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Viewing report
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North American Lighting Controls Markets
Frost & Sullivan, July 2002
Energy-Saving Capacity Is the Driving Force Behind Market Growth
The energy-saving potential, integration benefits, and adoption of superior energy conservation codes by several states in North America is set to kindle demand in the lighting controls market. This developing market is poised for rapid growth and is expected to witness a steep rise in revenues. Energy efficiency programs implemented by the federal and state Governments increasingly compel the installation of suitable lighting products in older buildings, creating opportunities for further expansion in the retrofit segment.
This Frost & Sullivan research covers two major components of a lighting system - ballasts and controls. It provides revenue forecasts, discusses market, technology, and geographic trends, as well as provides strategic recommendations.
Changing Trends in Both Lighting Controls and Ballasts
Lighting controls have been shown to reduce lighting energy consumption by 50 percent in existing buildings and at least 35 percent in new constructions, states the analyst. The quick returns yielded on initial investment make this an attractive market. An important market trend is the movement toward remote controllable breaker-based panels. Manufacturers of conventional relay-based controls are increasingly developing such panels in response to end-users' shifting preferences.
Electronic ballasts are gaining dominance over magnetic ballasts and find significant applications in the large retrofit market. Says the analyst, Energy efficiency has played a major role in the transition from magnetic ballasts to electronic ballasts. Declining prices of electronic ballasts since the mid 90s, and the growing usage of high-intensity discharge ballasts for commercial and retail applications have helped increase market penetration and boost revenue growth.
Increased Visibility and Standardization Is the Key to Success
To promote the image of lighting controls as 'must-have' rather than 'nice-to-have' systems, manufacturers have to work closely with building owners, design engineers, as well as electrical contractors and convince them about the benefits of their products. Participants have to invest in research and development to innovate technology, which has remained the same since the 80s and 90s.
Participants also have to make tremendous efforts to ensure that open protocol standards are adopted for lighting controls to facilitate seamless integration with other building automation systems. To cope with potential excess manufacturing capacity in the wake of the economic slowdown, manufacturers have to employ focused sales and marketing techniques such as better distribution channel management. Says the analyst, The most important aspect is increasing the efficiencies of the production process so that price pressures can be negated.
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