Edgar Filing: ENERGY FOCUS, INC/DE

efoi20141218_s3.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 19, 2014

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

ENERGY FOCUS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

94-3021850

(State of incorporation)

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

32000 Aurora Road, Suite B

Solon, Ohio 44139

(440) 715-1300

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

James Tu

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Energy Focus, Inc.

32000 Aurora Road, Suite B

Solon, Ohio 44139

(440) 715-1300

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including are code, of agent for service)

With a copy to:

John M. Gherlein

Janet A. Spreen

Baker & Hostetler LLP

PNC Center

1900 East 9th Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Telephone: (216) 621-0200

Facsimile: (216) 696-0740

Approximate Date of Commencement of Proposed Sale to the Public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box: ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box: ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ☐

Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☐

Smaller reporting company ☒

(Do not check if a smaller

reporting company)

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each Class of	Proposed Maximum	Amount of
Securities to be Registered	Aggregate Offering Price	Registration Fee
Common stock, par value $0.0001 per share	$25,000,000 (1)	$2,905

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 19, 2014

PROSPECTUS

$25,000,000

ENERGY FOCUS, INC.

Common Stock

We may offer and sell shares of our common stock from time to time in amounts, at prices and on terms that will be determined at the time of the offering. The aggregate offering price of all securities sold by us pursuant to this prospectus will not exceed $25,000,000.

This prospectus describes the general manner in which the shares of our common stock may be offered and sold. The specific manner in which shares of common stock may be offered and sold will be described in one or more prospectus supplements.

You should carefully read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, together with the documents we incorporate by reference, before you invest in our common stock.

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “EFOI.” On December 18, 2014, the last reported sale price for our common stock was $5.19 per share. As of that date and based on that last reported sale price per share, the aggregate market value of our voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was approximately $32,580,505.

Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities in a public offering in reliance on that instruction with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75 million. We have not offered or sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the 12 calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus.

Investing in our common stock involves substantial risk. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 3 of this prospectus and any risk factors described in any applicable prospectus supplement and in the documents we incorporate by reference.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is , 2014.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page

About this Prospectus		1
Summary		2
Risk Factors		3
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements		12
Use of Proceeds		13
Description of Capital Stock		13
Plan of Distribution		15
Legal Matters		16
Experts		16
Where You Can Find More Information		16
Information Incorporated by Reference		16

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in any documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Information Incorporated by Reference.”

You should rely only on the information that we have provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. You should not rely upon any information or representation not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement is delivered or securities are sold on a later date.

Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to “Energy Focus,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company,” or “the Company” in this prospectus refer to Energy Focus, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries, and their respective predecessor entities for the applicable periods, considered as a single enterprise.

SUMMARY

This summary highlights certain information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents we incorporate by reference into this prospectus. The summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. After you read this summary, you should read and consider carefully the entire prospectus and any prospectus supplement and the more detailed information and financial statements and related notes that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. If you invest in our shares, you are assuming a high degree of risk.

Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this prospectus reflects a one-for-ten reverse stock split of our common stock effected on July 16, 2014, and all share and per share data has been adjusted for the one-for-ten reverse stock split for all periods presented.

Our Company and Business

Energy Focus, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and installation of energy-efficient lighting systems and solutions where we have historically served two segments:

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Products: providing military, general commercial and industrial energy-efficient lighting offerings; and

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Solutions: providing turnkey, high-quality, energy-efficient lighting application alternatives, primarily to the existing public-sector building market. During the third quarter of 2014, we began shifting our focus away from the turnkey solutions business to align our resources with developing and selling our LED products.

In 2013, we sold and discontinued our pool products business, and are focusing our resources solely on our LED lighting retrofit business. Additionally, research and development remains a key focus for us. Our research and development team is dedicated to developing and designing leading-edge technology LED lighting products, and we have curtailed our efforts on bidding on research contracts and grants.

The Company was founded in 1985 as Fiberstars, Inc., a California corporation, and reincorporated in Delaware in November 2006. In May 2007, Fiberstars, Inc. merged with and became Energy Focus, Inc., also a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at 32000 Aurora Road, Suite B, Solon, Ohio 44139. Our telephone number is 440.715.1300. Our website address is www.energyfocusinc.com. Information on our website is not part of this prospectus.

The Offering

We may offer shares of our common stock, from time to time under this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement, at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of offering, up to a maximum aggregate offering price equal to the amount set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer shares of our common stock, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities and the offering. A prospectus supplement to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference.

We may sell shares of our common stock directly to or through underwriters, dealers or agents. If we do offer shares of our common stock through underwriters or agents, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

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the names of those underwriters or agents;

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applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

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details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

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the net proceeds to us.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider and evaluate the risk factors below, together with the risk factors and other information contained in or incorporated by reference into the applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. The occurrence of any of these risks and uncertainties could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or growth prospects. As a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Associated with Our Business

We have a history of operating losses and may incur losses in the future, and our auditors have issued a “Going Concern” opinion.

