News Updates for the Week of March 12

1.   Webcast: Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium Retrofit Financial Analysis Tool - On April 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET, the U.S. DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast on the Retrofit Financial Analysis Tool http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/financial-tool.html developed by DOE's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium. Doug Elliott of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will provide a guided walk-through of what the tool can do for you, and how to use it to evaluate costs and benefits associated with converting to LED street and roadway lighting. To register, visit: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/events_detail.html?event_id=6750

2.      NEMA Publishes Standard for SSL Retrofit Lamps - The US National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA SSL 4-2012 entitled “SSL Retrofit Lamps: Suggested Minimum Performance Requirements.” The standard applies to integral LED lamps, which are defined as a lamp with LEDs, an integrated LED driver, and a base that meets appropriate American National Standards (ANSs) and is designed to connect to the branch circuit via a lampholder/socket that meets appropriate ANSs. The contents of SSL 4 may be viewed at www.nema.org/stds/ssl4.cfm Other SSL-related standards from NEMA:

SSL 6: Solid State Lighting for Incandescent Replacement—Dimming

SSL 3: High-Power White LED Binning for General Illumination

SSL 1: Electronic Drivers for LED Devices, Arrays or Systems

      http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/3/3

3.      Energy Star Luminaires Effective Date Approaching, Says EPA - The Energy Star Luminaires v1.1 specification will become effective on April 1, requiring manufacturers to change their product labeling unless the products are tested according to the new criteria. This new specification replaces the Residential Light Fixtures v4.2 and Solid State Lighting Luminaires v1.3 specifications, and can be downloaded at www.energystar.gov/luminaires. In May 2011, the EPA postponed the effective date for Energy Star Luminaires v1.0 from October 1, 2011 to April 1, 2012. This was to allow Energy Star manufacturing partners and EPA-recognized certification bodies and laboratories the necessary time to appropriately apply the technical requirements contained in the new specification. On April 1, 2012, only those light-fixture models that have been third-party certified as meeting the Luminaires v1.1 requirements will appear on the Energy Star Qualified Products List. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/9/3/2

4.      Street Lighting Turns to LEDs for Longevity and Efficiency - Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been appearing in traffic signals and vehicle headlights for years and are poised to affect another source of light we use to navigate our cities and towns. The street lighting retrofit market is ripe with opportunity. Municipal street lighting retrofitted with LEDs has enhanced several communities’ nighttime environments, while significantly reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. Administrators are well-versed in the financial strains of street lighting. It can account for up to one-quarter of a municipality’s electric bill, while maintenance can cost another 15 to 25 percent of their annual operating expense. http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=13441

 

5.      Electric Bills Up in March an All Hawaiian Islands - Hawaiian Electric Co. said the effective rate for electricity in Honolulu rose to 32.6 cents a kilowatt hour in March from 32 cents per kilowatt-hour in February.  Maui Electric Co. customers saw rates rise to 36.3 cents a kilowatt-hour this month from 35.8 cents a kilowatt hour in February. Hawaii island residential rates rose to 41.3 cents a kilowatt-hour from last month's 40.6 cents. On Kauai, the rate rose to 42.6 cents a kilowatt-hour. Hawaii typically has the highest cost for electricity in the nation. The national average was 11.52 cents per kilowatt-hour in December.  3/07 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

6.      How to Claim Tax Credits for Your 2011 Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades - It’s tax season, and time to claim your energy-efficient home upgrades on your 2011 income tax return. Find out what energy-efficient home improvements are eligible for federal tax credits, and which forms you’ll need to claim them. Download IRS Form 5695 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5695.pdf  More Info on Energy Efficiency Tax Credits:

Alliance tax resource for individuals: Energy Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits

Alliance tax resource for businesses: Commercial and Manufacturing Tax Incentives for Energy Efficiency 

http://ase.org/efficiencynews/how-claim-tax-credits-your-2011-energy-efficient-home-upgrades

7.      DOE Reopens L-Prize PAR38 Competition - The second category of the L Prize competition has been revised and relaunched, and will reward US manufacturers of ultra-efficient LED replacements for PAR38 lamps. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has reopened the PAR38 category of the  L-Prize competition. This challenges the US lighting industry to develop an exceptionally high-performance, ultra-efficient LED alternative for PAR38 halogen lamps.

