New Energy Rebates In Hawaii Can Be Used for Energy Efficient Lighting

Nearly a year after Hawaiian Electric Co. started outsourcing incentives programs designed to encourage consumers to save energy, the offerings have expanded fourfold and more are in the works.

On June 30, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission awarded a two-year contract valued at $38 million to Science Applications International Corp. to “aggressively promote and implement energy-efficiency programs” for Hawaiian Electric’s residential customers and businesses.

The plan was seen as a way to support the state’s Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which commits to reducing the state’s energy use by 30 percent within 20 years, in addition to requiring that 40 percent of Hawaii’s energy come from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

Under Hawaiian Electric, the incentive programs, which are funded by ratepayers through a monthly surcharge, had been limited mostly to rebates for investing in solar hot water heating systems and Energy Star appliances on Oahu. Since Science Applications International of San Diego started running the effort, the newly named Hawaii Energy rebate programs have been expanded to include Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island. Science Applications International also plans to launch incentives in the next couple of months, including a loan program for purchasing solar hot water heaters.

As Science Applications International completes the first year of its contract, Hawaii businesses, ranging from energy auditors and solar contractors to appliance retailers, are benefiting from new and expanded initiatives as consumers take advantage of the programs.

“This first year was a transition, and now we’re really ready to change a lot of stuff,” said Derrick Sonoda, program manager for the Hawaii Energy program and a Science Applications International employee.

Sonoda previously oversaw the energy-efficiency programs when they were managed by Hawaiian Electric.

While the incentives have been funded by Hawaiian Electric’s ratepayers since the mid-1990s, a formal surcharge was not implemented by the PUC until Jan. 1, 2009, in preparation for the work to be contracted out.

The surcharge — labeled Public Benefits Fund on bills — amounts to 1 percent of the utility’s revenues from electricity sales. The average residential customer paid about $1.19 each month into the fund in 2009, and is paying $2.86 this year. That has translated into a $19 million budget for SAIC for the year ending June 30, with 70 percent going toward rebates and incentives, about 20 percent going toward program costs, and less than 10 percent covering SAIC’s services.


For complete article-http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2010/05/17/story3.html?b=1274068800^3357531&t=printable

Starbucks Vs McDonalds Who is More Green

Fast Company looks at both food chains to see who is more focused on
sustainability

author R. Paul Herman attempts to compare the two mega-chains. Below, we do the same.

Let's just be clear--the inherent unhealthiness of most McDonald's meals give the chain a major disadvantage, even when compared to Starbucks' high-calorie Frappucinos. That being said, McDonald's has made some inroads in sustainability. A few examples: a "green" McDonald's that offers an EV chargepoint, LED light fixtures, drought tolerant landscape plants, and an Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard; an environmental scorecard for suppliers; a successful sustainable fisheries program; and a next-generation fryer that allows restaurants to cook the same amount of product while using approximately 40% less oil than with traditional fryers.

But there's still plenty that would be would like to see. How about smaller portion sizes, for example? And yes, we realize that the "supersize" option is no longer available--but that's not enough. In an interview with R. Paul Herman, Bob Herman, the VP of Corporate Responsibility at McDonald's, explained, "We are offering choice--new menu items and new portion sizes, giving information to make these choices.  This is a significant thing to do." McDonald's would also do well to use more grass-fed beef and increase its use of organic fruits and vegetables. And then there's the most disturbing question of them all: why don't McDonald's burgers decompose?

for complete article-http://www.fastcompany.com/1648898/sustainability-faceoff-mcdonalds-vs-starbucks

Supply Shortage of LED Lights

As reported in eetimes.com

"Earlier this year, analog, memory, logic and other IC vendors began to see huge demand, prompting shortages for select parts and extended lead times.

Now, LEDs are in short supply. ''Component lead times remain tight. A number of component vendors have told us that lead times remain fairly tight at 8-12 weeks,'' said Daniel Amir, an analyst at Lazard Capital Markets, who just returned from the recent LightFair International event.

''The supply situation is tight due to increasing demand from backlighting for TVs and general lighting markets,'' he said. ''Vendors expect this situation to persist until the end of the year at least.''

On the other hand, ASPs are dropping for LEDs. ''We have learned that prices have declined about 30 percent year-on-year on a lumen basis and should continue to drop as more supply comes to the market and performance improves,'' he said.

As a result, there are a plethora of LED projects. ''Many vendors at the show estimated that 200-plus large commercial projects were out for bids during 2010, up from (about) 50 or so last year,'' he said. ''Commercial lighting projects include warehouses, retail stores, hotels, restaurants and outside area or architectural lighting. Companies that are seeking LED solutions include Walmart, Albertson’s, Fedex, UPS, and others. Project sizes range from $2-to-$10 million and reflect ROIs in the range of 1-3 years for many installations.''