We have experienced net losses from continuing operations of approximately $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and $6.9 million, $6.6 million and $6.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. As of September 30, 2014, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $6.7 million and an accumulated deficit of $88.1 million. Although management has addressed many of the legacy issues that have historically burdened our financial performance, we still face challenges in order to reach profitability. In order for us to attain profitability and growth, we will need to successfully address these challenges, including improvement in gross margins, execution of our marketing and sales plans for our energy-efficient LED lighting products, the development of new technologies into sustainable product lines, and continued improvements in our supply chain performance.

There is a risk that our business may not be as successful as we envision. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an opinion in connection with our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K raising substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. This opinion stems from our historically poor operating performance, and our historical inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet obligations and sustain operations without obtaining additional external financing. We currently have a revolving credit facility that provides funding for our operations. We have the right to terminate the facility on December 31, 2015, and the lender may terminate the facility at any time by providing the requisite advance notice. Although we are optimistic about obtaining the funding necessary for us to continue as a going concern, there can be no assurances that this objective will be successful or that we will obtain funding on acceptable terms or in a timely fashion or at all. As such, we will continue to review and pursue selected external funding sources, if necessary, to execute these objectives including, but not limited to, the following:

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renew our existing credit facility on acceptable terms prior to its expiration or termination or obtain funding from other financial institutions on acceptable terms,

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obtain financing from traditional or non-traditional investment capital organizations or individuals, and

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obtain funding from the sale of our common stock or other equity or debt instruments or the exercise of outstanding warrants.

Obtaining financing through the above-mentioned mechanisms contains risks, including:

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loans or other debt instruments may have terms and/or conditions, such as interest rate, restrictive covenants and control or revocation provisions, which are not acceptable to management or our Board of Directors,

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the current environment in capital markets combined with our capital constraints may prevent us from being able to obtain adequate debt financing,

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financing may not be available for parties interested in pursuing the acquisition of one or more of our operating units, and

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additional equity financing may not be available to us in the current capital environment and could lead to further dilution of stockholder value for current stockholders of record.

If we fail to raise additional capital, including from sales revenues, loans or other external funding sources, we may be required to change our planned business strategies. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing, we may not be able to successfully develop and market our products and services. As a result, we would need to curtail business operations, which would have a material negative effect on operating results, the value of our outstanding stock is likely to fall, and our business may fail, causing our stockholders to lose their entire investments.

Depressed general economic conditions may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Our business is sensitive to changes in general economic conditions, both inside and outside the United States. An economic downturn may adversely impact our business. Slow growth in the economy or an economic downturn could adversely affect our ability to meet our working capital requirements and growth objectives, or could otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, any general or market-specific economic downturns, particularly those affecting building renovation, or that cause end-users to reduce or delay their purchases of lighting products, services, or retrofit activities, would have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operating results may fluctuate due to factors that are difficult to forecast and not within our control.

Our past operating results may not be accurate indicators of future performance, and you should not rely on such results to predict our future performance. Our operating results have fluctuated significantly in the past, and could fluctuate in the future. Factors that may contribute to fluctuations include:

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changes in aggregate capital spending, cyclicality and other economic conditions, or domestic and international demand in the industries we serve;

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the timing of large customer orders, such as the recently announced orders for the U.S. Navy;

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our ability to effectively manage our working capital;

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our ability to satisfy consumer demands in a timely and cost-effective manner;

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pricing and availability of labor and materials;

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our inability to adjust certain fixed costs and expenses for changes in demand;

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seasonal fluctuations in demand and our revenue; and

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disruption in component supply from foreign vendors.

If LED lighting technology fails to gain widespread market acceptance or we are unable to respond effectively as new lighting technologies and market trends emerge, our competitive position and our ability to generate revenue and profits may be harmed.

To be successful, we depend on continued market acceptance of our existing LED technology. Although adoption of LED lighting continues to grow, the use of LED lighting products for general illumination is in its early stages, is still limited and faces significant challenges. Potential customers may be reluctant to adopt LED lighting products as an alternative to traditional lighting technology because of its higher initial cost or perceived risks relating to its novelty, reliability, usefulness, light quality and cost-effectiveness when compared to other established lighting sources available in the market. Changes in economic and market conditions may also affect the marketability of some traditional lighting technologies such as declining energy prices in certain regions or countries may favor existing lighting technologies that are less energy efficient, reducing the rate of adoption for LED lighting products in those areas. Even if LED lighting products continue to achieve performance improvements and cost reductions, limited customer awareness of the benefits of LED lighting products, lack of widely accepted standards governing LED lighting products and customer unwillingness to adopt LED lighting products in favor of entrenched solutions could significantly limit the demand for LED lighting products and adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, we will need to keep pace with rapid changes in LED technology, changing customer requirements, new product introductions by competitors and evolving industry standards, any of which could render our existing products obsolete if we fail to respond in a timely manner. Development of new products incorporating advanced technology is a complex process subject to numerous uncertainties. We have previously experienced, and could in the future experience, delays in the introduction of new products. If effective new sources of light other than LEDs are discovered, our current products and technologies could become less competitive or obsolete. If others develop innovative proprietary lighting technology that is superior to ours, or if we fail to accurately anticipate technology and market trends, respond on a timely basis with our own development of new products and enhancements to existing products, and achieve broad market acceptance of these products and enhancements, our competitive position may be harmed and we may not achieve sufficient growth in our net sales to attain or sustain profitability.

