News Updates for the Week of October 7

1.      2013 ENERGY STAR Products Partner Meeting – Cancelled Due to the Government Shutdown -

2.      $10 LED Price War Heats Up the Lighting Market - Earlier this year, Cree dropped the price of its 40-watt equivalent (6-watt) warm-white LED bulb to less than $10. The incumbents were watching and have answered.

• Philips at Home Depot selling its 60-watt LED equivalent for $9.97 after utility rebate. Also at Staples. For regions without a utility rebate available, its 10.5-watt is $10.97. 
• Wal-Mart is selling its line of Great Value LEDs for $8.88 for a 60-watt-equivalent.  
• Wal-Mart will also offer a new dimmable 60-watt equivalent by GE for $11.  
• GE is also selling its Reveal LED for about $20 at other retailers.  
• Ikea said last year it would only sell LEDs after 2016

       http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/10-LED-Price-War-Heats-Up-The-Lighting-Market

3.      LED Products and Building Partners Wanted for All High-Efficacy Project - California’s current Title 24 requirements for building energy efficiency call for some high-efficacy lighting in a limited number of residential space types, such as kitchens and bathrooms. CLTC http://cltc.ucdavis.edu is working with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Davis Energy Group (DEG) to develop specifications for residential lighting packages that will consist entirely of high-efficacy LED lighting products. More details are available here

4.      DOE Publishes Updated SSL Manufacturing R&D Roadmap - The Roadmap complements the SSL R&D Multi-Year Program Plan that guides the Core and Product Development R&D programs. One of the goals of the Roadmap is to guide the Manufacturing R&D program and help direct funding solicitations for it. The Roadmap also provides guidance for equipment and material suppliers, based on industry consensus on the expected evolution of SSL manufacturing—thereby reducing risk, improving quality, increasing yields, and lowering costs.  To download a PDF copy of the updated Roadmap, see www.ssl.energy.gov/techroadmaps.html

5.      Hubbell Lighting Launches Create Change Upgrade Program for Commercial Buildings - Commercial buildings represent over 80 billion square feet of space in the U.S. and consume 36% of all electricity, making them one of the largest generators of greenhouse gases. Hubbell Lighting announced a new solution to cut electricity costs, enhance the quality of light and reduce the financial risk of upgrades–resulting in up to a 3% increase in net operating income while at the same time improving the property value and attractiveness for tenants. To learn more about the createchange® program for commercial buildings: www.hubbelllighting.com/solutions/retrofit/applications/

6.      NEMA Publishes Annual Standards and Products Guide - The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published the 2014 edition of its Electrical Standards &  Products Guide (ESPG), a comprehensive listing of NEMA electrical standards as well as an extensive directory of manufacturers and their products. A complimentary copy may be downloaded at no charge: http://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/NEMA/espg_nxtbook/

7.     Lighting Systems Index Gains Continue During Second Quarter - NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index posted a modest increase of 2.4 percent on a quarter-to-quarter basis during the second quarter of 2013. This quarterly advance marked the LSI’s third consecutive increase. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments climbed 4.9 percent. Increased demand for fixtures, emergency lighting and miniature lamps buoyed the index by compensating for decreases in ballasts and large lamps. http://www.nema.org/News/Pages/Lighting-Systems-Index-Gains-Continue-During-Second-Quarter.aspx

8.      NEMA Publishes ANSI C136.25 Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment—Ingress Protection (Resistance to Dust, Solid Objects, and Moisture) for Luminaire Enclosures - ANSI C136.25 details the requirements for ingress protection of luminaires in roadway and area lighting equipment. While these requirements are suitable for most types of lighting, it should not be assumed that all listed degrees of protection are applicable to a particular type of equipment. The manufacturer should be consulted to determine the degrees of protection available. View the contents and scope of ANSI C136.25-2013

9.      High Rebates for High Bay Fixtures - Whether replacing antiquated T12HO systems or inefficient HID systems, installing fluorescent, pulse start metal halide, LED or induction high bay fixtures can bring in high rebates. Across North America, rebate organizations offer a lot of money to customers upgrading to energy-efficient high-bay lighting. http://www.briteswitch.com/news/06113.html

Prescriptive Rebates for Highbay Upgrades

Type of Fixture	Minimum Rebate	Average Rebate	Maximum Rebate
High bay T8	$10.00	$65.96	$325.00
High bay T5HO	$15.00	$76.24	$325.00
LED	$19.00	$89.00	$225.00
Induction	$10.00	$84.50	$400.00
Pulse Start Metal Halide	$45.00	$46.50	$400.00