8.      “Green” Light Bulb Costs You $50 - The good news: The DOE has awarded a $10 million prize for a "green" but affordable light bulb that's available to the public. The bad news: The bulb costs $50. The “L Prize” was announced by Energy Secretary Steven Chu last year, to push manufacturers to come up with a green bulb “affordable for American families,”  The competition also required parts of the bulb to be made in America.  The L Prize winner is a $50 bulb made by Philips. Similar LED bulbs are going for less than half that cost, the Post reported. 3/08 The Washington Post

9.      LED Prices May Not Be Too High for Consumers for Long - Many in the electrical industry thought it would take a while for LEDs to gain ground, due to their high prices. Opinions had been voiced that CFLs would fill in the transition from low-cost incandescents to affordable LEDs. Recently, however, it appears that LEDs are already falling in price, enabling consumers to choose to go right on by CFLs and use LEDs now. Some recent, unrelated news items serve as evidence to this point:

• Consumer will pay more says Robert Gfeller, EVP of merchandising at Lowe’s 
• Lumens-per-dollar introduced by Cree to measure lighting 
• Falling towards the sweet spot pricing of $10….the ‘sweet point’ for LED replacements for 60W incandescent bulbs is set at $12 
• Price check: The Home Depot….. prices on homedepot.com showed a $29.97 price for a 14W LED flood light bulb. The price posted for a two-pack of 8.6W replacements for 40W incandescent was $19.94, bringing the unit price under $10 each. 
• An LED for under $5 from Lemnis Inc. of San Francisco

http://www.tedmag.com/news/Features/LED-prices-may-not-be-too-high-for-consumers-for-long.aspx

10.  More Jobs, But No Change in Unemployment Rate - Data released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor statistics show the unemployment rate for February holding at 8.3%. The Employment Situation Summary shows employers added 227,000 jobs in the month, slightly more than expected, according to analyst forecasts. It was also the third straight month that employers added more than 200,000 jobs. Construction employment changed little in February, after two consecutive months of job gains. 3/09 HCN

11.  Gallup: Unemployment at 9.1%, But 19% Need Jobs - The unemployment rate shot up by half a percentage point in February, according to figures released by the polling organization Gallup on Thursday. The jump from 8.6 percent in January to 9.1 percent last month is the largest month-by-month increase in more than a year, Gallup said. Gallup’s figures differ from the official government unemployment rate because they do not adjust the figure for seasonal variations or include anyone under 18. 3/08 Newsmax

12.  U.S. Petroleum Product Exports Exceeded Imports in 2011 for First Time in Over Six Decades - The United States in 2011 exported more petroleum products, on an annual basis, than it imported for the first time since 1949, but American refiners still imported large, although declining, amounts of crude oil, according to full-year trade data from EIA's Petroleum Supply Monthly February report. The increase in foreign purchases of distillate fuel contributed the most to the United States becoming a net exporter of petroleum products. U.S. petroleum product net exports (exports minus imports) averaged 0.44 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2011, with imports at a nine-year low of close to 2.4 million bbl/d and exports at a record high of nearly 2.9 million bbl/d. http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=5290#

News Updates for the Week of July 5

1. Vizio Will Enter the LED Lighting Market in Q4 2011- Vizio, a leading supplier of LED-backlit LCD HDTVs, announced it will enter the LED lighting market with a series of replacement lamps using LEDs supplied by Epistar and Seoul Semiconductor. Vizio’s high-efficiency LED lamps are recyclable, and feature a glass-free design to prohibit shattering. The LED lamps are designed to give off a warm hue of light, reminiscent of a natural source. The LEDs product line (see table) will feature triple the lifespan of compact fluorescent bulbs, with up to 25,000 hours of usage.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/VIZIO-North-Americas-1-LED-prnews-379831979.html?x=0&.v=1

2. DOE Releases Summary Results from Round 12 of CALiPER Testing - The U.S. DOE has completed Round 12 of product testing through the DOE Solid-State Lighting (SSL) CALiPER program. A Summary Report containing the results from Round 12 testing is now available for download on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/reports.html. Round 12 of product testing included six primary focus areas: SSL recessed downlights, SSL track lights, SSL A-lamps, benchmark 100W incandescent A-lamps and 70-100W halogen equivalents, SSL replacements for linear fluorescent lamps in high-performance troffers, and SSL and benchmark cove lights. The Round 12 Summary Report provides an overview of photometric performance results, and discusses the results with respect to similar products that use conventional light sources, results from earlier rounds of CALiPER testing, and manufacturer ratings.

