Something to Think About

Many, all over the globe celebrate Christmas Day. Most Protestants and Roman Catholics and some Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. Before the 19th century, many Americans worked on Christmas, but in the industrial era the holiday began also to honor universal values, such as home, children and family life, and to incorporate secular customs like exchanging gifts and cards, and the decoration and display of evergreen Christmas Trees. Congress proclaimed Christmas one of the first federal holidays in 1870. In 1999, a federal court acknowledged these secular aspects in rejecting a claim that the holiday impermissibly endorsed and furthered a particular religious belief.

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed moving the Thanksgiving holiday to extend the shopping period between that holiday and Christmas. Seasonal “Christmas shopping” began to assume economic importance. This extended Christmas season is about far more than shopping. For many Americans, it is a period of general good will and an occasion for charitable and volunteer work. To some extent, non-Christian holidays celebrated at roughly the same time of year--most prominently the African-American Kwanzaa and the Jewish Hanukkah--blend into a broader “holiday season.” As with so many aspects of U.S. cultural life, Christmas in the United States reflects the values of a giving, free and diverse people.

News Updates for the Week of December 3

      Important message:  we have made it easy to subscribe to EnergyWatch and it even applies to those who may have hit the unsubscribe button and want to get back in the game. Click on:  http://www.attardimarketing.com/energywatch/ on the right side of the website, click on:   Constant Contact List Signup  Enter your email address, hit subscribe and you are all set. As a service to you, there is no charge…tell your friends and customers.

 1.     DOE Announces U.S. Manufacturing Funding Opportunity for SSL (Round 4) - The U.S. DOE announced a solid-state lighting (SSL) funding opportunity on November 29, 2012. Up to $11 million in funding is directed toward the existing DOE SSL R&D program area of Manufacturing Research and Development, to establish the U.S. as a global manufacturing leader.  Under this funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0000792), DOE seeks applications for SSL manufacturing R&D projects that will achieve significant cost reductions through improvements in manufacturing equipment, processes, or monitoring techniques. Potential applicants should note that applications are due by February 21, 2013. For more information: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/

2.      GE Lighting to Acquire LED Fixture Company Albeo Technology - GE Lighting has signed an agreement to acquire Albeo Technologies, an LED fixture manufacturer based in Boulder, Colorado. GE Lighting officials say the acquisition will help GE serve as an advisor to enterprise customers, as well as offer a more complete and integrated family of LED-based solid-state lighting (SSL) products. Albeo Technologies was founded in 2004. Albeo's range of products includes high bay and low bay lighting fixtures as well as linear, surface-mounted and under cabinet lighting. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/18

3.      Siemens Confirms Plan to List Osram via Spinoff - Siemens AG, the industrial conglomerate that owns lighting manufacturer Osram, has confirmed its plans to see its subsidiary listed as a separate company, subject to a shareholder vote. A plan to conduct an IPO of Osram shares was finally shelved in July of this year. Instead, Siemens will take a different route, and will spin off 80.5% of Osram’s shares to existing Siemens shareholders. The transaction will result in Siemens’ shareholders receiving one Osram share for every ten Siemens shares. However, Siemens still intends to retain a minority stake in Osram, in which it wants to remain “a long-term anchor shareholder.” To this end, Siemens AG will retain a 17% stake in Osram following the spinoff, with the Siemens Pension Trust holding the remaining 2.5%. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/22

4.      $20 Billion Bonanza - SWEEP http://www.swenergy.org/ promotes greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. By investing a total of $17 billion in best practice utility energy efficiency programs, the Southwest region could realize $37 billion in utility system and public health benefits --meaning $20 billion in net benefits or $2650 for every household in the region today. The State’s utilities already have programs that can be expanded to achieve the forecast savings. http://azcapitoltimes.com/files/2012/11/20B_Bonanza-COMPLETE_REPORT-Web.pdf

 

5.      Now Accepting tED magazine Greenest of the Green Nominations - Nominations for the 2013 Greenest of the Green contest will be accepted from Dec. 3, 2012 through Jan. 18, 2013.  The Greenest of the Green award recognizes NAED distributors who have implemented operational energy efficiencies in their own facilities. The award will be presented at the 2013 NAED National Meeting. The winning company will also be featured in the April 2013 issue of tED magazine.  Contact: Misty Byers mbyers@naed.org