If we are unable to manage any future growth effectively, our profitability and liquidity could be adversely affected.

Our ability to achieve our desired growth depends on our execution in functional areas such as product development and management, sales and marketing, and general administration and operations. To manage any future growth, we must continue to improve our product development, distribution, operational and financial processes and systems and expand, train and manage our employee base. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

If we are not able to compete effectively against companies with greater resources, our prospects for future success will be jeopardized.

The lighting industry is highly competitive. In the high performance lighting markets in which we sell our advanced lighting systems, our products compete with lighting products utilizing traditional lighting technology provided by many vendors. Additionally, in the advanced lighting markets in which we have primarily competed to date, competition has largely been fragmented among a number of small manufacturers. However, some of our competitors, particularly those that offer traditional lighting products, are larger, established companies with greater resources to devote to research and development, manufacturing and marketing, as well as greater brand recognition.

Moreover, we encounter competition from an even greater number of companies in the general lighting market. Our competitors also include the large, established companies in the general lighting industry, such as General Electric Company, Osram Sylvania, CREE, Inc. and Royal Philips Electronics. Each of these competitors offers lighting products utilizing LED technology. These companies have global marketing capabilities and substantially greater resources to devote to research and development and other aspects of the development, manufacture and marketing of LED lighting products than we possess. The relatively low barriers to entry into the lighting industry and the limited proprietary nature of many lighting products also permit new competitors to enter the industry easily.

In each of our markets, we also anticipate the possibility that LED manufacturers, including those that currently supply us with LEDs, may seek to compete with us. Our competitors’ lighting technologies and products may be more readily accepted by customers than our products will be. Moreover, if one or more of our competitors or suppliers were to merge with one another, the change in the competitive landscape could adversely affect our competitive position. Additionally, to the extent that competition in our markets intensifies, we may be required to reduce our prices in order to remain competitive. If we do not compete effectively, or if we reduce our prices without making commensurate reductions in our costs, our net sales and profitability and our future prospects for success may be harmed.

If we are unable to obtain and adequately protect our intellectual property rights, our ability to commercialize our products could be substantially limited.

We consider our technology and processes proprietary. If we are not able to adequately protect or enforce the proprietary aspects of our technology, competitors may utilize our proprietary technology. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. We protect our technology through a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements, and similar means. Despite our efforts, other parties may attempt to disclose, obtain or use our technologies. Our competitors may also be able to independently develop products that are substantially equivalent or superior to our products or slightly modify our patents. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights as fully as do the laws of the United States. As a result, we may not be able to protect our proprietary rights adequately in the United States or abroad. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will be issued patents for which we have applied or obtain additional patents, or that we will be able to obtain licenses to patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties that we may need to support our business in the future. The inability to obtain certain patents or rights to third-party patents and other intellectual property rights in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights and positions, which may result in protracted and expensive litigation. We have engaged in litigation in the past and litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation may also be necessary to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity by others. An adverse outcome in litigation or any similar proceedings could subject us to significant liabilities, require us to license disputed rights from others or require us to cease marketing or using certain products or technologies. We may not be able to obtain any licenses on acceptable terms, if at all, and may attempt to redesign those products that contain allegedly infringing intellectual property, which may not be possible. We also may have to indemnify certain customers if it is determined that we have infringed upon or misappropriated another party’s intellectual property. The cost of addressing any intellectual property litigation claim, both in legal fees and expenses, and the diversion of management resources, regardless of whether the claim is valid, could be significant and could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We derive a significant portion of our revenue from a few customers and the loss of one of these customers, or a reduction in their demand for our services, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our customer base is highly concentrated. One or a few customers have represented a substantial portion of our consolidated revenues and gross profits in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years. In the nine months ended September 30, 2014, sales to our ten largest end customers from continuing operations accounted for approximately 70% of net sales and sales of our products for the U.S. Navy accounted for approximately 47% of net sales. A limited number of customers may continue to comprise a substantial portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future. We could lose business from a significant customer for a variety of reasons, including:

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levels of funding available to governmental customers, a change in procurement strategies employed by those customers and our ability to fulfill our obligations to such customers and comply with government contracting laws and regulations;

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the consolidation, merger or acquisition of an existing customer, resulting in a change in procurement strategies employed by the surviving entity that could reduce the amount of orders we receive;

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our performance on individual relationships with one or more significant customers are impaired due to another reason, which may cause us to lose future business with such customers and, as a result, our ability to generate income would be adversely impacted; and

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the strength of our professional reputation.

If critical components and finished products that we currently purchase from a small number of third-party suppliers become unavailable or increase in price, or if our suppliers fail to meet our requirements for quality, quantity and timeliness, our revenue and reputation in the marketplace could be harmed, which would damage our business.

