For Philips and Siemens the answer has veered toward ‘a,’ most recently with Philips’ announcement this week that it will seek ‘alternative ownership’ for its lighting group, a move that echoes Siemens’ 2013 spin-off of its Osram lighting company.

At GE however they’re taking a new crack at ‘b’ with a quiet corporate restructuring in which CEO Jeff Immelt has fused GE Lighting with a division charged with ‘growth and innovation’ and whose boss, Beth Comstock, also runs the Silicon Valley-based GE Ventures, a firm that invests in startups in software, energy, healthcare and manufacturing.

‘On Monday, Sept. 16 GE announced internally that they will align the Lighting business with GE’s growth and innovation team, led by Beth Comstock,’ GE told Lux in an email. ‘The transition is not effective immediately. It will happen over the next few months.’ The company has yet to publicly announce the change. The move had surfaced in an article in Fortune Magazine, which said Comstock takes the lighting reins on Oct. 1.

 ‘NOT FOR SALE’

It was Comstock who two weeks ago told Lux that GE Lighting is not for sale, denying rumours that if true would put U.S.-based GE in the same category as Holland’s Philips and Germany’s Siemens as traditional large industrial companies moving away from direct involvement in the lighting industry.

As part of the shift, Maryrose Sylvester continues as president and CEO of GE Lighting, but she will report to Comstock. Sylvester had been reporting to Chip Blankenship, who has been president and CEO of GE’s appliance and lighting business unit. Earlier this month GE sold its appliance division – dishwashers, toasters, washing machines and the like – to Sweden’s AB Electrolux for $3.3 billion.

Appliances and lighting had accounted for $8.3 billion in sales at the $146 billion company last year. Lighting was about $3 billion of that GE told Lux this week – until now, GE has not separated out lighting numbers from appliances. Appliances was the latest division to go at GE as the company focuses on high margin industrial goods and services.

Comstock, a rising star at GE who also serves as corporate marketing officer and senior vice president, reports directly to Immelt.

BEEN THERE DONE THAT 

She has solid experience at the type of digital industry convergence that challenges today’s lighting business, which is shifting from conventional incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, to lights based on LEDs – light emitting diodes, or semiconductors – a transition that is opening up the field to new digital only manufacturers and to Internet and consumer technology companies like Google and Apple.

Her background includes several years overseeing digital strategy for media giant NBC Universal as president of integrated media, when broadcasting giants like NBC, CBS and ABC were beginning to cope with the incursion of technology powerhouses like Google and YouTube into their industry (NBC was part of the GE empire at the time; GE sold its remaining 49 percent share to cable TV company Comcast for $16.7 billion in early 2013).

That familiarity could help Comstock navigate GE Lighting around a global market where lighting could underpin everything from smart cities to the connected home, and which will rely on innovations and partnerships with technology and networking firms among others.

All the while, she will have to figure out a way to make money. LED bulbs cost much more to make than conventional bulbs, but startup companies are pushing down end user prices faster than some of the cost-burdened giants can afford. LEDs in principle also last much longer, eradicating any replacement bulb business model.

Thus, GE will have to hone a profitable business out of selling lighting services, controls and connectivity.

NETWORKING

Not only will it have to foster relationships with Internet and networking companies, but it will have to fend off challenges from relatively new lighting companies like Opple, Cree, TCP and Acuity, born in the modern lighting era and not encumbered by a legacy lighting business (GE and Philips have both been a making bulbs for over 120 years).

No wonder, with challenges like this, Philips decided on an ‘alternative ownership’ escape route. Even after an impressive run of innovations that has included the Hue line of bulbs that can change brightness and colours via wireless remote control, Philips is setting into slow motion a plan to find buyers for its lighting division, which it says could take a year or two. (Some industry observers are even whispering about a hookup between Philips and GE. Neither company would comment on that speculation).

Comstock told Fortune that there’s tremendous opportunity to partner with startups that develop LED technology for commercial and government buildings.

She certainly talks the talk.

‘Beth Comstock is passionate about change and innovation,’ reads her bio on GE’s corporate website, not yet updated to relfect her new lighting role. ‘She leads GE’s growth efforts via marketing, sales, licensing and communications and oversees GE Ventures. Her current priorities include partnering with and investing in start-ups, developing new markets in analytics, energy and affordable health through GE’s industrial internet, ecomagination and healthymagination initiatives, and making connections that spur a culture of inventiveness and grow brand value.’