6.      Soraa and IESNYC Tackle Led Lighting Compatibility - DATE: Wednesday, Dec. 5^th  TIME: 11:00 am - 7:30 pm LOCATION: The Metropolitan Pavilion (Located at 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011).  In an effort to remove barriers to the rapid adoption of LED lighting, Soraa www.soraa.com will sponsor the lighting industry's first PlugFest in conjunction with the IESNYC at their annual Control This! event.   www.controlthis.org

7.      Con Edison of New York City Accepts LED Tubes with Internal Drivers for Rebate - In recognizing the advancement of LED T8 technology, Con Edison announced recently it is now able to accept LED tubes with internal drivers for custom rebate program on a case-by-case basis. The requirements are:

• LED T8 with internal driver design must meet all code & safety requirements. 
• Existing fixture retrofit and new fixture replacement are both applicable. 
• The fixture must use non-shunted tombstones.

http://www.aleddra.com/AleddraSpec/CutSheet-LLT-4ft-SingleEnd.pdf

8.      LED Streetlights Set to Light the Way on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard - According to a report published by The Lighting Group http://thecleanrevolution.org/_assets/files/LED_report_web1.pdf

this year, “Public street and park lighting accounts for 1-3% of total electricity demand, depending on the region, and up to 40% of the electricity bill of local authorities.” As part of their mission to promote energy efficiency, Cape Light Compact is working with towns across the Cape and Vineyard to convert town-owned streetlights to LED fixtures. Starting in January 2013, 140 streetlights will be retrofit in both commercial and residential areas. http://www.energyefficiencymatters.org/author/neepenergy/

9.      Virginia Beach Residents Upset About LED Traffic Signs - All eight LED signs, intended to alert drivers of traffic problems and public safety issues, are scheduled to be up and running in February, according to the city's Public Works Department. Federal congestion mitigation funds paid the cost: $60,500 per sign, plus money for fiber optic cables, infrastructure and a "state of the art" traffic management system.  The PWD said the potential benefits, especially during construction, special events and storms, outweigh the relatively minor aesthetic cost. Residents have concerns about how often the signs will be on and how bright they'll be. They don't want them on all the time, flashing the temperature or how long it will take to reach the beach. 11/26 The Virginian-Pilot

10.  PACE: A Smart Way to Finance Retrofits for Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation in TX - Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a non-profit business association organized for the specific purpose of promoting legislation in Texas to facilitate loans throughout the state.  PACE is an innovative program that provides low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency retrofits and improvements to existing structures on all types of commercial, industrial, and residential properties. PACE loans will enable Texans to save substantial amounts in energy costs, upgrade and enhance the value of existing structures, and create thousands of jobs. http://www.keepingpaceintexas.org

11.  California Public Utilities Commission 2010 – 2011 Energy Efficiency Annual Progress Evaluation Report - Lighting represents approximately one quarter of residential and commercial electricity use in California and has historically represented half or more of utility program portfolio savings. California’s Strategic Plan cites energy efficient lighting as a critical element of the Strategic Plan’s zero net energy vision, and sets a goal of a 60 to 80 percent reduction in California’s electric lighting energy consumption by 2020. California Assembly Bill 1109 (the also known as “the Huffman Bill”) will support this goal by phasing out some traditional, low efficiency incandescent lamps by 2018.  http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/89718A1B-C3D5-4E30-9A82-74ED155D0485/0/EnergyEfficiencyEvaluationReport.pdf

12.  2013 DOE Solid-State Lighting R&D Workshop January 29-31, 2013 • Long Beach, CA - As solid-state lighting technology matures, the remaining questions get more complex. Where does future R&D need to be directed to drive significant leaps in LED and OLED performance? How can government and industry work together to find solutions, accelerate advances, and hasten market adoption? Join DOE at the 10th annual SSL R&D workshop. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ssl/longbeach13.html

13.  ENERGY STAR Luminaires V1.2 - Attached is important correspondence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concerning the proposal for Version 1.2 ENERGY STAR Specification for Luminaires. Comments/concerns may be submitted no later than Friday, December 14, 2012 to: luminaires@energystar.gov http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=archives.luminaires

News Updates for the Week of November 26

Important message:  we have made it easy to subscribe to EnergyWatch and it even applies to those who may have hit the unsubscribe button and want to get back in the game.  Click on: http://www.attardimarketing.com/energywatch/ on the right side of the website, click on Constant Contact List Signup. Enter your email address, hit subscribe and you are all set. As a service to you, there is no charge…tell your friends and customers.

