News Updates for the Week of March 10

1.      DOE Publishes CALiPER Snapshot Report on LED MR16 Lamps – This report utilizes the LED Lighting Facts^® program's extensive product database to help industry stakeholders understand the current state and trajectory of the market for that class of products. The key findings are available for download at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/snapshot2014_mr16.pdf

2.      DOE Publishes Special CALiPER Report on Retail Lamps - A special report on LED lamps available through the retail marketplace and targeted toward general consumers. The report follows similar reports published in 2011 and 2012. LED replacement lamps are available through many retail outlets, and CALiPER testing offers insights on performance trends from year to year.  For the new report, a total of 46 A19, PAR30, and MR16 lamps were purchased from retail stores in 2013. Instead of a random sample, the products were chosen to answer specific hypotheses about performance. The key findings are available for download at:

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/caliper_retail-lamps-study3.pdf

3.      Toshiba International Corporation Announces Lighting Business Reorganization - Toshiba Lighting and Technology Corporation (TLT), headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan, is responsible for Toshiba’s global lighting businesses and is implementing a reorganization of international operations. As a result, the LED Lighting Systems Division within TIC will discontinue most operations by March 31, 2014. The headquarters’ responsibility for Toshiba Lighting in the Americas will be transferred to Greenstar Lighting Products Inc. located in San Antonio, Texas. Greenstar is a wholly owned subsidiary of TLT. In the Americas, these changes include:

• Transfer of U.S. street lighting operations to Greenstar; 
• De-emphasis of lamps and light bulb products 
• Increased focus on professional grade street and outdoor lighting systems

https://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2010_12/pr2402.htm

4.      Transforming the Lighting Landscape - The L Prize competition will substantially accelerate America's shift from inefficient, dated lighting products to innovative, high-performance products. Just as Thomas Edison transformed illumination over a century ago, the L Prize will drive innovation and set "reach" performance goals for the industry. Sponsored by the U.S. Doe, the L Prize is the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur lighting manufacturers to develop high-quality, high-efficiency solid-state lighting products that set leading-edge performance benchmarks for industry. http://www.lightingprize.org/

5.      NEMA Commends House Passage of Energy Efficiency Improvement Act - The U.S. House of Representatives has strong support of energy efficiency and the role it plays in addressing our domestic energy needs by passing HR 2126, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act, by a vote of 375-36.  Key provisions of HR 2126 at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/fact-sheet/energy-efficiency-improvement-act-2014

6.      Top 10 LEED States of 2013 - The USGBC released its ranking of the Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system. The list highlights the regions around the country that are at the forefront of sustainable building design and transformation. The States in 2013 include: Illinois; Maryland; Virginia; Massachusetts; New York;  California; Oregon; North Carolina; Hawaii; Minnesota; Washington DC (not ranked as it is a federal district). http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95477-top-10-leed-states-in-us

7.      Shopping for Light Bulbs - -Beginning in 2012, everyday light bulbs have to meet new Department of Energy standards for how much energy they use. Bulbs that don't will be phased out over the next couple of years. Along with this move to more efficient bulbs comes a new way to shop for them. http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0164-shopping-light-bulbs

8.      New Research Finds Solar Jobs Growing Quickly Across Surprising Mix of States - The solar industry experienced record-breaking job growth across the U.S. last year, according to The Solar Foundation (TSF), an independent 501(c)(3) research and education nonprofit. TSF released new state-specific numbers that show major solar job gains in both traditional and burgeoning markets. California and Arizona continued to lead the way. http://thesolarfoundation.org/solarstates http://ecmweb.com/contractor/new-research-finds-solar-jobs-growing-quickly-across-surprising-mix-states

News Updates for the Week of November 11

1.      LEDucation 8 Expands SSL Educational Expo to a 2-day Format and New Location - The Designers Lighting Forum of New York announced that due to outstanding response of exhibitors and attendees alike, LEDucation 8 has expanded to a 2-day event and will be held at a new location to accommodate more exhibitors.  LEDucation 8, historically known as the largest single day exhibition and educational event dedicated solely to the ever-evolving LED market and technology, will return to New York City on March 18-19, 2014 in a new 2-day format and in a new venue–the Sheraton NY Times Square hotel. http://www.leducation.org/