3. Release of Final ENERGY STAR Luminaires V1.1 Specification - U.S. EPA is finalizing a change to the effective date of the ENERGY STAR Luminaires specification from October 1, 2011 to April 1, 2012. In addition, EPA has incorporated changes designed to better facilitate a smooth transition, including reducing certain sample size requirements. The new extended effective date is intended to allow necessary time to appropriately apply the technical requirements contained in the new specification. Based on input from program stakeholders, EPA is finalizing this extension while also taking steps to address certain barriers to qualification so that a broad range of products can be qualified in advance of the new date. http://www.energystar.gov/

4. Cree Rallies on GE Win - LED lighting technology maker Cree got a boost yesterday as General Electric said it was relying on Cree’s technology to make a 60-watt LED replacement bulb for consumer lighting for a Department of Energy prestigious L-Prize competition. 7/1 Barron’s

5. Texas Tells Feds: Shove Your Light Bulb Ban - State lawmakers have passed a bill that allows Texans to skirt federal efforts to promote more efficient light bulbs, which ultimately pushes the swirled, compact fluorescent bulbs over the 100-watt incandescent bulbs many grew up with.

The measure, sent to Gov. Rick Perry for consideration, lets any incandescent light bulb manufactured in Texas - and sold in that state - avoid the authority of the federal government or the repeal of the 2007 energy independence act that starts phasing out some incandescent light bulbs next year. http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/06/20/texas-tells-feds-shove-your-light-bulb-ban

6. Consumers Energy Announces Energy Efficiency with Smartstreet Program - Consumers Energy, the Michigan Public Service Commission, the City of Grand Rapids and other project collaborators launched the utility's SmartStreet program in December 2010 to pilot the use of tools and technology to encourage energy efficiency, sustainability and cost savings among program participants. Since its launch, SmartStreet has provided free energy audits to program participants, and has facilitated lighting, equipment and technology upgrades resulting from energy audit recommendations to spur energy efficiency, reduce emissions and promote cost savings. http://www.consumersenergy.com/

7. Weston City, FL Selects Philips For Energy-Efficient Roadstar Luminaires - Philips Lighting, a developer of LED lighting technology, has announced that Weston City, Florida has selected Philips to provide 1,200 environmentally-sustainable, energy-efficient Roadstar luminaires. The retrofit solution, which uses the South Florida city's existing lighting poles along city-owned public thoroughfares, is expected to save Weston up to $160,000 in energy costs and approximately $100,000 in maintenance expenses annually when compared with its previous metal-halide systems. The new Roadstar luminaires from Philips Roadway come with a 10-year limited warranty and were funded, in part, by federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). 6/29 Datamonitor

8. Western Kentucky University Trims Electricity Usage - The program, offered through the local power company, pays up to $200 for every kilowatt saved. Western Kentucky retrofitted or replaced more than 70,000 lights in 35 campus buildings, which will result in a savings of more than 4.7 million kilowatt-hours per year. The school also replaced three HVAC chiller units, which provide cool water for air conditioning. In all, the school invested more than $9.6 million in energy saving measures, with a guaranteed energy savings of more than $1 million each year. 6/29 Datamonitor

9. New Lighting Technology: A Showcase of Products and Applications - Thursday, July 21, 2011 10 - 11 a.m. Pacific; 11 a.m.- Noon Mountain; Noon - 1 p.m. Central; 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Eastern New technologies in commercial lighting come rapidly. Manufacturers are eager to offer lighting technologies that reduce energy use, offer superior lighting quality – or both. For facility professionals, the trick is to know when a new technology is ready to deliver on its promise and where it is most effectively used. This webinar will scan the horizon of new lighting technologies and offer insights on performance and application. SPEAKER: Alan Suleiman, CEM, Electrical Engineer, SMUD Energy & Technology Center http://www.theboc.info/m-live-webinars.html

