News Updates for the Week of March 7

1. A Tipping Point for Oil Prices -The days of $100 a barrel oil are back. Most economists think that this price level, while high by historical standards and an impediment to growth, is not high enough to completely derail the economic recovery. We are still below a national average price of $3.50 for regular gasoline, the price at which consumers are thought to get worried and rein in their discretionary spending. The average national price is now $3.29 according to A.A.A., roughly 18 cents higher than a month ago and 50 cents higher from a year ago. 2/26 NY Times

2. PCB Removal, With Zero Upfront - New York City is allocating $708 million for an energy retrofit program in public schools over the next 10 years that is mostly spurred by the need to replace light fixtures containing the toxic chemicals known as PCBs. For some months, the cost issue was a major factor delaying this week’s decision to replace the lighting at nearly 800 schools.But some energy service companies say they are willing to undertake the job with no upfront costs. Instead, they suggest that they could be paid with the savings that the city racks up by switching to more energy-efficient lighting. 2/25 NY Times

3. OSRAM Expanding in the Market for Energy-Efficient Lighting Systems and Luminaires - Acquisition of Siteco Lighting GmbH opens up further potential for growth in LED applications. OSRAM is acquiring Siteco Lighting GmbH based in Traunreut/Germany from Barclays Private Equity. Siteco is a leading European lighting company with a worldwide workforce of 1250 and achieving revenue of around €220 million in fiscal year 2010. The company supplies luminaires and lighting systems for urban infrastructures such as public and commercial buildings, streets, tunnels, airports and sports stadiums. http://www.osram.com/osram_com/News/Trade_Press/Luminaires/2011/110228_Siteco.html

4. Siemens Said to Weigh IPO for Osram Unit within Two Months - Siemens AG, Europe’s largest engineering company, is weighing an initial public offering of its Osram lighting business within the next two months. Selling Osram would bring Siemens closer to a complete withdrawal from consumer-oriented products, after giving up phones and moving the home-appliance unit into a joint venture. Siemens’s other consumer product is hearing aids, which the company considered selling before shelving the plan last year. Osram, the second-largest lighting company by sales after Royal Philips Electronics NV, has an enterprise value of 6.5 billion euros ($9 billion) to 7 billion euros, Morgan Stanley estimates. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-28/siemens-is-said-to-consider-ipo-for-osram-light-division-within-two-months.html?cmpid=yhoo

5. The Designlights™ Consortium (DLC) Is the Northeast’s Premier Resource for High-Quality, Energy Efficient, Commercial Lighting Design and Information - The DLC http://designlights.org/ — a collaboration of utility companies and regional energy efficiency organizations — is committed to raising awareness of the benefits of efficient lighting in commercial buildings. To view the qualified products list as of 02/27/2011 click here Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) manages this website. However DesignLights™ Consortium stands as its own entity.

6. Pending Home Sales Decline in January - Pending home sales are down in January for the second straight month, and are down 1.5% compared with the January 2010 figure, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, declined 2.8% to 88.9 based on contracts signed in January from a downwardly revised 91.5 in December. 3/1 HCN

7. Energy Efficiency Program to Reach 100,000 Homes and Create Clean Energy Jobs for Californians - The California Energy Commission joined regional efforts to increase energy efficiency and encourage clean jobs with the statewide launch of Energy Upgrade California, the new energy efficiency program. Part of this comprehensive program is the integrated Web Portal, http://www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org which provides easy to use tools and resources to property owners to help them improve their energy and water efficiency, save money and increase building comfort. More than $1.2 billion from a variety of funding sources will be leveraged through Energy Upgrade California. 3/1 California Energy Commission

8. California Prepares for Influx of Electric Vehicles - While electric vehicles are still a relative rarity in California, efforts are already under way to prepare for a future when a lot more people will be relying on the grid to "fuel up." And a new report published this month by Pike Research indicates that future could be just around the corner. The report forecasts that California will be the largest market in the United States for light-duty plug-in electric vehicles, or PEVs, which includes plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles. It predicts sales in the state will grow from about 14,400 in 2011 to 366,000 by the end of 2017. The state of New York, by comparison, will be the next-biggest market, with projected cumulative PEV sales of about 146,000 at the end of 2017. 3/1 California Energy Markets


9. Familiar Old Bulbs Going Away in Switch to Greener Technology - Make your peace and say your goodbyes. The lights are getting ready to go out on the old-fashioned incandescent bulb. In less than a year, federal regulations will begin phasing out the century-old technology, a process that's already begun in California, which received a waiver to launch the program one year early. Manufacturers will no longer make the traditional 100-watt bulb, and stores eventually will sell out of current supplies. Consumers will have to choose from more efficient bulbs that use no more than 72 watts, including halogen incandescents, compact fluorescents and light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. 2/28 News Sentinel

10. South Carolina Bill Would Overturn Federal Light Bulb Ban - Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today urged passage of a bill by South Carolina State Representatives Bill Sandifer and Dwight Loftis that would allow the manufacture and purchase of incandescent light bulbs in South Carolina that are subject to a federal ban that begins to take effect in Jan. 2012. Wilson stated, "since the bulbs would be made entirely in South Carolina and sold in South Carolina, the federal government has no power to regulate it under the Interstate Commerce Clause." 2/28 Liberty Counsel

11. Jobs Report: Don't Break Out the Champagne Just Yet - Finally, the economy appears to be delivering jobs--adding 222,000 private sector jobs and 192,000, after losses in government are subtracted, in February. The unemployment rate fell to 8.9%, even as the labor force expanded with normal population growth and a steady, albeit low by historical standards, labor force participation rate. Counting those who have left the labor force and taking part-time work but would prefer full time employment, the true unemployment rate remains about 16%. The economy must add 13 million private sector jobs over the next three years-360,000 each month-to bring unemployment down to 6%. http://www.foxbusiness.com/

12. Law Shedding Light on Bulbs - Despite avid media coverage and education campaigns by the government and environmental groups, consumers still aren't flocking to newer, energy-efficient light bulbs. Even in states with long-running and well-funded programs to promote compact fluorescent lamps, only 1 in 5 household sockets contain those bulbs, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy. Sales of CFLs peaked in 2007 and have declined since, the report says. Some consumers aware of the coming change — 13 percent — plan to stock up on incandescent 100-watt bulbs while they can get them, the survey found. 3/4 Chicago Tribune

13. China Reportedly Plans Strict Goals to Save Energy - With oil prices at their highest level in more than two years because of unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, the Chinese government plans to announce strict five-year goals for energy conservation in the next two weeks. Meeting the new target of no more than four billion metric tons of coal or its equivalent, will require further improvements in efficiency if the economy expands 7 percent a year in the coming years. China has placed a big bet on renewable energy, emerging as the world’s biggest and lowest-cost manufacturer of wind turbines and solar panels. But the country remains heavily reliant on coal for its electricity. And its oil imports are surging after auto sales have surpassed the American market in each of the last two years. Much greater efficiency gains would be needed if the economy grows even faster, as most economists predict. The Chinese economy expanded 10.3 percent last year. 3/4 NY Times

14. Looking for LED Performance Results of Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Products? - DOE's SSL CALiPER program supports independent testing of commercially-available SSL products. The Department allows its test reports to be distributed in the public interest for non-commercial, educational purposes only. To streamline the request process for detailed test reports, DOE provides detailed reports directly through a searchable on-line system. Detailed reports will only be provided to users who provide their name, affiliation, and confirmation of agreement to abide by DOE's "No Commercial Use" policy. http://www.nlb.org/index.cfm?cdid=10588&pid=10226