2.      LEED Remains Preferred Rating System for Federal Buildings - The GSA concluded that the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED green building rating system can and should be used in government buildings to advance energy efficiency and to save taxpayers’ money. GSA issued its recommendation based on the findings of the EISA §436(h) Ad-Hoc Review Group on Green Building Certification Systems. More than 1.5 million square feet of space is certified using LEED every day, making LEED the most widely used high-performance building program for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of green buildings. More than 55,000 projects are currently participating in the commercial and institutional LEED rating systems, comprising 10.4 billion square feet of construction space in more than 140 countries and territories. http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95298-leed-remains-preferred-rating-system-for-federal-buildings

3.      Traditional Light Bulbs Are Dead, Long Live LEDs - The humble Edison light bulb has enjoyed a long lifespan, seeing only modest changes while technologies like television and radio have been drastically revised over time. But the familiar bulb's long, uninterrupted reign could finally be under threat as LEDs appear poised to become the new standard. 11/07 USA TODAY

4.      Little Fanfare for the Texas $7 Billion Clean-Energy Project - The last legs of a 3,600-mile system of transmission lines bringing wind-generated electricity from West Texas to the state's urban areas will be finished by the end of the year with little or no fanfare.  The project -- perhaps the state's largest clean-energy investment -- is getting little public notice from state authorities because of past controversies that helped add $2 billion to the cost, or that the final verdict on the overall benefit is still out because the 18,450 megawatt system comes on-line at half capacity.  Or perhaps officials don't want to draw attention to the $5 to $10 monthly increase that is coming to the electricity bills for the millions of customers of the state's primary electricity grid.  11/02 American-Statesman

5.      The Most Energy-Efficient U.S. States - The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) issued its annual scorecard for each state based on multiple factors, including reductions in greenhouse gas, energy codes for buildings and switching to cleaner fuels. The top five include: Oregon, New York, California, Massachusetts and Connecticut http://aceee.org/state-policy/scorecard

6.      DOE Publishes New Pricing and Efficacy Trend Analysis for Utility Program Planning - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a new report, SSL Pricing and Efficacy Trend Analysis for Utility Program Planning. The report was created in response to requests from utilities and energy efficiency organizations for information to help them forecast the order in which important SSL applications will become cost-effective and estimate when each “tipping point” will be reached. It includes performance trend analysis from DOE's LED Lighting Facts^® and CALiPER programs, plus cost analysis from various sources. www.ssl.energy.gov/techreports.html

7.      DOE Publishes New CALiPER Report on Subjective Evaluation of LED PAR38 Lamps - The U.S. DOE has published the first in a series of four special investigations intended to extend the findings of CALiPER Application Summary Report 20: LED PAR38 Lamps, which was published late last year. The new report, CALiPER Report 20.1: Subjective Evaluation of Beam Quality, Shadow Quality, and Color Quality for LED PAR38 Lamps, focuses on a subset of the lamps from Report 20, which were separately assessed by members of the IES.  The results suggest that many of the LED products compared favorably to halogen benchmarks in all attributes considered. The report is available online at www.ssl.energy.gov/reports

8.      DOE Publishes New Report on Dimming LEDs with Phase-Cut Dimmers - The U.S. DOE has published a new report, Dimming LEDs with Phase-Cut Dimmers: The Specifier's Process for Maximizing Success. The report was created in response to issues raised about dimming by energy efficiency organizations and specifiers, and is based on experience from CALiPER testing and GATEWAY demonstrations.  The new report reviews how phase-cut dimmers work, how LEDs differ from the incandescent lamps these dimmers were originally designed to control, and how those differences can lead to complications when attempting to dim LEDs. Such complications are often due to incompatibility between the LED source and the dimmer, rather than to any shortcomings in the LED source itself.  The report: www.ssl.energy.gov/gatewaydemos_results.html