10. NAED Publishes PAR Report - The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED), St. Louis, released its annual Performance Analysis Report (PAR) Highlights, which compiles performance data from NAED electrical distributors to provide a benchmark for distributor operations in the industry. The report shows that electrical distributor profit margins increased to a median of 2.4% in 2010, compared to medians of 1.1% in 2009, 2.6% in 2008, 3.2% in 2007, and 3.7% in 2006. Among the top performing 25% of “high profit” distributors, the 2010 profit margin was 4.7%, consistent with last year’s profit margin. 6/30 http://livewire.electricalmarketing.com/  

News Updates for the Week of December 27

1. U.S. Population Grew 9.7% in the Past Decade to 308,745,538, the Slowest Rate Since The Great Depression
2. Construction Unemployment Rate Jumps to 18.8% - Construction unemployment rate is highest for any industry, roughly double overall rate as federal projects remain only bright spot for hard-hit sector. The construction unemployment rate jumped to 18.8% in November as the sector lost another 5,000 jobs since October, according to an analysis of new federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). 12/020 EC&M

3. Release of ENERGY STAR Luminaires Final Draft Version 1.0 Specification - Attached is a memo from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcing the release of the Final Draft Version 1.0 of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Luminaires. This specification, also attached, is intended long term to replace the existing Residential Light Fixtures (V4.3) and Solid State Lighting Luminaires (V1.2) specifications. Stakeholders may submit comments on this draft to EPA no later than Friday, January 14, 2011. Comments should be submitted to luminaires@energystar.gov with “ENERGY STAR Luminaires V1.0 Final Draft Comments” in the subject line.

4. Philips Lumileds Leads LED Industry with Mass Production on 150 mm Wafers - Philips Lumileds is the first power LED manufacturer in mass production on 150 mm wafers and is now producing millions of GaN based LEDs weekly on the larger substrates. Each 150 mm wafer produces four times the number of LEDs as the current 3-inch wafers. The transition to a larger wafer size is broadly viewed as a critical path to providing the increasing volume of LEDs required by the lighting industry and ensuring a supportable and secure supply chain. http://www.philipslumileds.com/

5. Rouses Point, NY Promotes Energy Efficiency - In an effort to increase energy efficiency, the Village of Rouses Point is distributing CFL light bulbs to electric customers. The move is a joint effort with other villages across New York state as part of the Independent Energy Efficiency Program http://ieepny.com/ About 260,000 Energy Star-qualified light bulbs have been distributed since November. Any village residents who pay a utility bill qualify for two free bulbs and can pick them up at the Village Office. 12/19 The Press-Republican

6. Energy Projects Planned for Archbald, PA -Traffic lights at five Archbald intersections will switch from incandescent bulbs to light-emitting diodes next year under a regional initiative funded by the Pittston-based Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance http://www.nepa-alliance.org/ Archbald is one of 55 municipalities that will change their traffic lights as part of the project. 12/17 The Times-Tribune

7. HD to Build Energy-Efficient Prototype -The Home Depot has agreed to showcase a high-performance, energy-efficient store built through the Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Partnership, a program dedicated to accelerating energy-saving technologies into standard designs for commercial buildings. The new Home Depot store, slated for Rocklin, CA, will require up to 50% less energy than standard commercial buildings, according to the press release. Funding will come through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Completion is expected in mid-2012. 12/17 HCN

8. Existing-Home Sales Show Improvement - Data released today from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) show sales of existing homes increased 5.6% to a pace of 4.68 million in November. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million is the highest since June 2010, which saw a pace of 5.26 million. Compared with November of last year, however, sales are 27.9% down from a 6.49-million pace. The optimistic projections are at the 5-million pace by spring of 2011. 12/22 HCN

9. Lighting Science Group Wins Bid to Relight Washington, D.C. - Lighting Science Group's high-performance PROLIFIC series LED street lights will soon line the streets of Washington, D.C. Compared with traditional high pressure sodium (HPS) street lights, the PROLIFIC LED series street lights are 50% more efficient, provide more uniform light distribution, increase light levels, and will save Washington, D.C. tens of thousands of dollars each year in energy and maintenance costs. The new light fixtures will be paid for from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and will begin to be installed in early 2011. http://www.lsgc.com/