Training Programs

1.      MaxLite Webinar: LED & Recessed Cans - Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 pm EST - Learn more about:

• Products designed for retrofits, new construction and remodel applications
• Finding the right LED source to replace / displace CFL and HID lamps
• Options & accessories you need to know about

http://www.instantpresenter.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EC59D984844C

      2.  Earn Your Technical Certificate - Study online at your own pace to earn your certificate as an Electronics, Electromechanical, PLC or Robotics Technician. Fully accredited programs enrich skills in design, programming, installation, operation and troubleshooting of industrial electronics, robotics and PLC equipment. Each program includes simulation software that converts your computer into a fully functioning industrial robot, PLC or electronics lab. Get your info package.

3.      LCA Offers Updated Energy Codes Course - The Lighting Controls Association has updated EE203: Lighting & Commercial Energy Codes, a course in its popular Education Express program. Authored by Craig DiLouie, LC, this revised course provides general introductory knowledge about the lighting control requirements imposed by the 2010 version of ASHRAE/IES 90.1 and the 2012 version of the IECC (as initially published, without addenda). Process maps outlining each step towards compliance provides a graphical learning experience and enables students to easily visualize the process. AIA, NCQLP (LC) credits. http://aboutlightingcontrols.org/Education_Express/welcome.php

4.      Hubbell Lighting Announces 2014 Lighting Education Schedule - Hubbell Lighting, announced the release of the 2014 lighting education course schedule at its state-of-the-art Lighting Solutions Center (LSC). The LSC courses are available to almost anyone (newbies and seasoned pros alike) whose profession is architecture, illuminating engineering, lighting design, or electrical contracting or distribution. The schedule is available at www.lightingsolutionscenter.com

News Updates for the Week of November 18

1.      Hundreds of LED Lights Illuminate NYC’s 1 World Trade Center Spire - Hundreds of red, white and blue LED modules are illuminating lower Manhattan as officials test the lights atop 1 World Trade Center. The port authority of New York and New Jersey said Friday the beacon is packed with nearly 300 modules and their glow can be seen for up to 50 miles. The beacon and spire together stand 408 feet tall and bring the building, formerly called the Freedom Tower, to its symbolic height of 1,776 feet and is deemed the nation's tallest building. 11/08 AP

2.      Con Ed 2012 Rates Highest of Any Major US Utility - Con Ed's 2.1 million residential customers in New York City and Westchester County paid an average of 25.65 cents per kilowatt hour in 2012, the data released Friday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That's more than twice the national average price of 11.88 cents per kilowatt hour. Con Ed said in a statement that more than 25 percent of the bill consists of government-imposed taxes and fees. Long Island Power Authority customers also paid some of the country's highest rates at 19.03 cents per kilowatt hour last year. 11/12 AP

3.      Status of the LED Industry 2013 - Growth of the LED industry has come initially from the small display application and has been driven forward by the LCD display application. In 2012, General Lighting has surpassed all other applications, representing nearly 39% of total revenue of packaged LEDs. Indeed, the LED TV crisis of 2011 (following an overestimation of the market) had the benefit of decreasing LED prices and intensifying the competitive environment. As a matter of fact, LED-based lighting product prices have decreased more rapidly than expected, increasing the penetration rate of the technology. Yole Développement estimates packaged LED will reach a market size of $13.9B in 2013 and will peak to $16B by 2018. Growth will be driven mainly by General Lighting applications (45% to 65% of total revenue during this period), completed by display applications. http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/m9qh8qc/status_of_the_led_industry_2013  

4.      Philips On ‘The Future of Light’ - Based upon expert interviews and more than 50 case studies, the report summarizes 12 trends which have been grouped into four themes showing the way lighting can be used to create experiences, tell stories, convey information and promote wellness. The PSFK report highlights projects which collectively demonstrate the numerous benefits of light, ranging from healthy sleep patterns and feelings of safety, through to macro issues, including the readdress of resource scarcity and climate change. http://electricalcontractor.com/?p=11760