9.      DTE Energy, MI Adds Two Energy-Savings Tools to Web Site - The new Lighting Guide, meanwhile, takes a comprehensive look at modern lighting, showing which bulbs are the most energy efficient and cost effective. The Lighting Guide also shows where bulbs can be purchased at special DTE Energy discounted prices. The Guide is continually updated with new information. www.dteenergy.com/LightingGuide

10.  Lutron and Hubbell Announce Collaboration to Address New Building Codes - Hubbell will embed Lutron's Clear Connect radio frequency (RF) communication technology directly into Hubbell's Load:Logic plug load control products. This expands the interoperability of Clear Connect-enabled devices, provides the industry with a much-needed, code-compliant solution and allows installers to easily control electrical outlets in new and existing facilities without learning new systems or performing extensive commissioning. 11/08 HCN

News Updates for the Week of July 1

1.      Energy Department Launches New Database on Residential and Commercial Building Energy Performance - The Energy Department launched a new Buildings Performance Database, the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information. Currently, commercial and residential buildings account for approximately 70% of the electricity consumption in the nation. The database strengthens the Department's commitment to provide U.S. industry, state and local governments, and researchers with innovative energy data tools that can help cut energy waste and save money. This database will allow users to access energy performance data and perform statistical analyses on more than 60,000 commercial and residential buildings across the country.

2.      Advanced Lighting Control Options That Can Be Used to Achieve Energy + Atmosphere Points for LEED V.4. by Craig DiLouie - Version 4 of the popular Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system is expected to be released at Greenbuild in November 2013.  Final balloting to approve the new LEED version is expected to occur in June, so we don’t know exactly what will be contained in the new rating system. One thing is almost certain, which is that the prerequisite for the Energy + Atmosphere section will change from the 2007 to the 2010 version of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1 energy standard, which is the national energy reference standard. This standard is expected to be tough to beat in terms of both lighting power densities and controls. http://www.lightnowblog.com/2013/06/lighting-controls-association-publishes-whitepaper-on-advanced-lighting-control-options-for-leed-v-4/

3.      A Number of Key SSL Standards and Test Methods are Still in Development - One of these is IES TM-28, "Prediction of Lumen Maintenance of LED Lamps and Luminaires," which is comparable to TM-21 but at a fixture level and is intended to lighten the testing burden on manufacturers by enabling them to use LM-80 data from the LEDs to help predict the lumen maintenance of complete lamps and luminaires. Another is ANSLG/ANSI C82.XX1, "LED Drivers Reliability," which helps address the reliability of the key driver element in a lamp or luminaire. Still another is a revision of UL 1598C, "Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Retrofit Luminaire Conversion Kits," a product safety standard that addresses LED linear replacement lamps. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/

4.      $3 Million in Solar Rebates Still Available This Year in Pennsylvania - Under the agency's Sunshine Solar Program, homeowners and small business owners are eligible for rebates of up to $7,500 and $52,500 for solar electric projects, respectively, until the program ends on Dec. 31 or when funds run out. Solar hot water projects can be reimbursed for up to $5,000 and $50,000, respectively. 6/26 HCN

5.      MaineDOT Installs High-Mast LEDs - The Maine Department of Transportation selected Acuity Brands' Holophane HMAO luminaires to improve the lighting for driver safety and to reduce energy costs at light towers along Interstate 295. High-mast lighting has largely remained the domain of HID sources because of the high levels of light required. The HMAO fixtures take a modular approach to the challenge of delivering the high light levels. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/6/17

6.      Construction Projects Getting 'Green' Light - Big city projects aren't the only ones going green--energy efficiency also is going mainstream in commercial construction throughout the state as tenants demand it and developers reap the benefits. With many communities adopting the state's so-called Stretch Energy Code, most new construction must demonstrate entry-level LEED certified energy efficiency before projects can be permitted. Every community doesn't have a green energy code such as Boston's that requires LEED certification for city projects, but the stretch code is moving all construction in a green direction. 6/21 Boston Herald