In an effort to reduce manufacturing costs, we have outsourced the production of certain parts and components, as well as finished goods in our product lines, to a small number of vendors in various locations throughout the world, primarily in the United States, China and Taiwan. While we believe alternative sources for these components and products are available, we have selected these particular suppliers based on their ability to consistently provide the best quality product at the most cost effective price, to meet our specifications, and to deliver within scheduled time frames. If our suppliers fail to perform their obligations in a timely manner or at satisfactory quality levels, we may suffer lost sales, reductions in revenue and damage to our reputation in the market, all of which would adversely affect our business. We may be vulnerable to unanticipated price increases and payment term changes. Significant increases in the prices of sourced components and products could cause our product prices to increase, which may reduce demand for our products or make us more susceptible to competition. Furthermore, in the event that we are unable to pass along increases in operating costs to our customers, margins and profitability may be adversely affected. Accordingly, the loss of all or one of these suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our operations until such time as an alternative supplier could be found.

Additionally, consolidation in the lighting industry could result in one or more current suppliers being acquired by a competitor, rendering us unable to continue purchasing key components and products at competitive prices. We may be subject to various import duties applicable to materials manufactured in foreign countries and may be affected by various other import and export restrictions, as well as other considerations or developments impacting upon international trade, including economic or political instability, shipping delays and product quotas. These international trade factors will, under certain circumstances, have an impact on the cost of components, which will have an impact on the cost to us of the manufactured product and the wholesale and retail prices of our products.

We depend on independent distributors and sales representatives for a substantial portion of our net sales, and the failure to manage our relationships with these third parties, or the termination of these relationships, could cause our net sales to decline and harm our business.

Although we are building our sales force to sell directly to end clients, we currently rely significantly on indirect sales channels to market and sell our products. Most of our products are sold through third-party independent distributors and sales representatives. In particular, sales of our products for the U.S. Navy, which have accounted for a substantial portion of our net sales in recent periods, are made through an independent distributor. In addition, these parties provide technical sales support to end-users. Our current agreements within these sales channels are generally non-exclusive, meaning they can sell products of our competitors. We anticipate that any such agreements we enter into in the future will be on similar terms. Furthermore, our agreements are generally short-term, and can be cancelled by these sales channels without significant financial consequence. We cannot control how these distributors or sales representatives perform and cannot be certain that we or end-users will be satisfied by their performance. If these distributors and sales representatives significantly change their terms with us, or change their historical pattern of ordering products from us, there could be a significant impact on our net sales and profits.

Our products could contain defects or they may be installed or operated incorrectly, which could reduce sales of those products or result in claims against us.

Despite product testing, defects may be found in our existing or future products. This could result in, among other things, a delay in the recognition or loss of net sales, loss of market share or failure to achieve market acceptance. These defects could cause us to incur significant warranty, support and repair costs, divert the attention of our engineering personnel from our product development efforts, and harm our relationships with our customers. The occurrence of these problems could result in the delay or loss of market acceptance of our lighting products and would likely harm our business. Some of our products use line voltages (such as 120 or 240 AC), which involve enhanced risk of electrical shock, injury or death in the event of a short circuit or other malfunction. Defects, integration issues or other performance problems in our lighting products could result in personal injury or financial or other damages to end-users or could damage market acceptance of our products. Our customers and end-users could also seek damages from us for their losses. A product liability claim brought against us, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time consuming and costly to defend.

Our business may suffer if we fail to comply with government contracting laws and regulations.

We derive a portion of our revenues from direct and indirect sales to U.S., state, local, and foreign governments and their respective agencies. In particular, sales of our products for the U.S. Navy have accounted for a substantial portion of our net sales in recent periods and we have recently announced additional significant orders for the U.S. Navy. Contracts with government customers are subject to various procurement laws and regulations, business prerequisites to qualify for such contracts, accounting procedures, intellectual property process, and contract provisions relating to their formation, administration and performance, which may provide for various rights and remedies in favor of the governments that are not typically applicable to or found in commercial contracts. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations or provisions in our government contracts could result in litigation, the imposition of various civil and criminal penalties, termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, or suspension from future government contracting. If our government contracts are terminated, if we are suspended from government work, or if our ability to compete for new contracts is adversely affected, our business could suffer due to, among other factors, lost sales, the costs of any government action or penalties, damages to our reputation and the inability to recover our investment in developing and marketing products for government use.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

We have significant U.S. net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards (the “Tax Attributes”). Under federal tax laws, we can carry forward and use our Tax Attributes to reduce our future U.S. taxable income and tax liabilities until such Tax Attributes expire in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”). Section 382 and Section 383 of the IRC provide an annual limitation on our ability to utilize our Tax Attributes, as well as certain built-in-losses, against future U.S. taxable income in the event of a change in ownership, as defined under the IRC. Share issuances in connection with our past financing transactions, this offering or other future changes in our stock ownership, which may be beyond our control, could result in changes in ownership for purposes of the IRC. Such changes in ownership could further limit our ability to use our Tax Attributes. Accordingly, any such occurrences could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

The cost of compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

We are subject to a broad range of environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations impose increasingly stringent environmental, health, and safety protection standards and permit requirements regarding, among other things, air emissions, wastewater storage, treatment, and discharges, the use and handling of hazardous or toxic materials, waste disposal practices, the remediation of environmental contamination, and working conditions for our employees. Some environmental laws, such as Superfund, the Clean Water Act, and comparable laws in U.S. states and other jurisdictions world-wide, impose joint and several liability for the cost of environmental remediation, natural resource damages, third party claims, and other expenses, without regard to the fault or the legality of the original conduct, on those persons who contributed to the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. We may also be affected by future laws or regulations, including those imposed in response to energy, climate change, geopolitical, or similar concerns. These laws may impact the sourcing of raw materials and the manufacture and distribution of our products and place restrictions and other requirements on the products that we can sell in certain geographical locations.