5.      Christmas Lights Are Going Green - The shift is showing up at stores, which are selling more of the efficient LED lights. Wal-Mart is devoting half of its shelf space for Christmas lights to LEDs and offering a string of 50 mini LED lights for $5, down from $6.30 last year.  Costco is selling no incandescent Christmas lights at all. General Electric, which has peddled holiday lighting for more than a century, expects that two out of every five strings of lights sold this year will be LEDs. 11/11 The Kansas City Star

6.      Osram LEDs to Light The Sistine Chapel's Michelangelo Frescoes - The project, involving custom-designed fixtures optimized for beam control and with a color spectrum that will highlight the pigmentation in the frescoes, will be completed next year, although a pilot project entitled LED4Art has already proven the concept. LED-based lighting will enable higher illuminance levels on iconic artwork in famed Rome cathedral while preserving the historically-significant work and utilizing 60% less energy. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/11/7

7.      tED Magazine Prepares to Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary - In 2014, tED magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Each month, the magazine will have a special feature looking back on 50 years of bringing you news about electrical distribution industry. http://www.tedmag.com

8.      MaxLite Launches Mobile Website - To meet the rapidly changing needs of customers and other lighting professionals that work in the field, MaxLite® has launched an easy-to-navigate mobile website that dynamically displays data sheets, images and information from the company's extensive product library for use with any type of smartphone. Rather than using downloads, the website will provide information dynamically and instantaneously. MaxLite's mobile website is updated daily with new product and application images, specification information, promotions and other corporate information that is vital to its distributors, specifiers and sales representatives. View the mobile website from your personal computer at http://m.maxlite.com

9.      Eaton LED Solutions Improve Lighting for Georgia Auto Dealership - Power management company Eaton and its Cooper Lighting division are proving that LED fixtures can provide more than just energy savings with a recent project for Georgia-based car dealership, Nalley Honda-Buick-GMC-Isuzu located in Brunswick. To showcase automobiles and reduce energy expenses, Eaton's Cooper Lighting business teamed up with Georgia Power to install 76 Streetworks Galleon LED fixtures, resulting in impressive illumination and an overall energy savings of 60 percent. 11/15 http://www.tedmag.com

10.  Top U.S. Organizations Using Most Green Power -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its updated lists of the top Green Power Partnership (GPP) organizations choosing to use clean, renewable electricity. The top 10 partners appearing on the Top 100 list include:

1)      Intel Corporation

2)      Microsoft Corporation

3)      Kohl's Department Stores

4)      Whole Foods Market

5)      Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

6)      U.S. Department of Energy

7)      Staples

8)      City of Houston, TX

9)      Starbucks Company-Owned Stores

10)  Apple Inc.

For more on the Top Rankings visit www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/index.htm.

11.  One-day Immersion in LED Lighting Education and Solutions - For specifiers of commercial, architectural and decorative LED lighting products. http://www.ledspecifiersummit.com/

12.  ASHRAE/IES Publish 2013 Energy Standard 90.1-2013 - Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, incorporates 110 addenda, reflecting changes made through the public review process. Appendix F gives brief descriptions and publication dates of the addenda to 90.1-2010 reflected in this new edition. The most significant lighting changes include improvements to daylighting and daylighting controls, space-by-space lighting power density limits, thresholds for toplighting and revised controls requirements and format. http://www.techstreet.com/ashrae/products/1865966

      

      13.  Raleigh Orthopaedic Selects Cree LED Lighting - Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic, one of the city's largest orthopaedic practices, chose LED lighting from Cree, Inc. for the facility's new state-of-the-art headquarters and surgery center. The North Carolina facility installed more than 1,000 Cree® CR Series LED architectural troffers throughout the 98,000-square-foot clinic. According to Raleigh Orthopaedic, the newly installed LED troffers will decrease the clinic's lighting energy usage by 54 percent compared to outdated fluorescent technologies. http://www.tedmag.com

14.  Chicago City Infrastructure Trust Eyes ComEd Efficiency Fund - The money would come from ComEd customers who pay, on average, $1.24 a month on their bills for energy efficiency programs. The fund totals almost $160 million annually, money that currently is used for programs such as swapping out light bulbs and providing rebates on appliances.  11/12 Chicago Tribune