7.      Eden Prairie Joins Growing List of Minnesota Cities Switching to LED Streetlights - Eden Prairie is the latest city to illuminate its streets with brighter, whiter LED lights, joining a growing trend of metro cities turning to LED to save money and conserve energy as the technology improves. Last year, Robbinsdale retrofitted about 40 downtown streetlights with LED. Plymouth has replaced park building lights and parking lots with LED lights. And Xcel Energy, which is hired by many Minnesota cities to handle street lighting, has installed more than 500 LED streetlights in West St. Paul as a two-year test. 6/26 Star Tribune

8.      Bel Air Lighting Recalls Chandeliers - Bel Air Lighting, of Valencia, Calif., has issued a recall of its Portfolio and Transglobe nine-light chandeliers due to several reports of falling fixtures. The mounting loop that secures the chandelier to the ceiling is prone to breakage and poses a personal injury risk. The chandeliers were sold at Lowe's under the Portfolio brand (item No. 256047) and as Transglobe at lighting stores across the nation (Transglobe item No. 2579 EBG). The recall affects approximately 20,500 units sold. 6/26 HCN

9.      LG Strengthens Its Energy Star Muscle - LG Electronics USA has augmented its commitment to the Energy Star certification program. More than 60 of its products have already earned the 2013 Energy Star Most Efficient designation this year, which is more than the company earned throughout the entirety of 2012. The company earned the most points for its televisions, 51 of which earned the Most Efficient label this year. Its next strongest category was refrigerators, seven of which have been recognized so far. 6/27 HCN

10.  Legrand Adorne Under-Cabinet Lighting - The Legrand® adorne™ Under-Cabinet Lighting System is a fully customizable, modular solution for eliminating kitchen clutter. Because it's modular, it's compatible with any kitchen layout and can be hard-wired or plugged into any home wiring configuration. While the adorne Under-Cabinet Lighting System was designed for kitchens in mind, it can also be used in offices, hospitality and healthcare applications. See video: http://www.brazill.com/product/adorne-under-cabinet-lighting/

11.  Congratulations to Bill Warren Recognized by IESNY with "Brilliance Award" - Last Thursday night at the IESNY Section's "Lumen Award" dinner, attended by over 600 IES members and guests, Willard Warren, who has been writing the "Energy Advisor" column for LD&A magazine for the last 16 years, was presented with the 2013 Brilliance Award by the NY Section. The IESNYC proudly recognizes annually members who make the New York City Section shine! Congratulations my friend.

News Updates for the Week of May 20

1.      Senate Unanimously Confirms Energy Nominee Ernest Moniz - Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation Thursday to be the nation’s new energy secretary.  Moniz, 68, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, replaces Steven Chu. Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration.  Moniz, who heads an energy initiative at MIT, is widely seen as sympathetic to the natural gas industry and will soon decide whether to approve a major expansion of U.S. natural gas exports that could create thousands of jobs, spur economic growth and help offset the nation’s enormous trade deficit. 5/16 AP

2.      2013 DOE Solid-State Lighting Manufacturing R&D Workshop June 5–6, 2013 • Boston, MA - The fifth annual DOE SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop represents a meeting of the minds, bringing together varied perspectives from the entire SSL industry supply chain—plus other industries—to focus on a common goal. How do we work together to reduce SSL manufacturing costs, improve quality, increase volumes—and foster a greater U.S. role in SSL manufacturing? http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/boston2013.html

3.      Energy Department Publishes Protocols for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings - The Energy Department has published a new series of protocols for determining savings from energy efficiency upgrades in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. Using consistent methods to calculate energy savings will improve the credibility and demonstrate the impact of energy efficiency programs that help businesses and families reduce their energy bills.

