May 2009 Archives

ARRA provided $250 million for a new program called the Green Retrofit Program (GRP). It will provide grants and loans on a competitive basis for owners of properties assisted with project-based Section 8, Section 202 (elderly), or Section 811 (disabled).

The grants or loans can be used to make energy and green retrofit investments and to ensure the maintenance and preservation of the property. In return for the added assistance, owners must agree to extend affordability period for at least another 15 years. Owners must spend funds within two years.

The Office of Affordable Housing Preservation (OAHP) in HUD's Office of Multifamily Housing administers GRP.

HUD Notice H-09-02, issued on May 13, 2009, announced that HUD will begin accepting GRP applications on June 15 on a first-come, first-served basis.  GRP grants or loans can be up to $15,000 per unit.  Projects are expected to be completed within 12 months and in no event should work extend more than 24 months.  Though the GRP is a distinct program, it shares some elements of the existing "Mark-to-Market Green Initiative". In some instances, OAHP may make Green Retrofit funds contingent on the owner's agreement to a Mark-to-Market debt restructuring.

HUD's ARRA Energy and Green Retrofit webpage,
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/

•  HUD's GRP Overview
  http://portal.hud.gov/

• HUD Notice H-09-02 implementing GRP,
  http://portal.hud.gov/pls/portal/docs/
  
  
• HUD's Green Retrofit Program (GRP) Powerpoint from May 13, 2009 - Added   5/20/2009
  http://portal.hud.gov/portal
  
  
• Questions and Answers - Added   5/20/2009, http://portal.hud.gov/pls/portal/
  

HUD's OAHP webpage, www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/omhar/index.cfm

HUD's Office of Multifamily Housing webpage, www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/hsgmulti.cfm

Energy and Green Retrofit Section of the ARRA Statute, http://www.nlihc.org/doc/Green-Housing-Retrofits-ARRA.pdf

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Have you thought of applying for projects that include 24/7 applications of LED lights in local public housing facilities?  Follow the money... here are some funding sources:

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)

ARRA provided $3.2 billion for this Department of Energy (DOE) program, $2.8 billion to be distributed by formula, with the remaining $400 million to be awarded competitively.  EECBG provides grants to states and local governments for improvements in energy efficiency and to reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions.  EECBG is a new program, receiving money for the first time due to ARRA, although it was authorized in 2007.  The block grant is administered by DOE's Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Potential housing-related uses of EECBG include: grants to nonprofits to perform energy efficiency retrofits; financial incentives for energy efficiency improvements; energy efficiency for buildings; and, residential energy audits.  In addition there are many other eligible uses ranging from energy efficient traffic signals to carbon capture and sequestration from power plants. 

Applications from sates and local governments are due June 25.

EECBG webpage, http://www.eecbg.energy.gov

EECBG Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA),
http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/downloads/DE_FOA_0000013_Amendment_000003.pdf

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More than 4,200 LR24 recessed LED luminaires are planned for installation in Wedge 5 of the Pentagon as part of a major renovation.

In a signing ceremony today at the Pentagon, John J. Kubricky, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, and Albert C. Ellet, acting director of the Washington Headquarters Service responsible for overseeing the renovation, signed an intra-departmental Memorandum of Agreement kicking-off the initiative to install LED lighting in the Pentagon.
 

The Cree LR24 luminaires have undergone extensive government testing and business-case analysis, including a preliminary Pentagon installation to meter the fixtures and compare the results to the alternative fluorescent technology.

This independent analysis demonstrated a 22% reduction in energy usage and improved light quality.

• The business-case analysis yielded a payback of less than four years.
• The payback analysis considered energy savings, lifetime maintenance savings, savings from reduced load on the HVAC system, and elimination of hazardous waste disposal fees for mercury-laden fluorescent bulbs.
• Extensive modeling was also performed to determine optimal lighting design--analyzing the light distribution and spacing to ensure superior lighting and energy efficiency.
• The Wedge 5 installation is estimated to save 140 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

"The U.S. federal government is taking a leadership role in energy efficiency for federal buildings both through existing mandates, as well as President-elect Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which calls for the renovation of public buildings to make them more energy efficient," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and chief executive officer. "Installations of highly efficient, low-maintenance LED lighting, like these in the Pentagon and in the U.S. Federal Reserve, demonstrate that the future of energy-efficient lighting is here today."

