Lighting demand slides again in Q2

Aug. 28, 2009
After a steep first quarter decline, NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index contracted an additional 4.3 percent during the second quarter of 2009

After a steep first quarter decline, NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index contracted an additional 4.3 percent during the second quarter of 2009. The drop marked the third consecutive quarter in which the index has fallen to a new all-time low reading. The index was down even more sharply on a year-over-year basis, dropping nearly 25 percent, and has registered a cumulative drop of more than 30 percent from its cyclical peak in early 2006. For the third consecutive quarter, each major type of lighting equipment making up the index posted lower inflation-adjusted shipments versus the second quarter of 2008, with a particularly sizable year-over-year decline in luminaire shipments. The upturn in residential construction may help sales of home lighting equipment, but lighting for nonresidential market applications is expected face several more quarters of weakness as the commercial real estate downturn gains momentum, NEMA said.