We have international sales and are subject to risks associated with operating in international markets.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, net sales of our products outside of the United States represented 11% of our total net sales from continuing operations. We generally provide technical expertise and limited marketing support, while our independent international distributors generally provide sales staff, local marketing, and product services. We believe our international distributors are better able to service international markets due to their understanding of local market conditions and best business practices. International business operations are subject to inherent risks, including, among others:

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difficulty in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through foreign legal systems,

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unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs, and other trade barriers or restrictions,

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potentially adverse tax consequences,

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the burdens of compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, similar anti-bribery laws in other countries, and a wide variety of foreign laws,

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import and export license requirements and restrictions of the United States and each other country in which we operate,

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exposure to different legal standards and reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries,

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currency fluctuations and restrictions, and

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political, social, and economic instability, including war and the threat of war, acts of terrorism, pandemics, boycotts, curtailment of trade or other business restrictions.

If we do not anticipate and effectively manage these risks, these factors may have a material adverse impact on our sales, thus lowering our total revenues.

If we are unable to attract or retain qualified personnel, our business and product development efforts could be harmed.

To a large extent, our future success will depend on the continued contributions of certain employees, such as our current Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. We had significant turnover in our management team during 2013 and cannot be certain that these and other key employees will continue in their respective capacities for any period of time, and these employees may be difficult to replace. Our future success will also depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified technical, sales, marketing, and management personnel, for whom competition is very intense. The loss of, or failure to attract, hire and retain any such persons could delay product development cycles, disrupt our operations, or otherwise harm our business or results of operations. We have been successful in hiring experienced energy solutions salespeople from leading firms in the industry, but if these individuals are not successful in achieving our expectations, then planned sales may not occur and the anticipated net sales may not be realized.

A significant portion of our business is dependent upon the existence of government funding, which may not be available into the future and could result in a significant reduction in sales and could cause significant harm to our business.

We anticipate a significant portion of our future product sales will come from the military and maritime markets, which is reliant upon federal funding. In particular, sales of our products for the U.S. Navy have accounted for a substantial portion of our net sales in recent periods and we have recently announced additional significant orders for the U.S. Navy. In addition, a significant portion of our research and development efforts have been supported directly by government funding and were contracted for short periods, usually one to two years. Further, a significant portion of net sales generated by Energy Focus LED Solutions, LLC are derived from state government funding and supported by federal government funding. U.S. government contracts are conditioned upon the continuing approval by the U.S. Congress of the necessary spending to honor such contracts. We cannot be certain that our U.S. government contracts will not be terminated or suspended in the future due to reductions or eliminations of government funding. If government funding is reduced or eliminated, there is no guarantee that we would be able to continue to fund our activities in these areas at their current levels, if at all, and grow our product sales. If we are unable to maintain our access to government funding in these areas, there could be a significant impact on our net sales and profits and our ability to compete and develop new products.

We believe that certification and compliance issues are critical to adoption of our lighting systems, and failure to obtain such certification or compliance would harm our business.

We are required to comply with certain legal requirements governing the materials in our products. Although we are not aware of any efforts to amend any existing legal requirements or implement new legal requirements in a manner with which we cannot comply, our net sales might be adversely affected if such an amendment or implementation were to occur.

Moreover, although not legally required to do so, we strive to obtain certification for substantially all our products. In the United States, we seek certification on substantially all of our products from Underwriters Laboratories (UL®) or Intertek Testing Services (ETL®). Where appropriate in jurisdictions outside the United States and Europe, we seek to obtain other similar national or regional certifications for our products. Although we believe that our broad knowledge and experience with electrical codes and safety standards have facilitated certification approvals, we cannot ensure that we will be able to obtain any such certifications for our new products or that, if certification standards are amended, that we will be able to maintain such certifications for our existing products. Moreover, although we are not aware of any effort to amend any existing certification standard or implement a new certification standard in a manner that would render us unable to maintain certification for our existing products or obtain ratification for new products, our net sales might be adversely affected if such an amendment or implementation were to occur.

We incur significant costs as a result of being a public company and our management is required to devote substantial time and financial resources to meet compliance obligations.

As a public company reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission, we incur significant legal, accounting, investor relations, board compensation and other expenses. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including section 404(a) that requires that we annually evaluate and report on our systems of internal controls. In the future, there may be material weaknesses in our internal controls that would be required to be reported in future Annual Reports on Form 10-K and/or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. A negative reaction by the equity markets to the reporting of a material weakness could cause our stock price to decline.

