Hi Global Market for U.S. Indoor Air Quality to Reach $11.4 Billion by 2019!.

Hi Global Market for U.S. Indoor Air Quality to Reach $11.4 Billion by 2019!.

BCC Research reveals in its new report, U.S. Indoor Air Quality Market, the U.S. indoor air quality (IAQ) market is expected to grow to $11.4 billion by 2019, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 percent over the next five years. The equipment segment market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.4 percent.

Since 2012, continuing media attention focused on the health effects of toxic mold, the outbreak of infectious diseases (such as bird flu), and the increase in chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma have resulted in a new interest in IAQ in homes, commercial buildings, schools and hospitals.

There is a distinct equipment market within the industry that includes products such as air-cleaning equipment, HVAC equipment, HVAC replacement filters and IAQ instrumentation. This market, which was valued at $3.9 billion in 2013, is predicted to reach nearly $4.1 billion in 2014 and $5.8 billion in 2019, with a projected CAGR of 7.4 percent.

Although the commercial segment was the largest market for IAQ equipment and services in 2013, the residential sector is projected to move into the top position by 2019, with 29 percent of the market, followed by commercial buildings (28 percent), healthcare (16 percent) and schools (14 percent).

“The U.S. economy has continued to recover from the 2008–2009 recession, boosting the market for IAQ equipment and services,” says BCC Research environment analyst, Andrew McWilliams. “The IAQ market is important because health problems such as building-related illness and sick-building syndrome, as well as other ailments associated with poor IAQ in homes, offices and schools, are on the rise in the U.S.”

U.S. INDOOR AIR QUALITY MARKET determines the size of the overall IAQ market and its subcategories, such as IAQ equipment and technologies, consulting services and environmental services.

Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Construction of green buildings rose to 325 million m² of new floor space in 2013, representing a $260 billion market, according to Lux Research, with growth driven by economic benefits rather than environmental motivations.

Growth has exceeded expectations as green construction marches toward a significant share of the mainstream market. In the United States, for example, green buildings command an estimated 20 percent of new construction.

“Green buildings are driven not by utility savings, but by upticks in rental income or resale value,” said Alex Herceg, Lux Research analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings.”

“Those factors, along with government incentives, can make the financial case for green buildings, delivering predictable internal rates of return (IRRs) north of 5 percent,” he added.

Lux Research analysts studied utility savings, rental rates, resale value and government incentives in green buildings and their impact on IRRs.

Among their findings:

• Green certification fuels growth. Lux Research’s analysis found that buildings with LEED Gold certification outperform their baseline peers. For instance, higher rental income added $4.1 million in value to a model 80,000 ft² commercial building in Los Angeles.

• IRRs get a boost from subsidies. Incentives like Germany's subsidized interest rates for energy-efficient homes, or government cash rebates in India, can lead to an IRR of 5 to 6 percent over 15 years.

• Energy efficiency codes offer market opportunity. While green building standards like LEED helped build market demand for green buildings, building energy efficiency codes such as ASHAE 90.1, IECC and ECBC India can create a much larger market opportunity. In Germany, Lux Research estimates that new floor space compliant with the EnEv 2009 code was 50 million m², or about 36 percent of overall new construction, in 2013.

The report, titled “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings,” is part of the Lux Research Efficient Building Systems Intelligence service.

Hi UPDATE 2-Egypt pays $1.5 bln to foreign energy companies - oil ministry.

Hi UPDATE 2-Egypt pays $1.5 bln to foreign energy companies - oil ministry.

(Updates to include financing details)

Oct 2 (Reuters) - Egypt has paid $1.5 billion of its debt to foreign energy companies, the oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Egypt has delayed payments to oil and gas firms since a popular uprising ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and brought on almost three years of instability. Some of the debts were incurred before the revolt.

The Arab world's most populous country faces its worst energy crisis in decades. It still owes foreign energy firms $4.9 billion after this latest payment, which was financed by a loan from Egyptian banks, according to the statement.

"The government aims to reduce the debt owed to partners in the oil sector to an appropriate level to motivate them to intensify research and exploration," said Oil Minister Sherif Ismail.

Egypt's last payment to foreign energy companies was $1.5 billion made at the end of last December to oil majors including BP and BG Group. At the time, BG Group was owed the most. It is unclear which companies will benefit from today's payment.

The oil ministry's figures indicate that Egypt's debt was at $6.4 billion immediately before this payment, up from the $5.9 billion reported at the end of April. That indicates Egypt has accumulated $500 million in fresh debt over the past five months.

Today's $1.5 billion payment was financed through a 10 billion Egyptian pound loan from the National Bank of Egypt.

"We moved 10 billion pounds to the account of (state oil company) EGPC, which included $550 million dollars," Mahmoud Montasser, vice-president at the commercial bank, said in a telephone interview, saying it was the biggest such loan ever made in Egypt.

The oil minister said on Tuesday that Egypt would begin seeking a similar loan from international banks after next week's Eid holiday.

Gas production is steadily declining in Egypt while consumption keeps rising but firms are reluctant to increase investment after the government fell behind on payments. (Reporting By Ehab Farouk, Adel Abdel Rahman and Shadi Bushra; Editing by Larry King/Ruth Pitchford).