News Updates for the Week of July 29

1.      DOE Studies Residential Lighting Usage - DOE has published a collaborative study focused on developing new estimates of residential lighting usage and energy consumption at the national and regional levels. The study, Residential Lighting End-Use Consumption Study: Estimation Framework and Initial Estimates, developed a framework that allows for the estimation of U.S. lamp usage and energy consumption not only nationally and by region, but also by household characteristics, lamp characteristics, and the particular room within a home as well as limited combinations of these parameters. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/residential-lighting-study.html

2.      The DOE's LED Lighting Facts Program by James Brodrick - In response to industry feedback, the U.S. DOE launched the LED Lighting Facts program in late 2008 to promote the accurate and consistent reporting of LED product performance claims. The idea behind LED Lighting Facts is that SSL manufacturers, who sign up test their products using industry-standard methods (IES LM-79-2008), report the performance results and use the LED Lighting Facts label—which presents key product metrics in an easy-to-read format in order to help users evaluate those products and identify the best options. www.lightingfacts.com

3.      New ENERGY STAR Product Finder Tools - The product finder tools provide consumers, partners, and interested third parties with an easily-accessible, user-friendly search tool. EPA encourages ENERGY STAR Manufacturing Partners to review your listed models and verify the accuracy of the data. Any concerns about data quality should be reported to your EPA-recognized certification body (CB). http://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-light-fixtures/results Utilities, retailers, and other more advanced users can access the detailed datasets (qualified product lists) directly at data.energystar.gov

4.      Energy-Saving Program Launched with $100 Million Commitment - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced an expanded energy-efficiency program that will enable building owners to pay overtime rather than up front for projects that cut energy use and utility bills. In addition, he announced a financing agreement between the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. and California-based Clean Fund to finance scores of energy-focused building upgrades.  Clean Fund works with Johnson Controls Inc., whose global building efficiency business, based downtown, specializes in engineering projects that replace building chillers, upgrade controls, tap software to make them run better and install more efficient lighting. 7/24 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

5.      ComEd's Energy Efficiency Programs Helped Customers Save $400 Million on Electric Bills Over Past Five Years - The company recently launched the sixth year of its Smart Ideas® energy efficiency programs with more than $56 million in incentives to help customers conserve energy and spend less on electricity. New this year for small businesses, ComEd will cover up to 75 percent (increased from 50 percent) of recommended energy efficiency upgrades - such as lighting, LED exit signs and energy-efficient water heater installation--offered through its Small Business Energy Savings Program. 7/23 PRNewswire

6.      New Lights in Shuttered Chicago Schools - Chicago Public Schools spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to install new lighting systems in at least nine schools just before they were targeted for closing in the city's cost-cutting school consolidation plan. At the same time, the city wants private investors to pay for the new energy-efficient lights in those schools and more than 200 others, as part of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust. The trust is enticing private firms to pay for the school improvements by promising a cut of the energy savings on future electricity bills. But it is unlikely investors will see much of a return from new lights installed in empty schools. 7/19 Chicago Tribune

7.      MaxLite Expands Engineering Department - MaxLite has expanded its engineering department by setting up a team in its West Caldwell, NJ headquarters and appointing key engineering personnel. MaxLite’s new engineering team in New Jersey will work with an existing engineering team in its Rancho Cucamonga, CA, location. MaxLite is collaborating with electrical engineers to troubleshoot indoor and outdoor LED product issues and performing internal testing.