1.      Philips Lighting’s CEO Bruno Biasiotta Announces Reorganization - With greater attention to the customer experience, Philips Lighting is creating a one lighting go to market organization focused around geographies and differentiated by channel.

• They will begin to move towards a single Professional sales team by providing access to the entire Philips portfolio, also maintaining partnerships with independent agents. Leading this division is Ed Crawford. 
• The Consumer sales team, led by Kerry Vachon, will represent the full portfolio for the Consumer channel.
• The OEM sales team will report into the Lighting NA market organization. 
• The National Accounts and Services group will expand its activities and establish and invest in Turnkey Projects & Solutions (TP&S) to build solutions selling capability as a growth platform. Bill Schoettler is in charge here.  
• Danny Garst will head up a centrally led Customer Fulfillment and Sales Support Centers. Customer Fulfillment to offer a one Philips point of contact, while continuing to focus on forecast accuracy and on time order delivery. Sales support to focus on functional excellence and capabilities.  

2.      FMI Releases 2013 Construction Outlook - FMI, the Raleigh, N.C.-based provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, has forecast an 8% increase in construction activity for 2013. Robust growth in residential construction, as well as a few strong markets in nonresidential and non-building construction, will contribute to the expansion, the report said. http://www.fminet.com/resources

3.      City Announces $10 Million Available for Energy Efficiency Loans - A new public-private initiative is offering Knoxville businesses a funding source to help finance energy efficiency improvements such as heating system upgrades and building retrofits. Through the city's partnership with Pathway Lending, a total of $10 million in loans will be available for businesses in Knoxville and Knox County.  Low-interest loans from $25,000 to $2.5 million are available through a the "Mayor's Energy Efficiency Challenge." Details are available at www.pathwaylending.org

4.      Incandescent Lamp Shipments Index Remains Resilient Through Third Quarter - NEMA’s index for traditional A-line incandescent lamps increased 20.2 percent during Q3 2012 rebounding from a slide of 18.2 percent in Q2 2012. Meanwhile, the CFL index registered a decline of 3.3 percent compared to the previous quarter. Halogen A-line lamp shipments gained momentum, increasing by 83.3 percent on a quarterly basis. The index for halogen A-line lamps has increased in 7 out of the last 8 quarters. http://www.nema.org

 

5.      Nexxus Lighting Changes Name to Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. - Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NEXS) announced that the company has changed its name to Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. (RVLT), effective November 15, 2012. www.rvlti.com

6.      DOE Updates the Latest L Prize Lamp Test Results, Rebate Offers - The US DOE continues to test the Philips Lighting LED 60W-equivalent retrofit lamp that won the L Prize with no failures reported over more than 20,000 hours of operation. The full lot of 200 sample lamps are all still operating. The tests have reached what the agency considers the equivalent of 18 years of household use with no failures. Moreover, the average lumen maintenance remains above 100% of their initial output. The DOE also released a summary of rebates available for the solid-state lighting (SSL) product that range as high as $20 per lamp. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/13

7.      Existing Home Sales Rise in October - According to a report from the National Association of Realtors, existing home sales in the U.S. rose 2.1% in October.  Existing home sales grew to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million units, according to a report issued Monday morning. The figure is up 2.1% from September’s rate, and up 10.9% from the 4.32 million level in October 2011. 11/19 HCN

8.      Housing Starts Rise Again - The residential construction surge from September stayed the course in October, as the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts increased to 894,000. The figure is up 3.6% from a downwardly revised September estimate of 863,000. More impressive, it is up 41.9% from the October 2011 rate of 630,000. Like the September figure, the October figure is the highest since July 2008. 11/20 HCN

9.      Daimler to Introduce Luxury Car Lit Entirely with LEDs - The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be the first car to be fitted completely with LEDs as standard, while optional extras will include adaptive LED headlamps that adjust according to other road users. The car will use over 190 LEDs that will illuminate the road ahead, as well as the vehicle’s exterior, interior and luggage compartment. Of course, Daimler’s rivals have also been hard at work introducing LED lighting into their vehicles. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/9/11/15