The LR24 units being used for the Pentagon renovation are being purchased from Cree by the Department of Defense's (DoD) Title III program as a part of its ongoing development program with Cree, and provided to the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), which oversees the Pentagon renovation program.

"The Title III program has long supported the development and deployment of SiC substrates and devices for use in high-power RF and power-switching applications for DoD systems," said John Palmour, Ph.D., Cree co-founder and chief technology officer for advanced devices. "The program realized the importance of ensuring a strong domestic supply of SiC substrates and related devices, and the potential growth of solid-state lighting in the U.S. This Pentagon lighting project is a perfect example of stimulating America's leadership in high-technology manufacturing yielding unique commercial and defense products, while saving energy. Title III funding was also used to develop the technology in Cree's lighting class XLamp® XR-E LED platform--the light source in the LR24 recessed LED luminaire."

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CREE introduces the LRP-38 LED lamp that provides a tightly-focused beam, exceptional color quality, extended life and unmatched energy-efficiency.

Designed for display and retail installations, the Cree LRP-38 is a narrow beam spotlight for use in supermarket produce displays, department stores, and museums--especially where exceptional color quality is valued. The lamp is currently being evaluated in grocery, department and furniture stores, as well as in big box retailers, where it replaced halogen and ceramic metal halide bulbs.

"The technology in Cree's LRP-38 LED lamp is by far the most promising that I have seen yet. I am pleased to see that Cree has definitely raised the bar for serious LED lamp solutions," said Brandon Melton, Corporate Purchasing Manager at Chipotle Restaurants.

The Cree LRP-38 uses Cree TrueWhite(TM) technology to generate a CRI of 92 at a color temperature of 2700K. The tightly-focused beam delivers a center beam candlepower of 4000 with a beam angle of 20 degrees. This UL-listed light is designed to replace 50W - 90W halogen PAR38 bulbs, in various applications. The input power is only 12 Watts, resulting in a total delivered minimum efficacy of 42 lumens per Watt. The lamp is designed to last 50,000 hours in open track fixtures or 35,000 in non-IC commercial recessed downlights.

The lamp has a unique optical design that maximizes the amount of light within the beam while minimizing the source brightness- so the eye is focused on the merchandise, not the light source.

With this product Cree extends the quality and performance of their award-winning LED lights into beam-controlled retrofit lamps. Neal Hunter, Cree LED Lighting president claims that "LEDs contain no harmful mercury and because they don't emit large amounts of heat, UV or infrared light, they protect what they are illuminating--everything from priceless art to fresh tomatoes. Lighting customers should sacrifice nothing in the pursuit of beautiful, energy-efficient light, and with the LRP-38, they don't have to."

The Cree LRP-38 will be sold through Cree LED Lighting sales channels and is currently shipping in volume, with high preliminary demand.

For additional product and company information, please refer to www.CreeLEDLighting.com

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Cree, Inc. has been awarded ENERGY STAR ^® qualifications for its LED downlights. The product line, including the LR6, LR5 and LR4 downlights, has demonstrated LED lifetime and fixture efficacy that qualifies for the stringent commercial rating, as well as the residential rating.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps consumers and organizations save money and protect the environment by promoting energy-efficient products. Products earning the commercial ENERGY STAR qualification must meet extended lifetime criteria, which is 40 percent longer than residential standards.

"Being rated for both commercial and residential applications is especially significant since more than three-quarters of the LED lighting we are deploying today is in commercial installations," said Neal Hunter, president, Cree LED Lighting. "Cree also provides the highest color rendering of any ENERGY STAR-qualified LED downlight. In stark contrast to compact fluorescent devices that contain toxic mercury, Cree's non-toxic LED fixtures deliver better efficiency and render colors such that the user doesn't have to compromise their lighting experience."

The Cree LR6 recessed downlight is available and qualified in two color temperatures (2700K and 3500K), and boasts efficiency of more than 54 lumens per watt with lumen output of 650 lumens--higher than any other qualified recessed downlight. The LR6 was the first recessed downlight to receive the ENERGY STAR commercial qualification.

The Cree LR4 and LR5 recessed downlights are available and qualified in two color temperatures--2700K, with a CRI of 94 and 3500K, with a CRI of 91. The LR4 product line is also available in two shield angles, 15 degree and 30 degree.