Redbird LED Launches New Line of LED Tube Lights

Redbird LED is based in Atlanta and has recently launched a new line of energy efficient LED Tube lights for commercial building applications. They have designed a new line up of products that provide high quality illumination, energy savings and reduced environmental impact. For more information please visit their LED Tube Lightt website.

Lazard Takes Positive Look on future of LED Lights

Lazard has upgraded LED manufacturer CREE lighting to Buy from Hold with a $90 target saying they believe demand for general LED lighting will grow at a rate of greater than 30% between 2010-2014.

They see interest in LED lighting to expand from universities and government buildings. With payback periods coming down as low as 12 months, Lazard is seeing increasing adoption of LED lighting in general , especially in the commercial building space. Lazard's checks suggest that in 2009 there were approximately 50 commercial projects using LEDs, and in 2010 lighting contracts for LEDs should reach 200+ multimillion-dollar projects. They are also seeing utilities creating rebates for LED fixtures and introducing unmetered rate schedules specifically for LED street and area lighting.

Information from www.istockanalyst.com

LED Retrofit Lights at Value Pricing

Sponsor: Redbird LED is an Atlanta based designer and manufacturer of premium quality LED Tube lights. They have introduced a new line-up of high quality LED Tube lights that were designed to provide a lower-cost option for parking garage lighting retrofits, warehouse lighting retrofits and grocery store LED Retrofits. For more information please visit their Commercial LED Retrofit website.

Need to Finance Your LED Retrofit Project?

One of the few hurdles to a lighting retrofit project is the upfront costs. With an LED retrofit the ROI is clearly obvious and the payback period is short- sometimes less than one year. What holds companies back from a lighting retrofit project- the initial cost outlay. Redbird LED an Atlanta based designer and manufacturer of Premium LED Tube Lights may have the answer for you. They recently announced a new financing program they offer through their financing partner, Energy Finance, a division of  RED Clay.

 "Often our customers agree that an LED retrofit is a wise financial expense for their company and they want to explore methods of offsetting the upfront cost of the purchase." said Jonathan Eppstein, President of Redbird LED. One method is with rebates or tax incentives, yet another way is by spreading the purchase cost over some portion of the product's usable life. For example, a lighting improvement with a 3 year payback can be financed with a 60 month term loan, this provides a positive cash flow because the reduction in your lighting costs is greater than your monthly payment for the loan. An LED retrofit is now more compelling than ever, and this is all because a new technology is available that simply out performs traditional light sources.

For more information on financing a LED Retrofit program please visit their website www.commercialledretrofits.com or call 

(678) RED-BIRD  [678-733-2473]

Fresh & Easy Retrofitting Stores with LED Lights

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the US subsidiary of Tesco plc, will have its medium temperature cases in its 159 stores retrofitted with LED lighting through a partnership of Nualight Ltd, a manufacturer of LED lighting solutions for retail, and Kysor/Warren, a manufacturer of refrigerated cases in North America.

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the US subsidiary of Tesco plc, will have its medium temperature cases in its 159 stores retrofitted with LED lighting through a partnership of Nualight Ltd, a manufacturer of LED lighting solutions for retail, and Kysor/Warren, a manufacturer of refrigerated cases in North America.

All meat, dairy and fish cases will be upgraded to LED replacing the existing T5 Fluorescent canopy and undershelf lighting. Fresh & Easy currently uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases.

For rest of article please visit-http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/05/13/fresh-easy-undertakes-led-retrofit-project/

Redbird LED has launched a new website for grocery store facility engineers and managers to provide them with information on :LED Lighting. Many grocery stores and convenience stores are discovering that LED Lights will perform much better than conventional lighting in their refrigerated cases. LED lights operate more efficiently in cold environments and provide a higher quality illumination which results in higher consumer sales. For more information please visit our grocery led lighting website

New Oak Park City Hall Installs LED Lighting

There are hardly any light switches in the new Oak Park Heights City Hall.

Energy-saving LED lights turn on only if a sensor detects motion, heat and sound; photometric sensors adjust indoor lighting to compensate for daylight.

The new $6.5 million municipal building, which opens May 17, also features a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system, rain gardens and a heat-recovery system that reclaims energy from the air before it is discharged outside.

City officials pushed for green, sustainable construction techniques to save money and help the environment.

"The function of the building will provide many years of value to the residents of Oak Park Heights," said Mayor David Beaudet.

In addition, the new City Hall, just north and west of the old one, is more customer-friendly. Instead of four separate doors for police, administration, utility billing and public works, the building has one main entrance, which visitors enter after passing under a large steel canopy.

The building's signature design item is its soaring rotunda, which is warmed by in-floor radiant heat. "The rotunda and overall building design has been quite inspirational," Beaudet said. "It adds value to people coming to work at City Hall and for people coming to visit."

For rest of article please go to http://www.twincities.com/ci_15042419?source=most_emailed