8.      Introducing Hubbell Loans - Removing a significant barrier to wider adoption of energy efficient lighting, Hubbell Lighting announced a creative financing solution called “Cash Flow Positive.” The initiative provides flexible and easy access funding for commercial and municipal customers, through Hubbell Lighting and its agent network. Working through the company’s Hubbell Capital team, commercial customers can receive competitive rate financing with terms from 12 to 60 months (up to 120 months for municipal customers) on projects ranging from $5,000 to $10 million. http://www.hubbelllighting.com/resources/financing/

9.      Lutron Survey Shows Who Is Leaving The Lights On - Lutron Electronics announced the findings from a recent “Home Lighting Usage and Behavior” survey to determine wasted energy. This survey looked at energy and electricity within the home and where people tend to leave the lights on. The study shows that 90% of the people surveyed have someone in the house who leaves the lights on when they leave a room, and 55% of the time a child is to blame. Also, the kitchen is the most common room to have the lights left on, while the bathroom, bedroom and living room are all about the same. Lutron is announcing to study to promote its Meastro Occupancy Sensing Switch

10.  Seoul Semiconductor Drives Efficacy Up and Cost Down in Mid-Power LEDs - The new plastic-packaged 5630C LED can deliver efficacy up to 180 lm/W. There has been a race of late to new efficacy levels in the mid-power space. Just before the LFI show back in April, Samsung announced 160 lm/W efficacy in mid-power LEDs, claiming that as an industry high. Then at LFI, LG Innotek announced 170-lm/W efficacy in similar products. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/7/16

11.  GE Lighting Makes the Streets of Bristol Shine - GE Lighting has upgraded the street lighting in Bristol, UK to deliver an energy efficient, white light solution - part of Bristol City Council's aim to reduce its carbon footprint and to promote a safer urban environment. The project comprises the replacement of existing high-pressure sodium street lighting with GE’s improved, higher efficiency CMH Streetwise ceramic metal halide lamps. http://specificationonline.co.uk/news-article/4695/ge-lighting-ge-lighting-makes-the-streets-of-bristol-shine

News Updates for the Week of April 15

1.      Goodbye Fluorescent Bulb - Dutch company Royal Philips NV says LED lamp will soon light up your office. The technical milestone the company claims to have achieved is the ability to produce 200 lumens of light per watt. It has developed an LED light that will soon be far more efficient than the best fluorescents on the market. That should make it cheaper and greener, as well. It's a combination that will inevitably help the LED dominate the market for illuminating the world's workplaces within 10 years. It will be the first on the market that reaches that level of efficiency and functions across a normal range of temperatures and is capable of consistently producing the same amount of warm white colored light as comparable fluorescent tubes. http://www.newscenter.philips.com http://finance.yahoo.com/news/goodbye-fluorescent-bulb-philips-says-112843502.html

2.      National Academy of Sciences Releases Report on Solid-State Lighting - NAS has published a report entitled Assessment of Advanced Solid-State Lighting. The NAS committee reviewed the development and future impacts of SSL, including projections of cost and research and development necessary to overcome barriers to widespread adoption. It also made a number of recommendations, including many that have already been implemented. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18279

3.   DOE Publishes Exploratory CALiPER Study on Commercial Ambient LED Lighting - The U.S. DOE has released an exploratory CALiPER study on the problems and benefits likely to be encountered as LED products intended to replace linear fluorescent lamps become increasingly popular. Eighteen lighting designers and facility engineers compared 24 identical pairs of troffers in a simulated office space. Three of those pairs involved fluorescent benchmark troffers, and the rest were LED products. The products were evaluated for photometric distribution, uniformity of light on the task surface, and suitability of the light output for the task, as well as flicker, dimming performance, color quality, power quality, safety and certification issues, ease of installation, energy efficiency, and life-cycle cost. Bottom line: LED dedicated troffers can compete with (and beat) fluorescents in terms of efficacy. For a copy of the full report: www.ssl.energy.gov/exploratory.html

4.   PowerSecure Strengthens LED Business with Acquisition of Solais Lighting - PowerSecure International, Inc. today announced that it has acquired Solais Lighting, Inc., a private company based in Stamford, CT which has a proprietary portfolio of LED lamps and fixtures for commercial and industrial applications that provide superior light output, thermal management, optics, light quality and aesthetics.  The acquisition strengthens and complements PowerSecure's existing LED business with additional product lines and an expanded customer base, and adds strong skill sets around product design, product commercialization, manufacturing and materials sourcing. http://www.marketwatch.com

