News Updates for the Week of June 4

1.      Energy Department Grants Two-Year Extension to 700-Series T-8 Fluorescent Lamps - Responding to three individually filed exception requests, the U.S. Department of Energy has postponed by two years — until July 14, 2014 — the phase-out date for 700-series T8 general service fluorescent lamps (GSFLs) manufactured by GE Lighting (GE), Osram Sylvania, Inc. (OSI), and Philips Lighting Co, according to the National Lighting Bureau (NLB). Only companies that have been excepted by the Energy Department may continue to manufacture or import the T8 GSFLs in question beyond July 14, 2012. The lamps involved are the 4-foot medium bi-pin, 2-foot U-shaped, 8-foot Slimline, and 8-foot high-output 700-series T-8s. 5/30 http://ecmweb.com

2.      US Economy Added 69,000 Jobs in May, Fewest in a Year; Unemployment Rate Rose to 8.2 Percent  - The U.S. economy suddenly looks a lot weaker.  The Labor Department also said Friday that the economy added far fewer jobs in the previous two months than first thought — 11,000 fewer in March and 38,000 fewer in April. And the increase in unemployment was the first in 11 months.  6/1 Washington Post

3.      Consumer Confidence Slips Again - The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined slightly in April, fell further in May. The Index now stands at 64.9 (1985=100), down from 68.7 in April. The Expectations Index declined to 77.6 from 80.4, while the Present Situation Index decreased to 45.9 from 51.2 last month. Those claiming business conditions are "bad" increased to 34.3% from 33.2%, while those saying business conditions are "good" decreased to 13.6% from 15.5%.  5/25 HCN

4.      Light: It’s Good for Your Brain - Scientists from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have proven that light intensity influences our cognitive performance and how alert we feel; and that these positive effects last until early evening.  Tests conducted in EPFL’s Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO) have confirmed the hypothesis that light influences our subjective feeling of sleepiness. The research team, led by Mirjam Münch, also showed that the effects of light exposure last until the early evening, and that light intensity has an impact on cognitive mechanisms. The results of this research were recently published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.  http://lighting.com/light-its-good-for-your-brain/

5.      LFI 2012 Product Innovation Awards - The LIGHTFAIR 2012 Innovation Awards submissions spanned 14 categories, with each submission judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals. The winners were awarded for product entries that exemplify the best in innovative design and thinking. The 2012 key award winners at: http://www.lightnowblog.com/2012/05/lfi-2012-product-innovation-awards/

6.      DOE Releases Gateway Report on NYC Roadway Lighting Demonstration - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the final evaluation report from a GATEWAY demonstration on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, a heavily traveled New York City freeway with elevated portions. Four different types of LED roadway luminaires—each from a different manufacturer—were purchased in 2009 and compared with the incumbent high-pressure sodium light fixtures. http://www.lightnowblog.com/2012/05/doe-releases-gateway-report-on-nyc-roadway-lighting-demonstration/

7.      NJ Solar Boom Seeking Life Support - New Jersey’s boom in solar power installations, driven by lucrative solar renewable energy credits, made the Garden State second only to California in installed solar power capacity. Now it’s reached a point of saturation where solar installers are looking for legislation to keep their industry alive. The solar power glut has “lobbyists for both the solar power industry and unionized solar installers descending on the state capital, pleading for imposition of still higher purchase requirements on electric power consumers. http://livewire.electricalmarketing.com/2012/05/22/nj-solar-boom-seeking-life-support/

8.      Energy Commission Approves More Efficient Buildings for California's Future - In a move to reduce energy costs, save consumers money, and increase comfort, the California Energy Commission today unanimously approved energy efficiency standards for new homes and commercial buildings. The Energy Commission's 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards are 25 percent more efficient than previous standards for residential construction and 30 percent better for nonresidential construction. The Standards, which take effect on January 1, 2014, offer builders better windows, insulation, lighting, ventilation systems and other features that reduce energy consumption in homes and businesses. 5/31 Sierra Sun Times

9.      PG&E Says It Will Meet California's Renewable Energy Goals - Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) filed its renewable energy procurement plan for 2012 with the California Public Utilities Commission and said it will meet the requirement to source 33% of its power generation from clean sources and will also meet interim benchmarks up to that date.  California has an aggressive renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 33% by 2020, along with the highest-in-the-nation 20% bundled RPS for power generation in the period from 2011-2013.  http://generationhub.com/

10.  Human Centric Lighting - May 21, 2012 version by Stan Walerczyk, Brian Liebel and Rodney Heller.  Published as modified version in June 2012 edition of Architectural SSL Magazine

This article considers Human Centric Lighting to include all of the outer diagram circles. Other professionals have included less. The new generation of dimming and Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) changing or shifting, which is commonly called Kelvin changing or shifting, LED fixtures can really improve lighting for people.

11.  EPA Names The Home Depot 2012 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named The Home Depot® as the 2012 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through merchandising and marketing ENERGY STAR qualified products.  5/31 Market Watch

12.  European LED Commercial Lighting Market to Grow Seven-Fold to $1.9bn by 2015 -  The European LED lighting market is growing rapidly due to energy-saving awareness and, in particular, the high electricity prices in Europe, according to TrendForce’s ‘2011-2015 European LED Lighting Market Report’ by its LED research division LEDinside. With electricity prices in the EU-27 (the 27 member states of the European Union), $2 can be saved each month by adopting an LED light bulb instead of an incandescent bulb. The market research firm predicts that LED prices will see a dramatic drop, starting from 2012, and it expects the European LED commercial lighting market to grow to $1.9bn by 2015. http://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2012/MAY/LEDIN_280512.html

13.  St. Louis Cardinals Working Towards a "Triple Crown" For Resource Efficiency - The 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals are accustomed to winning. With a total of 11 World Series titles under their belt—second only to the Yankees 27—it’s no surprise that they set the bar high for all aspects of their game, even off the field. One key to the Cardinals’ energy successes to date is that they commissioned an “investment-grade” energy audit in 2011 to identify potential energy efficiency measures for the ballpark. They found close to 200 cost-effective energy improvements, despite the fact that Busch Stadium was just built in 2006.  The Cardinals have replaced over 1,000 traditional spot- and flood- lights with LED lamps to cut lighting power demand in several areas around the ballpark by 90 percent.  5/30 NRDC