It also notes that she serves on the boards of Nike and of Quirky, ‘an online hub that makes invention accessible.’ Quirky helped GE develop its Link connected bulb.

Looks good on paper. Let the innovations begin. There aren’t many other choices.

Shuttla

www.novelenergylighting.com

Lux Magazine reports: Let’s say you’re in charge of energy use at the company and you want to take big steps to slash the bill. Who you gonna call? A building insulator? A smart meter salesman? The most common answer is….

 ‘An LED vendor.’

 That’s according to a poll of over 100 UK energy professionals in the public and private sector by Energy Live News (ELN), which asked them to name which measures they took over the last year, and which ones they are planning.

 ‘LEDs were the most popular choice for energy professionals to save energy over the last year – and they look set to remain favourites for the next 12 months,’ the website reported.

 83 percent of respondents said they tapped LED lighting over the last year, and 80 percent said they’ll bring in LEDs over the next 12 months.

 The number-two measure both for last year and the upcoming one didn’t even involve outright product purchases, as managers reported that ‘changing culture and behaviour’ was also high on their list (in other words, remember to turn off the efficient new LEDs).

 The poll did not specifically ask about new boilers, solar panel installations or building managemet systems, although those did receive write-in votes.

 ‘Insulation, variable speed drives, AMT or smart meters and energy management systems tied third, each being installed over the last year by around two fifths of energy professionals,’ ELN wrote.

 As popular as LEDs were among respondents, they elicited some reality checks from ELN readers in the website’s comments section.

 ‘When it comes to lighting LED is not quite the panacea for all ills it’s set up to be,’ wrote one.

 ‘Manufacturers are making grandiose claims about the longevity of these fittings without the evidence to back them up – the technology is so new there just haven’t been the number of hours in a year to claim they’ll last 100,000 hours or whatever they claim.’

 To that, another reader shot back, ‘Have you not heard of accelerated testing?’ One fan of LEDs commented that it might still be too early to splash out for them.

 ‘Buying LED today may not be the best option,’ he said. ‘It might be better to wait a few years when efficacies will be even higher, as in many applications they have the potential to last 20-30 years and in that situation you may be better off with an optimised package that will go the distance.
’

 In a cautionary tale, he added, ‘A lot of LED packages are poorly selected/sold and they will be replaced a lot earlier than hoped for.
’

 Poorly sold? Hmmmm. Sounds like the poll needs a subcateory: Changing the culture and behaviour of vendors.

—

Photo: To avoid this sort of utility bill shock, energy managers are turning to LEDs more than anything. Image is from Shutterstock

Lux Magazine reports: The government is considering ways to slash demand for energy by encouraging homes and businesses to install low-energy lighting and controls.

A consultation on ways to reduce demand for electricity was launched yesterday together with the Energy Bill, and runs until the end of January.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) believes that a quarter of the potential energy savings to be made in homes by 2030 could come from getting rid of incandescent lamps, while lighting and controls could account for more than a third of savings in commercial properties and nearly half in the public sector (including streetlighting).

In the residential sector, the major barrier to adopting these technologies is a lack of awareness, the government believes, while in commercial buildings the main problems are the payback period on lighting upgrades and the fact that the person using a building and paying the bills is not always the one with the power to make changes.

The government is considering various financial incentives for energy-efficiency measures as well as voluntary and information-based approaches.

Engineering body Cibse has welcomed the consultation, saying it comes “better late than never”. Cibse said that simple improvements to building performance could make a huge difference to the amount of energy needed in the future.

Any new measures to promote efficiency will come on top of the Green Deal, set to be launched fully in the new year, which will provide finance packages allowing  households and businesses to pay for energy-efficiency upgrades from savings on their bills.

Energy minister Ed Davey said the Energy Bill and associated measures are designed to drive low-carbon economic growth and “keep the lights on”.

Last year 39TWh of energy (that’s 39 billion kWh) was used to light commercial and public sector buildings, while around 15TWh was used in homes.