The Cree family of LED downlights excels in delivering beautiful, efficient LED light in a manner that surpasses even the most stringent ENERGY STAR standards, as set out in the SSL ENERGY STAR 1.1 criteria for Category A: Recessed Downlights.

	ENERGY STAR Residential	ENERGY STAR Commercial	Cree LED Lighting Downlights
Efficacy	35 lumens per Watt	35 lumens per Watt	46 to 54 lumens per Watt
Color Rendering Index	75	75	91 to 94
Rated Lifetime	25,000	35,000	50,000
Minimum Lumen Output ≤4.5" diameter	375	375	515-540
Minimum Lumen Output >4.5" diameter	575 lumens	575 lumens	650 lumens
Power Factor	≥ .70	≥ .90	.96-.97

 

To see the full list of ENERGY STAR-qualified LED fixtures visit the ENERGY STAR website:

·          Residential:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=ssl.display_products_res_html

·          Commercial
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=ssl.display_products_com_html

 

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless and power applications.

Cree's product families include recessed LED downlights, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.

For additional product and company information, please refer to www.CreeLEDlighting.com

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Find more videos like this on AdGabber

Dull lighting in offices and other workspaces are the bane of productivity and Cree is fighting back! LED lighting is now feasible in offices to get rid of the dingy yellow tinge and have bright white or off white light.

LED panels, LED tubes and LED ceiling fixtures are now being designed and manufactured to solve the dull lighting problem. And they save money over time! They use as little as 50% of the energy used by incandescent or fluorescent bulbs.

Check out cree.com for this leading LED research and manufacturing company's rapid development of lighting for indoors, for parking lots, street lights...and more.

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"In the U.S., 78% of the public is completely unaware that traditional light bulbs will be phased out in 2012," reports Charles F. Jerabek, president and CEO of Osram Sylvania, a unit of Siemens.

By law, bulbs must be 30% more efficient than current incandescent versions beginning 2012.

While the current crop of compact fluorescents (CFLs) could do the interior lighting job, the home lighting industry is rallying around LED lamps for many applications. Lighting manufacturers say LEDs last longer than incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs and their energy consumption could eventually be less than fluorescent lights". They can also be made in many shapes and sizes and colors.

Unlike compact fluorescents bulbs, LED lights contain no mercury and they work well in cold weather. They also provide more pleasing light than fluorescents.

LED applications that already are capturing marketshare include large warehouses, garages and street-lighting fixtures, flexible light ribbons, and replacements for the halogen reflector lamps used in kitchens and offices.

Strips of flexible LEDs put light in places where it could not otherwise fit. Later this year, Osram will market tiny LED chandelier lights that use 6 watts instead of the 15 watts typical of an incandescent version.

Energy efficiency is a major driver of innovation and much of the industry's effort is aimed at making LED lamps that emit as much light as a 60-watt or 75-watt incandescent bulb. Cree, a leading researcher and manufacturer of LEDs, has developed a new version of its LED ceiling fixture that uses 6.5 watts, compared with the 11 watts used by last year's model, to create the light of a standard 65-watt lamp.

Even with a wide range of LED products available, CFL bulbs will be the a popular consumer choice for many years because of LEDs' high prices -- more than $20 for a 40-watt-equivalent bulb -- and the challenge of delivering bright bulbs. Consumers like bright light!

But the sea change is coming -- GE Lighting, a division of General Electric, is devoting 50% of its research and development money to LED-related technologies.

Technology Change Brings With It Business Model Change

Long-lasting bulbs will remove the "replacement" factor from the lighting business model. Light bulb companies have to shift away from making most of their money selling replacement bulbs. Philips (Osram) has been facing that change in the business model by remaking itself with acquisitions that sell lamp fixtures for homes and businesses.

Philips expects its LED sales in the United States to increase from $120 million in 2008 to $200 million in 2009, says Kaj den Daas, president of Philips's lighting group for the US. Instead of $1.25 light bulbs, they'll be selling $10 to $20 lighting systems.

The industry is still reeling from the market's rejection of early CFLs that produced unacceptable quality. They are taking extra care that the same reaction doesn't happen with their introduction of LED lighting to the consumer marketplace.

Read the complete article at New York Times

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