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

New Postings for the Lighting Positions Network

      1.  FSG, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania - Looking to hire a Sales Manager and an Outside Sales Rep at the FSG Conshohocken, Pennsylvania Branch. Looking for individuals with local market sales experience. Previous lighting experience not required, however must have experience in B2B sales in the local market and contact with property owners, managers, and buyers. The Sales Manager is a direct report to the Branch Director, and carries an accountability reporting relationship to the Corporate Vice President of Sales, and Vice President-National Sales (when applicable). The Sales Manager’s span of control encompasses direct oversight responsibility for FSG’s Outside Sales Representatives in the assigned local market. Send resumes to Joseph Reuter joseph.reuter@fsgi.com.

      2.  Executive Positions from NETSHARE - The following is a sample of open positions that have been posted with NETSHARE over the past week. This list changes every day…with some dropping off and some added. View the $100K+ job listings below and many more on the website at: http://www.netshare.com/Jobs_Public.aspx?d=815. Email your interest and resumes, reference the EnergyWatchBlog, directly to Jan Furste jan@netshare.com.

• Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Northwest, $150,000-$200,000 plus bonus + stock + relocation
• President - Mechanical Services, Midwest, Open
• Vice President and General Manager, Vancouver, Canada, $200,000-$250,000 plus significant bonus + relocation
• Chief Operating Officer & Vice President, Upper Midwest, $200,000-$300,000 plus 100% bonus
• Chief Executive Officer, Texas, $150,000-$250,000 plus incentive plan, plus equity

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 November 4

1.      ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 Now The National Energy Standard - On October 18, 2013, all states were required by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to put in place a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as the 2010 version of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1 energy standard. States are expected to adopt 90.1-2010 in whole or in part; adopt the 2012 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (which references 90.1 as an alternate compliance standard); or, like California, develop their own unique code.  http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/. Purchase the 2010 standard in the organization’s online bookstore: https://www.ashrae.org/

2.      Bright Lights, Big City: NYC Swapping All 250,000 Street Lights to LED - New York City will be seen in a whole new light over the next few years, as an effort to switch 6,000 miles of streets and 12,000 miles of sidewalks to LED street lights continues. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced all of the city’s 250,000 street lights will be changed over to light-emitting diodes in a four-year initiative. In addition to Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, LEDs have been installed along the FDR Drive, along Central Park’s pedestrian paths and on the “necklace” lights that adorn the cables of East River bridges, according to the city. The initiative is expected to be the largest LED retrofit in the country, according to the city. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/10/24/bright-lights-big-city-nyc-swapping-all-250000-street-lights-to-led/  

3.      Quality Lighting for High Performance Buildings - Energy-efficient lighting technologies, including LED lighting and digital control systems, and design strategies that increase visual comfort and productivity are discussed in plain language, and examined in a straightforward way to give the reader, whether an architect, interior designer, engineer, building trades professional, or student a broad understanding of the art and science of energy-efficient quality lighting. Order the book at: https://www.aeeprograms.com/store/detail.cfm?id=1091&category_id=6

4.      IALD Enlighten Americas 2014 Call For Presentations - 16-18 October 2014, Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa San Diego, CA. International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) The Enlighten Americas 2014 program will follow a three-track system, featuring courses in the ART, SCIENCE and PROFESSIONAL TOOLS tracks. Seeking experts to present at Enlighten Americas 2014. http://www.iald.org/userfiles/file/PDFs/Enlighten2014CFP_FINAL.pdf

5.      Cree, Philips Lumileds, and Luminus Devices eExtend COB LED Technology - All made recent chip-on-board (COB) LED technology announcements that in aggregate span increased lumen output in both small and large LED packages. Cree announced a brighter LED with a 23-mm light-emitting surface (LES) and a new 30-mm part in the CXA family. Lumileds announced a 10% gain in performance across its entire COB line. And Luminus Devices entered the COB segment for the first time with its Xnova family charting a new path to serve general solid-state lighting (SSL) applications. http://ledsmagazine.com/news/10/10/16

6.      Leviton Acquires JCC Advanced Lighting - JCC Advanced Lighting, a United Kingdom (UK)-based leader in LED lighting suitable for a wide variety of residential and commercial applications. The acquisition establishes Leviton in the UK market and affords the company growth opportunities internationally. Integrating JCC’s energy efficient LED lighting into Leviton’s smart solutions provides a unique opportunity to develop the next generation of intelligent design. Through the work of the combined companies, customers will be able to receive even more efficient lighting solutions, including the incorporation of occupancy sensors and dimmers to help achieve nearly 50 percent energy savings when compared to typical installation. http://www.leviton.com

7.      Complimentary Access to Advanced Lighting Guidelines (ALG) Online - ALG Online is the former Advanced Lighting Guidelines taken to the web, developed by the nonprofit New Buildings Institute. It is written and updated by expert lighting industry professionals for practicing professionals and provides a comprehensive, one-stop resource for lighting basics and efficiency, design guidance, real-life applications, lighting technologies and more. http://www.betterbricks.com/design-construction/advanced-lighting-guidelines

8.      This Little LED of Mine - Manufacturers concede that early versions of the compact fluorescents did not meet expectations for light quality and longevity. Despite advances that have improved their performance, consumers still tick off a host of complaints about the squiggly bulbs: They take time to light up, they do not dim smoothly, they don’t fit with clip-on shades and, worst of all, they cast a harsh and unflattering light. They also contain mercury, raising concerns about breakage and disposal. LEDs offer a different proposition. 11/01 NY Times

      9. Obituary: Lutron’s John McKiernan Passes Away – It is with great sadness that I report the passing on Monday, Oct. 21 of my very good friend John F. McKiernan, 79, Lutron’s Vice Chairman of the Board.  He was a fun guy with the gift most Irishman have, that is to tell the best stories. Best nights of my life were spent with John and his other Irish buddy Jack Briody.  They were truly unique and I miss them terribly…In the obituary published in Pennsylvania’s Morning Call newspaper, he died peacefully in his home after a courageous battle with myleofibrosis: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mcall/obituary.aspx?n=John-McKiernan&pid=167655410