View our range of office lighting here:

Lux Magainze report: Energy-efficient lighting has come out top in a survey of green technology investments for businesses.

Over three quarters of businesses (77 per cent) polled by the Carbon Trust said they had invested in energy-efficient lighting in the past year, while 59 per cent had invested in employee training and 57 per cent had invested in energy metering and monitoring.

Almost all businesses surveyed said energy efficiency was an important consideration when buying or upgrading equipment.

However, the survey also highlighted reservations about the transition to the new technology, with only half of respondents (51 per cent) saying they were confident about manufacturers’ energy-efficiency claims.

Hugh Jones, managing director of business advice at the Carbon Trust said: ‘Our survey showed that return on investment is the most important factor for organisations considering investing in energy efficiency and low carbon technologies.’

The survey comes as the Carbon Trust launches the Green Business Directory, which lists suppliers that have been vetted under the trust’s Accredited Supplier scheme.

 View our LED ceiling panel range here, ideal for offices:

Energy efficient controls from LightwaveRF have been used in conjunction with Megaman’s energy saving lamps in a demonstration house at the BRE (Building Research Establishment) in Hertfordshire. The house forms part of the seminal sustainable refurbishment project, the BRE Victorian Terrace, on BRE’s Innovation Park.

The park is a mini-community of demonstration homes and buildings that have pushed the boundaries of global knowledge on delivering sustainability in the built environment.  It features a range of unique and diverse approaches to sustainable design, construction and refurbishment and a host of innovative low carbon products, materials and technologies. The centre is available for events as well as offering the opportunity for networking and providing a basis for a knowledge sharing hub. Visitors will be able to see the latest state-of–the-art technology from LightwaveRF in the remote control of the lighting and heating in the facility and the benefits of using this in conjunction with Megaman’s energy saving lamps.

LightwaveRF products have been used throughout the house and include LED dimmers, mood lighting controllers, sockets, wire-free switches, inline relays for blind control, TRV’s for radiator control and magnetic switches. The LightwaveRF system is controlled via the Lightwave Link which simply plugs into the home broadband router. The LightwaveRF controls are used in conjunction with a variety of Megaman lamps to offer a complete sustainable housing solution with lamps. These include 6W GU10s for ceiling illumination, LED Classics in pendants over the kitchen worktop, 7W GX53 lamps highlighting the wardrobe shelves and Incanda-LED candles in a crystal chandelier to act as an attractive feature in the living area.

One of the world’s leading brands in energy efficient lighting, Megaman is also the UK wholesale and retail distributor for LightwaveRF who provide stylishly crafted, energy efficient wireless home automation lighting, power and heating devices. LightwaveRF is a range of intelligent dimmers, radiator valves, sockets and sensors that are just that little bit smarter. While they look and work just like ordinary dimmers, valves or sockets, they will change the way you control your heating, lighting and power in your home forever.

The LightwaveRF product range can be retro-fitted with no extra wiring required and controlled over an internet connection from a smartphone, tablet or from a hand held remote control making control simple and convenient from the home, office, or indeed anywhere in the world. The collaboration between Megaman and LightwaveRF means that a ‘smart’ home is now within everyone’s reach.

Megaman and LightwaveRF products are all available through Novel Energy Lighting – we supply lighting and home automation products to homes and businesses.

Lux Magazine report: Facing criticism that he is missing his carbon reduction goals, Mayor Boris Johnson has found an additional £11.5 million – most of it from the European Union – to retrofit London’s buildings for energy efficiency.

The new financing extends a three-year old scheme called the London Energy Efficiency Fund (LEEF) that has helped install LED lighting, solar panels, insulation, new boilers and other technologies aimed at cutting energy consumption in private homes and in public buildings such as schools, libraries, hospitals and town halls.

‘We need to do everything possible to make the most of our resources, reduce carbon emissions and create a more secure, cost-effective and sustainable heat and power supply across London,’ Mayor Johnson said in a press release.

His critics would agree. A month ago, the London Assembly’s Environment Committee said the mayor was falling well short of the carbon reduction milestones he set in his Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy. It scored him at 4 out of a possible 10.

LEEF is part of the London Green Fund, which is now funneling £10 million of European Regional Development Fund money into it. An additional £1.5 million comes from what the press release described as ‘generated interest.’