News Updates for the Week of July 25

1. U.S. DOE Releases Six Fact Sheets to Help Facilities Managers, State, and Local Energy Officials Benchmark Performance-Based Efficiency Improvements - The U.S. Department of Energy has released six fact sheets to assist American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grantees and end-users in benchmarking energy efficiency upgrade costs and expected annual savings. The fact sheets are directed at municipal, state, and federal government buildings, healthcare facilities, universities, colleges, and K–12 schools. They provide information on the typical range of project installation costs, savings, and payback times from energy retrofits completed by energy service companies (ESCOs). Download the ESCO benchmarking project fact sheets here: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/solutioncenter/buildings/performance_contracting.html

2. Housing Starts for June Show Improvement - Monthly housing starts for June rose above the 600,000 mark for the first time since January, according to data released 7/19 by the Commerce Department. Housing starts increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 629,000 in June, up 14.6% from the revised May estimate of 549,000. Single-family starts also showed a big improvement -- up 9.4% to a rate of 453,000. The 629,000 annual rate came in much higher than anticipated by most forecasts, which had called for a rate of about 570,000. http://www.census.gov/const/newresconst.pdf

3. Utility Helps Local Cities Switch to More Efficient LED Lights - Streetlights that use energy-efficient technology could become a growing part of how Clark County illuminates its roadways, parking lots and neighborhoods. The cities of Vancouver, Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal have either completed or are well into pilot projects to replace several hundred streetlights that use conventional bulbs with light-emitting diode, or LED, streetlights. Officials involved in the work, fueled by federal stimulus dollars, say if the benefits of conservation and savings in energy and maintenance costs are achieved -- as expected -- then LED streetlights could become embedded in the county's land-use codes. 7/20 The Columbian

4. Reversal on Rebates Stings Solar Industry - Missouri's fledgling solar power industry could be severely wounded by a recent court decision declaring that mandated rebates on solar installations violate the state constitution. The $2-a-watt rebate, approved by Missouri voters in 2008, shaves thousands of dollars off the cost of solar energy systems -- the smallest of which can cost as much as a new car. Without them, the price of installation could become too much for even environmentally conscious consumers to bear. Together with a 30 percent federal tax credit, the incentives put clean energy systems within reach for many consumers. But the June court ruling struck down the incentives as an illegal taking of private property. 7/19 St. Louis Post-Dispatch

5. HID Lamp Dimming by Craig Dilouie, 7/18 - http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/hid-lamp-dimming/ Dimming is growing in popularity due to energy codes, green construction and user interest in flexibility and maximizing energy savings. High-intensity discharge (HID) lamp dimming is no exception, and with continuing development of electronic HID ballasts, continuous HID lamp dimming is easier to achieve, in a broader range of wattages, than ever before.

6. DOE Publishes Updated SSL Manufacturing R&D Roadmap and 2011 Workshop Report - The U.S. DOE has published the 2011 edition of the Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Manufacturing R&D Roadmap, and has posted the summary report from the third annual SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop, which was held in Boston April 12–13. Complementing the SSL R&D Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) that guides the Core and Product Development R&D programs, the Roadmap's primary goal is to guide the manufacturing R&D program and help direct funding solicitations for it. Like the Roadmap, the workshop is a key component of an initiative launched by DOE in 2009 to enhance the quality and lower the cost of SSL products through improvements in manufacturing equipment and processes and to foster a significant manufacturing role in the U.S. To download a PDF copy of the updated Roadmap, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html. A PDF copy of the workshop report at www.ssl.energy.gov/boston2011_materials.html

7. DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium - The DOE Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium shares technical information and experiences related to LED street and area lighting demonstrations. The Consortium also serves as an objective resource for evaluating new products on the market intended for street and area lighting applications. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/consortium.html

8. Success with Solid-State Lighting - Lighting Facts® is a program of the U.S. Department of Energy that showcases LED products for general illumination from manufacturers who commit to testing products and reporting performance results according to industry standards. For lighting buyers, designers, and energy efficiency programs, the Lighting Facts label provides information essential to evaluating products and identifying the best options. http://www.lightingfacts.com/

9. GE Acquires LED Manufacturer - GE Lighting signed an agreement to acquire Lightech, a privately held, advanced lighting technology leader based near Tel Aviv, Israel, with commercial teams in Europe, the United States and Asia. Lightech specializes in providing LED electronic drivers, plus halogen transformers, to the lighting industry. http://enews.penton.com/

10. Newest Electronic Ballasts Cut Energy Costs by Up To 45% - The NEMA Premium Electronic Ballast Program is another industry effort to widen the use of high-efficiency products. Late in 2009, NEMA published BL 2-2009 Energy Efficiency for Electronic Ballasts for T8 Fluorescent Lamps, which revised the 2007 version. NEMA’s BL 2 contains energy-efficiency requirements for evaluating electronic ballasts designed for use with four-foot 32W T8 fluorescent lamps with a lumen output greater than or equal to 3100 lumens. It covers definitions, requirements, and markings. NEMA’s Ballast Program provides the method for identifying the most efficient T8 fluorescent ballasts available in the market. http://tedgreenroom.com/

11. Rise of Energy-Saving LEDs in Lighting Market Seen as Unstoppable - The switch to energy-efficient lighting will proceed rapidly this decade. Light-emitting diodes or LEDS, in particular, are driving the lighting market as commercial, industrial and outdoor sectors — which make up 96 percent of the world's lighting energy use — continue to realize massive savings from the emerging technology. Globally, the LED market reached nearly $5 billion in 2010 and is expected to surpass $7 billion at the end of this year. By 2020, the market is expected to reach more than $20 billion. That growth is due chiefly to the widespread adoption of LEDs in television and display markets, which is driving down the manufacturing costs and per-unit prices for lighting by as much as 25 percent per year. Although newer LED technology comprises less than 1 percent of the 32 billion light bulbs and lamps used worldwide, the research firm anticipates LEDs will make up 45 percent of the overall market by 2020. http://www.solveclimatenews.com/

12. Lighting the Future of Efficiency - LEDs are no longer a trend, and as a rechargeable platform they are the best technological development in lighting history. http://www.inddist.com/Content.aspx?id=1608

13. Philips 75W LED Replacement - This LED is designed to replace a 75W incandescent bulb and is now exclusively available online at Home Depot. The new Philips AmbientLED 17W light bulb, which puts out 1,100 lumens of light is being promoted as the brightest LED alternative to a standard incandescent available on the market today. Designed to meet Energy Star specifications, the bulb will reduce energy consumption by 80 percent, last 25 times longer and save an estimated $160 in electricity costs during its lifespan as compared to the traditional 75W incandescent. Its initial retail price is $39.97.