeking renewal of support and from institutions seeking to establish new EFRCs under the program. Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to compete and are encouraged to form multi-disciplinary research teams that may include partnerships with other institutions. Awards are expected to range from $2 million to $4 million per year per center for each of five fiscal years. http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-award-100-million-energy-frontier-research-centers

14.  The Five Rules of Retail – LD&A http://www.ies.org/PDF/Archives/2013_10.pdf - When viewed on the bigscreen of total estimated U.S. retail sales in 2012 of $3.57 trillion, online transactions account for less than 15 percent, or $53 billion. A National Retail Federation survey found that brick-and mortar retailers are displaying solid staying power. Lighting, as part of the store experience, is playing an increasingly important role in creating visually distinctive selling spaces. Five ways that light can be deployed in retail environments:

1)      TO ENHANCE THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

2)      FOR MERCHANDISE DISPLAYS

3)      FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

4)      AS ART

5)      TO COMMUNICATE IMAGE

15.  CMA Launches Electrical Marketing Program Sparket - Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA), a full service marketing firm located in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, announced the launch of Sparket, a dedicated program powered by industry-experts to provide tailored marketing strategy and services to all electrical industry professionals. Designed to ignite the marketing efforts of companies within the electrical industry, Sparket is a customized program with tailored marketing solutions leveraging CMA's dynamic track record in the industry. Honing in on its expertise working with manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, contractors and ESCO's, Sparket delivers customized solutions for companies in this niche marketplace. www.SparketMarketing.com