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=883

4.      DOE Reports Track Progress in LED Lighting Technology - The industry’s shift to LEDs continues to be one of the most dynamic areas of product development and market realignment in the electrical industry. This transition has been getting substantial support from the U.S. DOE which offers programs for performance testing and standardized methods for reporting performance characteristics, with an eye toward assisting market acceptance. According to a recent DOE forecast, LED lighting will represent 74% of sales in the U.S. general illumination market by 2030 and will save about 2,700 terawatt-hours and $250 billion over a 20-year period. Navigant Research, in a report released this week, estimated that worldwide shipments of LED lamps will grow from 68 million units in 2013 to 1.28 billion units annually by 2021, and that the markets for every other lighting technology will contract over that period. DOE released two reports over the past few weeks on areas where there is still some distance to close before LEDs can be considered better than established light sources­—recessed troffer applications and environmental impact from end-of-life disposal. http://ewweb.com/news-watch/doe-reports-track-progress-led-lighting-technology

5.      GSA Advised to Keep LEED - The Green Building Advisory Committee, set up to advise facilities management agency the General Services Administration, concluded by a 10-6 vote that LEED was the best standard to help the government comply with the Energy Independence and Security Act.  The act requires federal agencies to use a green building certification system for new construction and major renovations. The GSA has required new buildings under its jurisdiction to be LEED Gold certified since 2010. There are more than 4,000 LEED-certified government projects, and another 8,000 pursuing certification, according to USGBC. http://www.energyvortex.com/pages/headlinedetails.cfm?id=6293

6.      Advanced Control Options for LEED v.4 - Version 4 of the popular Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system is expected to be released at Greenbuild in November 2013. Final balloting to approve the new LEED version is expected to occur in June. One thing is almost certain, which is that the prerequisite for the Energy + Atmosphere section will change from the 2007 to the 2010 version of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1 energy standard. This is because the 2010 version of 90.1 is now the national energy standard. By October 2013, all states in the country must put in place a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 or justify why they can’t comply.  http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/

7.      Call for Submissions for 2013 IES Progress Report - The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) recently announced a call for submissions to the 2013 IES Progress Report. This program offers organizations in lighting an opportunity to present important new products, research, publications, and design tools. All lighting products must be introduced commercially and all research, publications and design tools must be completed between August 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013. Submissions are open May 17 through July 19, 2013. http://www.ies.org/progress/

8.    LED Supply Chain Dynamics - Now that the rise of the LED has begun, the repercussions are rippling up and down the LED supply chain. One effect is consolidation in this sector, driven by a desire for vertical integration among the larger lighting companies, which in turn is being driven by the relentless demand for lower prices and higher quality. While the total number of vendors involved in the LED supply chain will likely shrink, other factors–including the expiration of existing patents, new interchangeability standards, new technologies, and an expected upsurge in creative product designs will create opportunities for new entrants at each level of the supply chain. Navigant Research forecasts that annual worldwide revenue from LED lamps will grow from just over $1.5 billion in 2013 to more than $8.5 billion in 2021. http://www.navigantresearch.com/research/led-supply-chain-dynamics

9.      MA Officials, Activists Tout Energy Savings Plan - Article 19 asks voters to borrow $4,049,027 to pay for a variety of energy-conserving measures in schools and other town-owned buildings. These will include more efficient heating systems and lighting as well as an energy management system. 5/13 The Eagle-Tribune

10.  Osram Leads Research on LED-Based Adaptive Headlamps for Autos - Focused on increased safety for drivers and passengers, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FMER) is sponsoring a research project on adaptive forward lighting systems (AFS) for autos, and Osram Opto Semiconductors is serving as the project coordinator. The project will seek to combine microelectronics and optoelectronics technologies to enable autonomous camera-based control of LED headlamps with no mechanical actuators. The AFS concept includes both optimum lighting for the driver and supplementary traffic safety functions. The goal is glare-free high-beam lighting, and low beams that adjust to the speed of the vehicle.  http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/5/7

11.  Pumped Up For Profits: Electrical Supplies in the Oil Patch by Jim Lucy - In an era of sluggish growth in the electrical market, the sales opportunities popping up in the oil and gas market in some regions of the country for distributors, reps and manufacturers stick out like a solitary pump jack on the northern prairie.  New horizontal drilling technologies combined with what’s called  “oil fracking” is now allowing drilling companies to access deposits of oil and natural gas that previously couldn’t be extracted profitably, often in regions of the country where the oil and gas business had more or less been dormant for years. http://ewweb.com/ewweb/2013-05-01