5.    EW Looks at How LEDs are Changing the Municipal Market by Doug Chandler - The advances lighting manufacturers have been making in LED technology will eventually change all aspects of the lighting market. One of the first to see a significant change has been the market for roadway and outdoor area lighting, where in just a few years the market has shifted from essentially a relationship-driven sale focused on the utilities and commodity fixtures to a spec-driven sale at the municipal level.  For Electrical Wholesaling's April issue, I talked with some product managers in the middle of this transformation about what they've seen and where this is going. http://ewweb.com/lighting/revolution-road-leds-reshape-how-municipal-lighting-sold

6.      Growing Pains: LEDs by Susan Bloom - Among other matters with LEDs, reliability has been an issue.  Long life, unparalleled efficiency, brightness and durability are just some of the benefits that LED technology brings to the industry table and the contractor’s market basket. But while the $2.5-plus billion LED lamp industry continues to progress along its rapid growth trajectory and distinctive path as the future of lighting, it remains plagued by a number of issues that currently impair its viability in a variety of key applications. Following, our experts discuss some of the issues that LEDs continue to face at this stage of their evolution as well as tips to help contractors navigate through the sometimes murky waters of LED technology. http://www.ecmag.com/section/lighting/growing-pains-leds

7.      LEDs' New Standard: Zhaga Consortium by Craig DiLouie -While integrated LED replacement lamps are designed around conventional lamp sockets, these interfaces are impractical for LED lighting fixtures, the majority of which are designed as highly integrated devices. This allows the product to be optimized around the technology but means the light source and control gear (driver/power supply) cannot be easily replaced. Some products are designed around components that are replaceable but only with major disassembly. A growing number of fixtures are entering the market that offer replaceable components, but the connections are proprietary, providing durability but not choice. Enter Zhaga, an industry consortium founded in 2010 around the goal of providing interchangeability of LED light sources made by different manufacturers. The organization now has more than 270 companies and organizations participating, including big names such as Acuity Brands, Cooper, Cree, GE, Osram Sylvania, Philips and Zumtobel.
 http://www.ecmag.com/section/lighting/leds-new-standard-zhaga-consortium

8.      LED Price Battle Heats Up as Osram Launches 10-Euro Bulb - Germany's Osram is launching a new LED light bulb that costs less than 10 euros ($13.10) to battle rivals, such as Cree and Samsung Electronics, for a share of the fast-growing market. A spokesman for Osram, which is being spun off by engineering conglomerate Siemens, said on Monday the company's new LED replacement for 40 watt incandescent bulbs would retail at 9.95 euros in Germany from June. Most comparable LED bulbs in Europe currently cost more than 15 euros. http://finance.yahoo.com

9.      Consumers Warm to LED Bulbs as Prices Fall - Thanks to subsidies from utilities, improved quality, and lower manufacturing costs, sales are expected to rise significantly this year. Part of shift is by default. Since last year, incandescent bulbs are being phased out. The 75-watt and 100-watt bulbs are no longer being manufactured, and the 40- and 60-watters will be eliminated next year. While today's prices are a big plunge from $70 for a bulb in 2009, it still seems exorbitant for people used to paying 50 cents for an incandescent.  But a 60-watt LED bulb for $13 pays for itself in about two years. $10 a bulb is seen as the tipping point where many consumers will try LED as a replacement for 40- or 60-watt incandescents, which make up 80 percent of North America's residential bulbs. 4/08 Star Tribune 

10.  MaxLite Works with Progress Energy Carolinas to Provide Energy-Efficient CFLs to Habitat for Humanity ReStores - MaxLite is helping Habitat ReStore customers in the Carolinas save energy and money through an innovative program by Progress Energy Carolinas that provides ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to customers at greatly discounted prices. The bulbs are discounted through Progress Energy Carolina’s Energy-Efficient Lighting program and then gifted to the stores. MaxLite is also partnering with utilities and Habitat ReStores in other select areas of the nation as well. http://www.maxlite.com/news-and-events?p=3526