News Updates for the Week of August 26

1.      LEDucation 8 Issues Call for Speakers - The Designers Lighting Forum of New York announced its “Call for Speakers” for LEDucation 8, a single day exhibition and educational event dedicated solely to the ever evolving LED market and technology. LEDucation 8 will return to New York City on March 18-19th, 2014 in a new 2-day format and in a new venue – the Sheraton NY Times Square hotel. Speaker proposals will be accepted through 5 p.m. EST, October 15th, 2013. Proposals should be submitted online: http://www.leducation.org/call-for-presenters.html

2.      WSJ Evaluates Hue, Lutron, Belkin - How many gadgets does it take to turn on a light bulb? Tech companies have released all types of gizmos that let you control your lights via remote or smartphone, but only a few are genuinely useful and easy to set up. Michael Hsu joins Lunch Break. Watch the video at WSJ.com

3.      Not All LEDs are Created Equal - LEDs are undeniably the future of lighting. The DOE estimates that by 2030, LED lighting will own a 74 percent market share. As LEDs become the increasingly obvious choice for any lighting project, specifying quality, efficiency and functionality will ensure that each lamp lives up to its reputation. Energy efficiency shouldn't be the only priority that building owners, facility managers, architects, builders or owners focus on when it comes to choosing LED lighting. The thought and attention put into quality and color consistency can make a significant difference in the lamp life, functionality, aesthetics and energy savings. ENERGY STAR provides qualifications for the LED lamps that meet its stringent specifications. http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95109-not-all-leds-are-created-equal

4.      Orion Switch Back 'On' - Shares of the Manitowoc, WI maker of energy-efficient lighting tumbled to below $1.50 a share in September 2012 from more than $20 following its initial public offering in 2007. Its market capitalization tumbled with it, falling below $50 million from $450 million. New leadership has reignited interest in Orion's stock which bottomed at $1.12 a share in December, hit $4.30 earlier this month. It closed Friday at $3.16. Its $10 million acquisition of Florida-based Harris Manufacturing Inc. and Harris LED in July gives Orion an entry into new markets, including the federal government, retail stores and new construction.  The LED market for commercial buildings is projected to grow to $25 billion in 2021 from $2.7 billion this year. A big shift is forecast in lamps sold for retrofit projects -- the target market for Orion. LEDs this year are expected to account for 5% of all lamps sold to retrofit projects, but that is projected to increase to 40% by 2017. For LED technology, the tipping point in the technology-advancement and cost-cutting curves is likely to occur in the next 12 to 24 months, according Navigant Research. 8/17 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

5.      New DOE SSL Technology Fact Sheet on Lifetime and Reliability - The U.S. DOE has come out with a new SSL Technology Fact Sheet, Lifetime and Reliability, to help users gain a better understanding of typical causes for LED product failures, the difference between lifetime and reliability, and methods for measuring and reporting lifetime and reliability.  LED system performance is more affected by interactions between system components than most conventional lighting systems. The failure of any system component—not just the array of LED packages, but also the electronics, thermal management, optics, wires, connectors, or seals, for example—can lead to product failure. www.ssl.energy.gov/factsheets.html.

6.      Philips Issues Recall of Endura and Ambient LED Bulbs – The recall is due to defects in a lead wire within the bulb's housing, which can potentially pose a shock hazard. The wire, which is ill-fitted, can electrify the entire lamp and shock the customer. No injuries have been reported. The recall affects about 99,000 units of Endura 12-watt and Ambient 12.5-watt LED Dimmable bulbs. 8/16 HCN

7.      Indiana Customers Due $32M from 6 Utilities - Six of the largest electricity and gas providers budgeted $74.4 million for Energizing Indiana, a state-mandated energy-saving initiative the companies fund out of rates paid by customers. But the companies spent only $42.4 million, according to a July 9 regulatory filing, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported. 8/20 AP http://bit.ly/18E0M94

8.      Electrical Industry Apps - The NAED Strategic Technology Task Force has developed a list of industry apps http://www.naed.org/strategictechnology/#tabs-5 produced by both distributor and manufacturer members. If your company has an app that you would like to share, email the app and link to: Bethanysullivan@msn.com

9.      Short-Term Energy Outlook at http://www.eia.gov/  -

	2011	2012	2013 projected	2014 projected
WTI Crude Oila (dollars per barrel)	94.86	94.12	96.96	92.96
Brent Crude Oil (dollars per barrel)	111.26	111.65	105.80	99.75
Gasolineb (dollars per gallon)	3.53	3.63	3.52	3.37
Dieselc (dollars per gallon)	3.84	3.97	3.92	3.76
Heating Oild (dollars per gallon)	3.68	3.76	3.73	3.59
Natural Gasd (dollars per thousand cubic ft)	11.03	10.66	10.79	11.91
Electricityd (cents per kilowatthour)	11.72	11.88	12.11	12.43

10.  Tesla Model S Is Rated the Safest Car of All Time - Tesla's Model S has been rated as the safest car ever. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scored the car as an unheard of 5 stars in every single category (only 1 percent of cars). In fact, the car scored so high that the final, combined score beats 5 stars. Its final 5.4 rating is the highest ever, making an electric car the safest on the road, including vans and SUVs. The score represents the probability of injury from front, side, rear and rollover accidents. Tesla, the best performing automaker this year, has seen its shares jump to $147, up almost 300 percent so far in 2013. http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/08/21/tesla-model-s-rated-safest-car-all-time