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1. Number
of LED Rebates Increases by 51% - Over the past year, rebate and incentive programs have caught up to the
growing number of LED lighting solutions being used in the market today. Today,
thousands of programs are available for LED solutions. An interesting trend is
that while the number of rebates has steadily grown over the past year, the
average rebate amount has actually gone down. For LED replacement lamps, the average rebate has decreased by 4% since
January 2012. Incentives for LED recessed down lights have also
decreased by 29% during the same time period. These reductions are mostly due
to the cost of LEDs coming down over the last year, which means less incentive
money is needed to make these solutions financially attractive. http://www.briteswitch.com/newsletter/Sept12-1.html
2. The Current US Lighting Rebate
Climate - As
we enter the final stretch of the calendar year, an increasing number of rebate
and incentive programs are exhausting their funds. According to our North
American Rebate and Incentive Database, 9% of all US commercial lighting rebate
and incentive programs are currently out of funding. This situation is mainly
due to increased participation in the programs. Locations that would have
previously qualified for rebates may no longer be eligible because the rebate
organization has no money left.
3. Forces of Change by Mark Lien - A recent DOE study projects that the LED
market share will total just 9.5% by 2015 and 35.8 % in 2020. Innovation is
often stifled because the concept is embraced but new ideas are not. Lighting products and applications will not
be the same in 10 years. New industry
leadersd will emerge with their success being in large part by how they define
LED innovation. 8/’12 LD&A
4. Builder Confidence Continues to Rise - Builder confidence in the
market for newly built, single-family homes rose for a fifth consecutive month
in September to a level of 40 on the National Association of Home
Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), released today. The
three-point rise brought the index to its highest point since June 2006. Any number higher than 50 indicates that more builders view
sales conditions as good than poor. 9/18 HCN
5. Housing Starts Improve in August - Government data released Wednesday morning
show residential construction climbing slowly out of an historically deep
hole. Housing starts increased in August to a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of 750,000--that’s up 2.3% from the July rate and up 29.1% from the
August 2011 rate. To put the numbers in an historical
context, a full year with 750,000 starts would be the fourth lowest year since
the government began keeping track of the statistic in 1959. However, an
end-of-year figure of 750,000 would be an increase of 39%, 28% and 23% when
compared with the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. 9/19 HCN
6. Existing-Home Sales Rise 7.8% - Existing-home sales continued to improve in
August, according to the National Association of Realtors. The NAR’s tally
shows existing-home sales in August increased to a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of 4.82 million, up 7.8% from 4.47 million in July. Compared with a year
ago, the rate of sales is up 9.3%. 9/20
HCN
7. Half Of Chinese LED Chip Makers Predicted
to Go Bust -
Half of all LED chip making companies in China will go bankrupt owing to a slump
in global demand and cuts in subsidies to certain manufacturers, according to a
piece of research by Reuters. Analysts
say oversupply and the economic downturn has depressed prices to below
production levels, meaning large numbers of small companies have already closed
their businesses. Under a new government resolution to reduce subsidies, these
businesses may be left with no choice but to integrate or declare bankruptcy. Due
to government support, global share of the market for packaged LED components rose
from 2 per cent in 2010 to 6 per cent in 2011. But the boom years are coming to
an end, with many of China’s LED chipmakers operating their factories at 50 per
cent capacity. Around half of the 700 or so factories that received government
help have been left idle. http://www.lighting.co.uk
8. Energy Efficiency Initiative Putting NY on the
MAP - The New York Power
Authority (NYPA) has launched a $30 million initiative to accelerate the market
utilization of emerging, cutting-edge energy-efficiency technologies. The
Energy Efficiency Market Acceleration Program (EE-MAP) will fund research and
development activities and demonstration projects to help leverage investments
and promote business development opportunities for emerging energy efficiency
technologies. This will be done in coordination with state agencies,
authorities and electric utilities to improve industry access to investments
made at public facilities. http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/energy-efficiency-initiative-putting-ny-map/2012-09-18
9. NYSERDA Announces $1.1 Million Equipment Rebate Program to Help
Small Municipal Governments Reduce Energy Use - The “Buy Green, Save Green Rebates
for New York State Local Governments” program is available to encourage small
municipal governments to replace inefficient appliances and equipment with
energy-efficient models. The program begins Sept. 25, 2012. The rebates will
pay 75 percent of the purchase price of eligible products, which include ENERGY
STAR® refrigerators, dehumidifiers, commercial dishwashers, room air
conditioners, imaging equipment (including copiers and fax machines; digital
duplicators; printers, scanners and all-in-one devices; and mailing machines),
as well as CFLs and LEDs in quantities of 10 or more. www.nysappliancerebates.com
10. Newly Remodeled New Jersey Energy Data Center
Website - The NJEDC is
funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and is a data collection and
processing tool for New Jersey policy makers, businesses, educators, and
citizens. The website includes links to electricity, natural gas, petroleum,
energy efficiency and renewable energy data for the State, as well as many
other energy-related links. The purpose of the site is to help promote public
understanding regarding energy and its interaction with the economy and the
environment. http://www.njenergydatacenter.org/
11. Five Connecticut Colleges Sharing $1M Loan to Boost Energy
Efficiency - Connecticut's Clean Energy Finance and
Investment Authority is making a $1 million loan to help a group of Connecticut
colleges become more energy efficient. The
money will be used to launch "Campus Efficiency Now," a program that
will allow participating schools that are members of the Connecticut Conference
of Independent Colleges to implement energy-saving measures with no upfront
costs. The money will be repaid by
the five schools participating in the program--the University of Hartford,
Mitchell College, Connecticut College, University of Saint Joseph and the
University of New Haven--using the energy savings yielded over five
years. 9/19
- McClatchy-Tribune Regional
12. Oregon Becomes Energy Special Improvement
District - Oregon
City Council has established the city as an energy special improvement
district, a move that will enable businesses to draw on a federal grant to make
energy efficiency improvements and repay the money as a special assessment with
property taxes. Businesses taking advantage of the district can get financing for
their improvements from a $15 million U.S. Department of Energy Better Building
Program grant awarded to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the city of
Toledo in 2010. 9/18 McClatchy-Tribune
Regional News
13. Local Governments Launch Ambitious Energy
Efficiency Program - Under
the auspices of California's largest statewide joint powers authority, 14
California counties and 126 cities are today launching the nation's largest
PACE program, an innovative financing tool to help commercial property owners
reduce their buildings' energy and water use. The CaliforniaFIRST program,
which is a program of the California Statewide Communities Development
Authority, allows commercial property owners to use municipal bonds to finance
energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy upgrades–which the
owners repay through a special assessment on their annual property tax bill. http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/09/18/4272526/local-governments-launch-ambitious.html
