News Updates for the Week of January 27

1.      LED Lumen Maintenance and Light Loss Factors - An article has been published in IES LEUKOS entitled "Lumen Maintenance and Light Loss Factors: Consequences of Current Design Practices for LEDs."  The article was written by Michael Royer of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and discusses complications related to the lamp lumen depreciation (LLD) light loss factor and LEDs. Because of the unique operating characteristics of LEDs and lack of a comprehensive lifetime rating—as well as the problematic relationship between SSL lifetime and lumen maintenance—determining an appropriate LLD factor for LED products is difficult.  The IES recommends using an LLD of no greater than 0.70 when the quantity of light is an important design consideration. The article discusses the issue in detail, compares the performance of some conventional and LED products, and examines alternatives to the currently recommended approach for determining LLD factors for LED products.  Access at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/tech_reports.html

2.      Cree's Q2'14 Earnings Preview: Rising LED Penetration to Drive Demand - The LED market dynamics improved considerably in 2013, primarily driven by the launch of new innovative products and the closing price gap with traditional lighting.  Led by strong lighting demand, Cree provided guidance for revenue to grow to $400-$420 million, with gross margins of around 38% in Q2 2014. Backed by strengthening demand across business segments – LEDs, Lighting & Power and RF – the company reported a 24% annual increase in its revenue base last quarter. Additionally, backed by higher lighting demand, benefits from LED bulb cost reductions, and higher fixture sales, Cree’s gross margins improved by 1.8 percentage points year to year. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/01/16/crees-q214-earnings-preview-rising-led-penetration-to-drive-demand/

3.      Cree Shatters Efficiency Benchmark with First 200-Lumen-Per-Watt LED Luminaire - Twice the efficiency of the best linear fluorescent luminaires. The latest DOE projections had estimated that this level of luminaire efficiency would not occur until after 2020, but Cree’s latest innovation has made this possible six years sooner than projected. The prototype leverages Cree’s vertical integration with innovations in LED chips, optics, materials technology and novel system design to deliver unprecedented performance. The 3,200-lumen concept luminaire delivered 200 LPW + at 80 CRI at thermal equilibrium while remaining within the ANSI color specification for 3000 K. http://www.cree.com/News-and-Events/Cree-News/Press-Releases/2014/January/200-LPW-fixture

4.      TCP Secures Patent Licensing Agreement with Philips - As part of this agreement, the two companies have agreed to settle and dismiss the patent infringement lawsuit that was pending in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The royalty-bearing license allows TCP and its affiliates full worldwide access to Philips’ LED-related patented technologies that Philips makes available to the lighting industry through its LED Luminaire and Retrofit Bulb licensing program. This license agreement with TCP follows earlier agreements between Philips and other companies. http://www.tedmag.com/

5.      LED Manufacturer Chosen for 2014 Forbes List of America's Most Promising Companies - Noribachi www.noribachi.com an LED lighting manufacturer, was chosen for the 2014 Forbes list of America's Most Promising Companies. Noribachi is an LED lighting company in Southern California specializing in creating retrofit lights for existing and brand new fixtures. The company has a large engineering staff with a substantial IP portfolio. Noribachi is committed to making commercial and industrial lighting an integral part of the connected world of tomorrow by including "Internet of Things" technologies in our products. http://www.tedmag.com/

6.      Philips Introduces 'Lighting as a Service' - While the model is commonly used to finance building retrofits, Philips will pay the upfront costs of installation and be compensated through a performance contract – the energy savings the retrofit produces. In Washington, DC, Philips will upgrade over 13,000 lighting fixtures in all its parking garages at no upfront cost to the city and provide a 10-year maintenance contract. Philips will get paid from the $2 million in savings the LEDs are expected to provide each year. The project starts this spring and will take about a year.  http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25461

7.      VA Commercial Loan Program Aimed at Energy Efficiency - A new commercial loan program is available to help Charlottesville, VA area businesses implement energy efficiency improvements and technologies. UVa Community Credit Union has committed to lend up to $1 million under this initiative. Organizers anticipate the average loan will be between $25,000 and $100,000 with terms of three to 15 years. Lighting upgrades; energy audits; insulation; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning system improvements are among the eligible projects. http://leap-va.org/

8.      LG&E, KU Plan to File Expanded Energy Efficiency Programs - Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company will file Friday 1/24 with the Kentucky Public Service Commission plans to expand several of the utilities' most popular energy efficiency programs.  It will offer programs and financial incentives to help residential and commercial customers better manage their energy usage and to help offset customers' costs for various energy-efficient products and services. Visit www.lge-ku.com/savingenergy for a complete list of the programs and services.