Failure to effectively estimate employer-sponsored health insurance premiums and incremental costs due to the Affordable Healthcare Act could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

In March 2010, the United States federal government enacted comprehensive health care reform legislation, which, among other things, includes guaranteed coverage requirements, eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions and annual and lifetime maximum limits, restricts the extent to which policies can be rescinded, and imposes new taxes on health insurers, self-insured companies, and health care benefits. The legislation imposes implementation effective dates that began in 2010 and extend through 2020, with many of the changes requiring additional guidance from federal agencies and regulations. Possible adverse effects could include increased costs, exposure to expanded liability, and requirements for us to revise the ways in which healthcare and other benefits are provided to employees. We continue to monitor the potential impacts the health care reform legislation will have on our financial results.

We may be subject to legal claims against us or claims by us which could have a significant impact on our resulting financial performance.

At any given time, we may be subject to litigation related to our products, suppliers, customers, employees, stockholders, distributors, sales representatives, sales of our assets, among other things, the disposition of which may have an adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, or results of operation. The outcome of litigation is difficult to assess or quantify. Lawsuits can result in the payment of substantial damages by defendants. If we are required to pay substantial damages and expenses as a result of these or other types of lawsuits our business and results of operations would be adversely affected. Regardless of whether any claims against us are valid or whether we are liable, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert time and money away from our operations. Insurance may not be available at all or in sufficient amounts to cover any liabilities with respect to these or other matters. A judgment or other liability in excess of our insurance coverage for any claims could adversely affect our business and the results of our operations.

We rely heavily on information technology in our operations and any material failure, weakness, interruption or breach of security could prevent us from effectively operating our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely heavily on our information technology systems, including our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) software, across our operations and corporate functions, including for management of our supply chain, payment of obligations, data warehousing to support analytics, finance and accounting systems and other various processes and procedures, some of which are handled by third parties.

Our ability to efficiently and effectively manage our business depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. Our business and results of operations may be adversely affected if we experience system usage problems. The failure of these systems to operate effectively, maintenance problems, system conversions, back-up failures, problems or lack of resources for upgrading or transitioning to new platforms or damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including, without limitation, fire, natural disasters, power outages, systems failure, security breaches, cyber-attacks, viruses or human error could result in, among other things, transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, loss of data, inability to generate timely SEC reports, loss of sales and customers and reduce efficiency in our operations. Additionally, we and our customers could suffer financial and reputational harm if customer or Company proprietary information is compromised by such events. Remediation of such problems could result in significant unplanned capital investments and any damage or interruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Associated with an Investment in Our Common Stock

We could issue additional common stock or may need to request our stockholders to authorize additional shares of common stock, which might dilute the book value and market for our common stock.

We are authorized to issue 15,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 9,420,344 shares were issued and outstanding as of December 12, 2014. As of such date, an additional 2,440,518 shares were reserved for issuance as future awards or upon exercise or settlement outstanding awards pursuant to our equity incentive plans, for purchase under our employee stock purchase plan or for issuance upon exercise of certain outstanding warrants. If or when these securities are purchased or exercised for or converted into shares of our common stock, the number of our shares of common stock outstanding will increase. Increases in our outstanding shares, and any sales of shares, could have an adverse effect on the trading activity and market price of our common stock. Our Board of Directors has the authority, without action or vote of our stockholders, to issue a sizeable part of our authorized but unissued shares. Such stock issuances could be made at a price that reflects a discount or a premium from the then-current trading price of our common stock. In addition, in order to raise capital or acquire businesses in the future, we may need to issue additional securities or promissory notes that are convertible or exchangeable for shares of our common stock. These issuances would dilute stockholders’ percentage ownership interest, which would have the effect of reducing influence on matters on which our stockholders vote, and might dilute the book value of our common stock. Stockholders may incur additional and substantial dilution if holders of stock options, whether currently outstanding or subsequently granted, exercise those options, or holders of warrants exercise to purchase shares of our common stock. If an insufficient amount of authorized, but unissued shares of common stock exists to issue in the future in connection with subsequent equity financing or acquisition transactions, we may be required to ask our stockholders to authorize additional shares before undertaking, or as a condition to completing, a financing or acquisition transaction. We cannot be assured that our stockholders would authorize an increase in the number of shares of our common stock.

The elimination of monetary liability against our directors under Delaware law and the existence of indemnification rights held by our directors, officers and employees may result in substantial expenditures by the Company and may discourage lawsuits against our directors, officers and employees.

Our Certificate of Incorporation eliminates the personal liability of our directors to our Company and our stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer to the extent permissible under Delaware law. Further, our Bylaws provide that we are obligated to indemnify any of our directors or officers to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law and, subject to certain conditions, advance the expenses incurred by any director or officer or director in defending any action, suit or proceeding prior to its final disposition. Those indemnification obligations could result in the Company incurring substantial expenditures to cover the cost of settlement or damage awards against our directors or officers, which we may be unable to recoup. These provisions and resultant costs may also discourage us from bringing a lawsuit against any of our current or former directors or officers for breaches of their fiduciary duties, and may similarly discourage the filing of derivative litigation by our stockholders against our directors and officers even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise benefit us or our stockholders.