10.  Future View: Technologies That Will Transform the Electrical Industry by Jim Lucy - Lighting, HVAC and building automation companies are blending their products together into integrated building control systems that can dramatically slash the amount of energy a commercial building consumes. http://ewweb.com/electrical-economy/future-view-technologies-will-transform-electrical-industry

 

11.  New Construction Can Get Rebates Too - New construction programs often base the incentives on the savings over a building code, most commonly a version of ASHRAE 90.1. Programs can cover equipment such as HVAC systems, interior lighting, exterior lighting, refrigeration, kitchen equipment and more. With new construction, it's important to consider rebates early in the planning process. http://www.briteswitch.com/news/01133.html

12.  ENERGY STAR LED Bulb Challenge http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting_landing

 

13.  Energy Department to Award $100 Million for EFRCs - The DOE currently funds 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers, which were selected for five-year funding in 2009. With support for those centers set to expire in July 2014, DOE has announced a competition for a second round of funding. The competition will be open to proposals both from existing EFRCs seeking renewal of support and from institutions seeking to establish new EFRCs under the program. Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to compete and are encouraged to form multi-disciplinary research teams that may include partnerships with other institutions. Awards are expected to range from $2 million to $4 million per year per center for each of five fiscal years. http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-award-100-million-energy-frontier-research-centers

14.  The Five Rules of Retail – LD&A http://www.ies.org/PDF/Archives/2013_10.pdf - When viewed on the bigscreen of total estimated U.S. retail sales in 2012 of $3.57 trillion, online transactions account for less than 15 percent, or $53 billion. A National Retail Federation survey found that brick-and mortar retailers are displaying solid staying power. Lighting, as part of the store experience, is playing an increasingly important role in creating visually distinctive selling spaces. Five ways that light can be deployed in retail environments:

1)      TO ENHANCE THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

2)      FOR MERCHANDISE DISPLAYS

3)      FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

4)      AS ART

5)      TO COMMUNICATE IMAGE

15.  CMA Launches Electrical Marketing Program Sparket - Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA), a full service marketing firm located in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, announced the launch of Sparket, a dedicated program powered by industry-experts to provide tailored marketing strategy and services to all electrical industry professionals. Designed to ignite the marketing efforts of companies within the electrical industry, Sparket is a customized program with tailored marketing solutions leveraging CMA's dynamic track record in the industry. Honing in on its expertise working with manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, contractors and ESCO's, Sparket delivers customized solutions for companies in this niche marketplace. www.SparketMarketing.com  

News Updates for the Week of June 17

1.      Smart Technology Makes Its Way into Lighting - The smart lighting industry is undergoing a major transition. Different kinds of smart lighting solutions are expected to become increasingly popular in homes, public buildings and offices. According to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the lighting systems of the future could be multi-purpose devices not dissimilar to smart phones. In the future, lighting will not just allow us to see but could also be used to survey surroundings, transmit information, reflect moods and make our lives more comfortable. Smart lighting could also save as much as 80 per cent of energy compared to traditional lighting solutions. As more applications become available, the smart lighting industry will also be revolutionized. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-smart-technology.html#jCp

2.      2013 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop Presentations Posted - The workshop provided a opportunity to gain cutting-edge perspective on the LED and OLED manufacturing landscape, including global manufacturing trends and strategies for reducing costs, improving product quality, and increasing volumes. The presentations and materials have been posted on the DOE SSL website at www.ssl.energy.gov/boston2013_materials.html

3.      LED Lighting in Buildings to Reach $25 Billion by 2017 - Market analyst Memoori Research has published a new report http://www.memoori.com/portfolio/led-lighting-in-buildings-2013-to-2017/  on the global market for LED lighting in buildings, bringing together market sizing data, investment data and all the factors that influence the industries future. The company commented, "We predict that revenue from the global LED lighting market for buildings will rise from $9.5 bn in 2013 to a total of $25.4 bn by 2017. This would represent a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the overall market of 22%, over the five-year period. http://optics.org/news/4/6/19

4.      Global Lighting Equipment Market to 2017 - Market Size, Growth, and Forecasts in Nearly 70 Countries - A comprehensive package designed for companies who want to gain a comprehensive perspective on the global lighting equipment market. This package makes it easy to compare across different countries and product groups to be able to find new market opportunities and make more profitable business decisions. It provides the market size, growth, and forecasts at the global level as well as for each of the 70 countries: The market data covers the years 2006-2017 and includes the total market size for lighting equipment as well as the market size and trends. For more information: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/publication/m74mgb/global_lighting_equipment_market_to_2017_ma