9.      South Bend, IN Energy Office Racks Up Savings - The Energy Office has helped facilitate more than 30 energy projects in the community, resulting in about $17 million in executed and anticipated energy savings through 2021. Among other things, the office has helped upgrade the lighting system in the three city-owned parking garages.  In upgrading to LED lights in the three city-owned parking garages downtown, the Energy Office managed to secure about $95,000 in grant money from Energizing Indiana to help pay for the $225,000 project.  The new lights are expected to save about $92,000 per year in energy costs, for a full return on investment in about 19 months. 1/21 AP

10.  Lakewood, WA May Switch To LED Streetlights Lakewood, WA is considering replacement of its roughly 3,000 streetlights, exchanging the familiar orange glow for the blue hue cast by LED lights. The project is estimated to cost around $2 million. Preliminary estimates show the city could save roughly $250,000 a year from the switch, which includes energy savings and reduced maintenance costs. It also would improve visibility. 1/21 The News Tribune

11.  $5.8 Million Deal Will Save Hawaii Hospital Energy and Money - Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu will save energy and money, thanks to a contract with efficiency services financer Metrus Energy.  Metrus will finance and implement $5.8 million in energy upgrades - including a new central cooling and heating plant, lighting upgrades and energy management and control systems. Kuakini will pay Metrus based on realized energy savings once the project becomes operational. Metrus is partnering with Energy Industries, which has a strong presence in Hawaii, to provide project installation and ongoing maintenance services. PRNewswire

12.  LED Street Lights in Europe: A Bright Tomorrow - Incandescent and halogen lamps have been banned in Europe.  The European Union (EU) has taken this strong step as a move toward meeting its 20-20-20 targets of increasing energy efficiency by 20%, increasing the share of renewable energy by 20% and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. The constantly declining price of LED lamps is boosting the LED lighting market in Europe. With the implementation of LEDs, around 70% of energy currently used in street lighting would be saved. Successful implementation of LED pilot projects in European countries including the UK, Germany, Spain, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and the Czech Republic have proven its benefits and has accelerated the LED market. The PennEnergy Research is available at: http://ogjresearch.stores.yahoo.net/led-street-lights-europe-bright-tomorrow.html

13.  Lighting for Tomorrow 2014 Competition Launched - Lighting for Tomorrow announced its twelfth annual competition at the Dallas Market, Jan. 15-19. The 2014 competition seeks lighting control devices, solid-state lighting (SSL) fixtures, replacement lamps, and retrofit kits that meet market price points such as LED A-lamps under $10 and fixtures under $50, as well as high lumen A-lamps. Similar to last year, Lighting for Tomorrow awards bonus points for high CRI LEDs, OLEDs and products for senior populations. For more information: www.lightingfortomorrow.com

Something to Think About

10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders by Mike Myatt, 4/04 Forbes - It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. The best communicators are great listeners and astute in their observations.  Become an excellent communicator when your interactions with others consistently use the following ten principles:

1.      Speak not with a forked tongue: Trust is best created by earning it ans will forgive many things where trust exists, but will rarely forgive anything where trust is absent.

2.      Get personal: If you don’t develop meaningful relationships with people you’ll never know what’s really on their mind until it’s too late to do anything about it.

3.      Get specific: Learn to communicate with clarity. Simple and concise is always better than complicated and confusing. 

4.      Focus on the leave-behinds not the take-aways: The best communicators develop the ability to get the information they need while leaving the other party feeling as if they got more out of the conversation than you did. When you truly focus more on contributing more than receiving you will have accomplished the goal. 

5.      Have an open mind:  A leader takes their game to a whole new level the minute they willingly seek out those who hold dissenting opinions and opposing positions with the goal not of convincing them to change their minds, but with the goal of understanding what’s on their mind. 

6.      Shut-up and listen: Great leaders know when to dial it up, dial it down, and dial it off (mostly down and off). The greatest form of discourse takes place within a conversation, and not a lecture or a monologue. 

7.      Replace ego with empathy: When candor is communicated with empathy & caring and not the prideful arrogance of an over inflated ego good things begin to happen. Empathetic communicators display a level of authenticity and transparency. 

8.      Read between the lines: Leaders have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard. Rather astute leaders know that there is far more to be gained by surrendering the floor than by filibustering. 

9.      When you speak, know what you’re talking about: Develop a technical command over your subject matter. Good communicators address both the “what” and “how” aspects of messaging so they don’t fall prey to becoming the smooth talker who leaves people with the impression of form over substance.

10.  Speak to groups as individuals: Great communicators can tailor a message such that they can speak to 10 people in a conference room or 10,000 people in an auditorium and have them feel as if they were speaking directly to each one of them as an individual. 

11.  Bonus – Be prepared to change the message if needed: Develop a contingency plan. Use great questions, humor, stories, analogies, relevant data, and where needed, bold statements to help connect and engender the confidence and trust that it takes for people to want to engage. 

Bottom line – The leadership lesson here is whenever you have a message to communicate, make sure said message is true & correct, well-reasoned, and substantiated by solid business logic that is specific, consistent, clear and accurate. Communication is not about you, your opinions, your positions or your circumstances. It’s about helping others by meeting their needs, understanding their concerns, and adding value to their world. 

The best leaders are simply uncomfortable with anything that embraces the status quo. Leadership is pursuit – pursuit of excellence, of elegance, of truth, of what’s next, of what if, of change, of value, of results, of relationships, of service, of knowledge, and of something bigger than themselves.