As a “thinly-traded” stock, large sales can and have placed negative pressure on our common stock price.

Our common stock has generally been considered to be “thinly-traded,” and may remain so despite our listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market. Additionally, we have entered into in the past or may enter into in the future, financing or acquisition transactions resulting in a large number of newly issued shares that become immediately tradable or tradable simultaneously in the future. These factors coupled with a limited number of market makers impairs the liquidity of our stock, not only the number of shares that can be bought and sold, but also the through possible delays in the timing of transactions, and lower prices for our common stock than might otherwise prevail. This could make it difficult or impossible for an investor to sell shares of our common stock within a desired timeframe or to obtain a desired price.

In addition, from time to time, certain of our stockholders may be eligible to sell all, or a portion of, their shares of common stock by means of ordinary brokerage transactions in the open market pursuant to Rule 144, promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, or under effective resale prospectuses. Any substantial sale of our common stock pursuant to Rule 144 or any resale prospectus may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

We have never paid dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

We have never declared or paid dividends on our common stock, nor do we anticipate paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operations and expansion of our business. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will be dependent upon the earnings, financial condition, operating results, capital requirements and other factors as deemed necessary by our Board of Directors.

The NASDAQ Capital Market may not continue to list our common stock for trading on its exchange if we do not comply with its continued listing requirements, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock and its liquidity.

We must comply with NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements related to, among other things, stockholders’ equity, market value, minimum bid price and corporate governance in order to remain listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Although we expect to meet the continued listing requirements, there can be no assurance we will continue to do so in the future. If we do not remain compliant with these continued listing requirements, we could be delisted. If we were delisted, it would be likely to have a negative impact on our stock price and liquidity. The delisting of our common stock could also deter broker-dealers from making a market in or otherwise generating interest in or recommending our common stock, and would adversely affect our ability to attract investors in our common stock. Furthermore, our ability to raise additional capital would be impaired. As a result of these factors, the value of the common stock could decline significantly.

If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is likely to be influenced by any research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. In the event securities or industry analysts cover us and one or more of these analysts downgrades our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline. These risks could be especially significant for us since we have a small public float and limited analyst coverage.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains and incorporates by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “feels,” “seeks,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could” or “would” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies, capital expenditures and the industry in which we operate.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Although we base these forward-looking statements on assumptions that we believe are reasonable when made, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and industry developments may differ materially from statements made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and industry developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

We believe that important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties outlined under “Risk Factors” and other matters described in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein generally. Some of these factors include:

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our history of operating losses;

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our ability to obtain the financing necessary to continue as a “going concern” at all or on satisfactory terms;

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general economic conditions, including the strength of the construction industry, both in the United States and in other markets in which we operate;

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market acceptance of LED lighting technology;

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our dependence on government customers, in particular the U.S. Navy, and on the levels of funding available to such customers and our ability to satisfactorily fulfill our contractual obligations to such customers;

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our ability to respond to new lighting technologies and market trends;

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our ability to compete effectively against companies with greater resources;

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our ability to protect our intellectual property rights;

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our reliance on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of our revenue;

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our ability to obtain critical components and finished products from third-party suppliers on acceptable terms;

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our ability to meet the continued listing standards of the NASDAQ Capital Market; and

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our spending of the net proceeds from any offerings pursuant to this prospectus.

In light of the foregoing, we caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein speaks only as of the date of such statement, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to publicly announce the results of any revision to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless specifically expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, we expect to use the net proceeds of the sale of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not identified as probable any specific material proposed uses of these proceeds. If, as of the date of any prospectus supplement, we have identified any such uses, we will describe them in the prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following summary of certain provisions of our securities does not purport to be complete. You should refer to our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws, both of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The summary below is also qualified by provisions of applicable law.

General. The Company is authorized to issue 15,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 12, 2014, there were 9,420,344 shares of common stock outstanding and no shares of preferred stock outstanding. As of December 12, 2014, there were approximately 120 record holders of our common stock. All shares of common stock outstanding are fully paid and nonassessable. As of December 12, 2014, 1,470,969 authorized shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance under our equity incentive plans and employee stock purchase plan, including options to purchase 457,934 shares of our common stock, of which options to purchase 257,891 shares were exercisable, 525,750 shares available for future equity award grants under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan and 487,285 shares available for future purchases under the employee stock purchase plan. As of December 12, 2014, 969,549 shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of certain outstanding warrants, of which warrants to purchase 822,549 shares were exercisable.

Voting. Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by stockholders. In accordance with Delaware law, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented and voting at a duly held meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the stockholders. The shares of common stock have no pre-emptive rights, no redemption or sinking fund provisions, and are not liable for further call or assessment.

Dividends. The holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends when and as declared by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available for dividends. We have not declared or paid any cash dividends and we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Liquidation. Upon a liquidation of the Company, our creditors and holders of our preferred stock with preferential liquidation rights will be paid before any distribution to holders of our common stock. The holders of common stock would be entitled to receive a pro rata distribution per share of any excess amount.