5.      CFL Safety Issues an Urban Myth, Says NLB - The rumor that CFLs pose a fire hazard when they reach the end of their lives is "absolutely, categorically untrue. An urban myth." Ironically, the basis of the rumor might very well be the normal performance of well-designed CFLs' fire-safety systems. http://www.tedmag.com. Those who want a complete technical description of the process can download a free white paper published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association http://alturl.com/z9jht

6.      Study Finds Commissioning of Daylight Harvesting Control Systems Critical to Success - Daylight harvesting control, or the practice of using light sensors to automatically reduce electric light in a space when sufficient daylight is present, has been demonstrated to produce significant energy cost savings in buildings. As a proven energy-saving strategy, it has been implemented into many sustainable building projects. It was also incorporated into ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 and IECC 2009/2012, the major energy standards. Daylight harvesting should soon become a staple in new construction. http://www.tedmag.com Download the study at: http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/study-finds-commissioning-of-daylight-harvesting-control-systems-critical-to-success/

7.      Free LEED Certification to Groundbreaking Projects in New Markets - In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root. Coined “LEED Earth,” this campaign aims to bring LEED certification and thereby better-performing buildings into new markets. http://www.edcmag.com/articles/95094-free-leed-certification-to-groundbreaking-projects-in-new-markets

8.      Webcast Reminder: LED Troffers, Kits, and Tubes - On Thursday, June 20, DOE will host a 60-minute live webcast detailing key findings from its recently completed CALiPER Exploratory Study on Recessed Troffer Lighting. The performance of conventional fluorescent troffers with T8 LED tube retrofits, LED retrofit kits, and dedicated LED troffers will be examined. The webcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and will include a 40-minute presentation, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with attendees. For more information or to register, visit the DOE SSL website. The CALiPER study is available online at www.ssl.energy.gov/exploratory.html

9.     Now in Its 26th Year, Live Design International (LDI) for Design Professionals - LDI is the Premier Trade Show and Conference for Visual and Sound Technologies covering comprehensive professional training and education in Lighting, Audio, Projection, Staging, Rigging, Special Effects and Software.  For 2013, LDI will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, North Halls on November 22-24. Over 8,000 attendees working in theater, concerts, houses of worship, corporate presentations, clubs, theme parks, and any other live venue come to LDI from 72 countries. http://www.ldishow.com/ldi13/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1043817

10.  Greeley, CO Buildings to Get Energy-Smart Equipment Improvements - Greeley City Council members on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for an energy efficiency program for seven Greeley buildings in need of updates and improvements. The $1.6 million project includes energy-smart improvements to lighting, ventilation, pool pumps and other equipment this year, with the city set to repay that cost through savings on utility bills. The city will pay Xcel the same amount of money each year as it does now, but a portion of its utility bills will go toward paying for the improvements. 6/12 Greeley Tribune

11.  Centralia, WA Approves Energy Efficiency Projects - The Centralia City Council approved moving forward with a variety of projects aimed at energy efficiency Tuesday night, including updating 1,506 LED streetlights, improving the Fort Borst Park ball fields and replacing lighting at the Centralia Train Depot.  The cost to complete all the projects is nearly $1.7 million. 6/13  The Chronicle

12.  It's Official: HD Supply Goes Public - HD Supply Holdings, the indirect parent of HD Supply, announced that it will launch an initial public offering of 53,191,489 shares of common stock. The company hopes to raise $1.3 billion in its initial public offering. Shares of HDS are expected to become available through NASDAQ June 26. HD Supply, with more than 600 locations across 46 states and nine Canadian provinces, was the wholesale distribution arm of The Home Depot, until it was sold in 2007 for $8.5 billion to a group of investors including Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Clayton Dubilier & Rice. 6/14 HCN

News Updates for the Week of December 12

1.      Lutron White Paper by Michael Jouaneh - Commercial Building Energy Code Requirements for Light Control - The nation’s top building energy codes and standards reflect the importance of using lighting controls to conserve energy. In the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 – 2010, for example, there are mandatory requirements for area controls, automatic lighting shutoff, bi-level lighting, daylight harvesting, exterior lighting control, parking garage lighting control, and stairwell lighting control . Additionally, the designer must ensure that all lighting controls are functionally tested .On October 19, 2011, the DOE issued a ruling that requires all states to certify that they have updated the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency to meet or exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2010 by Oct. 18, 2013. It’s expected that these lighting control requirements will be in place for most states for all new construction and major renovations of commercial buildings. http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/3672234_codes%20and%20controls%20whitepaper_sg.pdf

