“Of course we’re disappointed,” National Lighting Bureau Executive Director John Bachner said in response to third-quarter 2013 performance of the NEMA Lighting Systems Index (LSI). The Index declined 1.6% from second-quarter 2013 results, which were the best in five years. “But we’re not at all dism`ayed,” he quickly added. “The Index is still almost 5% ahead of third-quarter results in 2012. The real problem is not the pace of the recovery so much as it is our own impatience. We’ll get there. We’re looking at too many positives not to.”
NEMA’s LSI is a composite measure of luminaires, ballasts, miniature lamps, large lamps, and emergency lighting shipped throughout the United States by the lighting-equipment manufacturers of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). Adjusted for seasonality and inflation, the Index uses 2002 data for its 100-point benchmark.
According to NEMA Director of Statistical Operations Stacey Harrison, shipments of fixtures, emergency lighting, large lamps, and ballasts all declined during 2013’s third quarter; only miniature-lamp shipments increased. Nonetheless, he said, “Demand still remains robust compared to a year ago. On a year-over-year basis, lighting equipment shipments improved for the fourth consecutive quarter, increasing by 4.7 percent.”
Addressing the future, Bachner noted that “about all the most reliable forecasters agree that 2014 will be a year of continued growth. McGraw Hill’s construction forecast calls for a 9% increase in construction starts and double-digit growth in the dollar value of single-family housing, multifamily housing, and commercial buildings. I believe we’ll also start seeing the impact of federal regulations that have created increased demand for more efficient light sources that reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and greenhouse-gas emissions while improving lighting quality.”
