My company, energy-efficient lighting manufacturer Precision-Paragon [P2], has released the results of our 2012 Energy-Efficient Lighting Industry survey. The survey included over 4,000 energy efficiency professionals to find out their opinions on growth and revenues for the upcoming year. Participants were asked how things have been going for their business, and what they expected for the coming year.
In a previous survey conducted at the end of 2011, 69% of the lighting industry experts surveyed expected moderate or substantial growth in their revenues from energy-efficient relighting projects in 2012. When asked how much growth they actually saw in 2012, 67% reported either moderate or substantial growth. That’s a difference of just 2% between expected and actual growth.
Those That Took The Survey Expect Even More Energy-Efficient Relighting Industry Growth In 2013
Survey respondents were especially optimistic about 2013 than they were predicting growth in 2012. A whopping 77% of survey participants expect either moderate or substantial growth in 2013, up 7% from last year.
Nearly Half Of All Lighting Projects Using Automated Controls
Participants were asked what percentage of their retrofits were utilizing automatic lighting controls, the average answer was 48%. That means that nearly half of all current lighting projects are using some form of automatic lighting controls.
The most efficient fixture in the world is one that’s turned off, and automatic lighting controls help keep lights off when they’re not needed. For each new project, it makes sense to at least assess the option of automatic lighting controls. Survey takers did just this.
Fluorescent Will Remain The Dominant Energy-Efficient Lighting Technology Installed in 2013
This year, 68% of the survey takers said that they expect Linear Fluorescent lighting to be the dominant lighting technology they install in 2013. This number might come as a surprise to people outside of the industry, where LED lighting seems to get all the news coverage.
LED lighting has made advances in the past year, and that’s reflected by the survey takers, 26% of which expect it to be the dominant light source they install in 2013.
However, it’s also true that fluorescent lighting has made significant advances in the past year. Just recently, major lamp manufacturers began to release lamps with 80,000 hour rated lives. For a lamp that operates 12 hours a day for 365 days a year, that’s a rated lifespan of over 18-years.
When you combine advances like that with the low initial cost and significant performance benefits of fluorescent lighting, it’s easy to see why survey takers expect it to be the predominant technology they install in 2013.
An Industry That Demonstrates Continued Growth
The first energy-efficient lighting survey of this sort was conducted in 2009. These surveys have shown over the last few years some surprising results in terms of fixtures and some consistent numbers in terms of growth.
One thing is clear: the energy efficient lighting industry is continuing to grow.
Reducing energy costs while improving lighting quality was something that businesses wanted in 2009, it’s something that businesses want in 2013 and will continue to need in the future. It is clear that energy efficient lighting manufacturers plan to be there to meet the growing demands of clients for the foreseeable future.
Lou Preston is national marketing director for P2.