2.      Lighting Options Expand at Lowe's - Lowe’s has added two new brands to its bulb assortment:

• Samsung Electronics will release its first LED lighting solutions for the U.S. consumer market through Lowes.com and at select Lowe's home improvement retail stores nationwide. The bulbs include A19, PAR20/30/38 and MR16 bulbs.
• Vu1 Corp. will introduce its R30 Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) light bulbs to the U.S. consumer market through Lowe’s. New York-based Vu1 will sell the bulbs at Lowe's 1,725 retail stores beginning in February and on Lowes.com starting Dec. 1.The ESL R30 reflector bulbs are a direct replacement for the 65-watt incandescent flood bulbs and will retail for approximately $14.98.  12/9 HCN

3.      Energy Efficiency Will Drive Utilities in Future - Electricity is at the heart of the U.S. energy economy.  A report by the Manhattan Institute cites this fascinating statistic: In 1950, 20 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product was directly dependent on electricity. By 2008, that number had tripled to 60 percent. Additionally, the report states that over 85 percent of the U.S. energy growth since 1980 was met by electricity. The United States spends $1 billion a day on foreign oil, while our electricity is made right here in America.   In today's world, energy efficiency must be a part of any energy discussion. http://energybiz.com/magazine/article/243237/rising-role-electricity

4.      A Master Plan for N.J.’s Energy Needs - The plan is not binding, but sets forth the Republican governor’s vision of how the state will meet its electricity needs over the next decade. It scales back New Jersey’s goals for renewable energy, calling for 22.5 percent of electricity to be generated from such sources by 2021, down from the previous administration’s goal of 30 percent. The state has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, but it defines such sources not just as renewables but also nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

5.      Seoul Semiconductor and Philips Enter into Cross-License Agreement - Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd., the Korea-based LED manufacturer, has announced that is has settled its LED patent dispute with Royal Philips Electronics. The two companies have agreed to enter into a cross-license agreement covering patents relating to specific LED technology areas. Under this arrangement, each party gains access to a substantial part of the other party's patent portfolios. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/8/12/4

6.      Keeping SSL Manufacturing in the United States - Although you do not often hear about growth in domestic manufacturing here in the United States, the solid-state lighting industry is steadily growing and establishing a manufacturing presence here at home. Solid-state lighting was not only born of U.S. ingenuity and R&D, but is riding the crest of a worldwide trend toward greater energy efficiency. This offers a golden opportunity for U.S. manufacturing to take a significant role in SSL. See the U.S. DOE white paper which grew out of DOE's 2010 SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/ssl_whitepaper_july2010.pdf

7.      Energy-Efficient Buildings: Global Outlook - The market for energy efficiency services and equipment is on the rise as national governments look to reduce energy consumption by improving the efficiency of the building stock. Pike Research predicts the building energy efficiency market will soar more than 50 percent between now and 2017 to $103.5 billion. This Pike Research report provides data on the size and growth of energy-efficient building markets, including ESCO revenues, energy efficient HVAC equipment sales, and energy-efficient lighting sales from 2011 to 2017, as well as a qualitative description of key drivers and trends in energy efficiency in key markets, focusing on the commercial building sector. http://www.pikeresearch.com/research/energy-efficient-buildings-global-outlook

8.      Addressable Dimming Controls Help Buildings Achieve LEED Points by Encelium - White Paper available at: http://www.encelium.com/en/case-studies.html; Download Word document

9.      “LED Lamp Locator” Industry Portal Is Enhanced with New, Easy-to-Use Comparison Tool -Lighting Internet Technology Enterprises (LITE) has just enhanced its web-based LED Lamp Locator www.LedLampLocator.com  It is designed to assist professional lighting users in searching, evaluating, comparing, and specifying the market’s broad range of LED replacement lamps. Allowing users to select and evaluate LED lamps from among multiple manufacturers across a standard and consistent platform, the LED Lamp Locator’s simple new tool further enhances the ease with which comparisons between the market’s broad range of LED lamp products can be made and the optimal product selected for the application at hand.

10.  Commissioners Move Forward on Downtown Lighting - Salina city commissioners agreed to move forward with an audit to determine whether a proposed project to spend $1.198 million replace almost 300 downtown lights with LED lights would save the city money. The project is a collaborative effort between Philips Lighting and Johnson Controls, of Kansas City. Preliminary estimates projected that savings over the current lights would pay for the new lighting in 23 years. 12/6 The Salina Journal