Preferred Stock. Our certificate of incorporation empowers our Board of Directors to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock from time to time in one or more series. Our Board of Directors may fix the designation, privileges, preferences and rights and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions of those shares, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights, terms of sinking funds, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any additional series or the designation of the series. Terms selected could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of our common stock or adversely affect the rights and power, including voting rights, of the holders of our common stock without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued by us in the future. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of us or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock, and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock. Our Board of Directors has designated 100,000 shares of our preferred stock as Series A Participating Preferred Stock.

Antitakeover Effects of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our Board of Directors and that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a future takeover or change in control of the Company unless that takeover or change in control is approved by our Board of Directors.

These provisions include:

Action by Written Consent. Our bylaws provide that stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders and cannot be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting.

Advance Notice Procedures. Our bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting are only able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given our Secretary timely written notice, in accordance with our bylaws, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although the bylaws do not give the Board of Directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, the bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company.

Authorized but Unissued Shares. Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of a majority of our common stock by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors. Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, and our bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by such law. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with certain of our officers, directors and key employees.

Listing. Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “EFOI.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar. The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, P.O. Box 1342, Brentwood, NY 11717.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell securities in any of the ways described below or in any combination thereof:

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to or through underwriters, brokers or dealers;

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through one or more agents; or

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directly to purchasers or to a single purchaser.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

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at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

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at negotiated prices.

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

The prospectus supplement with respect to each offering will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

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the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;

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the purchase price of the offered securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

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any underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; and

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any initial offering price (if a fixed price offering) and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

Any common stock sold pursuant to this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplement will be approved for trading, upon notice of issuance, on the NASDAQ Capital Market or such other stock exchange that our securities are then trading upon.

Only the agents or underwriters named in each prospectus supplement are agents or underwriters in connection with the securities being offered thereby.

Agents, underwriters and other third parties described above may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution from us with respect to payments which the agents, underwriters or third parties may be required to make in respect thereof.

Agents, underwriters and such other third parties may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business. We may also use underwriters or such other third parties with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe the nature of any such relationship in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Certain persons participating in an offering may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with rules and regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters or other persons may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Baker & Hostetler LLP, Cleveland, Ohio. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed upon for any agents or underwriters by counsel for such agents or underwriters identified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 incorporated by reference in this prospectus and registration statement have been audited by Plante & Moran, PLLC, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report incorporated herein by reference, and are incorporated in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act that registers the shares of our common stock to be offered pursuant to this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to us and our common stock, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus concerning the contents of any contract or any other document are not necessarily complete. If a contract or document has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or one of our filings with the SEC that is incorporated by reference into the registration statement, we refer you to the copy of the contract or document that has been filed. Each statement contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus relating to a contract or document filed as an exhibit is qualified in all respects by the filed exhibit.

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, file reports and other information with the SEC. The registration statement, reports and other information we file with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. You may obtain information regarding the operation of the public reference room by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information that we file electronically with the SEC. The information we file with the SEC is also available on our website, www.energyfocusinc.com. Our website, and the information contained on or accessible through our website, is not part of this prospectus.

INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in or incorporated into this prospectus.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the date hereof and the termination of the offering pursuant to this prospectus (other than any information “furnished” rather than “filed”):

(a)

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, filed with the SEC on March 27, 2014, as amended by our annual report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 30, 2014.

(b)

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014, filed with the SEC on May 13, 2014, August 13, 2014 and November 13, 2014, respectively.

(c)

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on February 3, 2014, February 14, 2014, April 11, 2014, May 22, 2014 and July 16, 2014.

(d)

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, registering our common stock under Section 12(b) under the Exchange Act, filed with the SEC on July 29, 2014, as supplemented by the “Description of Capital Stock” found on page 13 of this prospectus and including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We also incorporate by reference all documents we file (but not furnish) with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act between the filing date and effective date of this registration statement.

You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address: Energy Focus, Inc., 32000 Aurora Road, Suite B, Solon, Ohio 44139; telephone number (440) 715-1300.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The table below itemizes the expenses payable by the registrant in connection with the registration and issuance of the securities being registered hereunder, other than underwriting discounts and commissions. All amounts except the Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee are estimated.

Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee	$	2,905
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Filing Fee		†
NASDAQ Capital Market Additional Shares Listing Fee		†
Legal Fees and Expenses		†
Printing Expenses		†
Blue Sky Fees		†
Transfer Agent Fees		†
Accounting Fees and Expenses		†
Miscellaneous		†
Total	$	†

† Estimated expenses are not presently known. The foregoing sets forth the general categories of expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions) that the Company anticipates it may incur in connection with the offering of securities under the registration statement. An estimate of the aggregate expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being offered will be included in the applicable prospectus supplement.

ITEM 15.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

General Corporation Law

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 (“Section 145”) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (the “General Corporation Law”), among other things, provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who were, are or are threatened to be made, parties to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was illegal. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, were or are threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation by reasons of the fact that such person was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests, provided that no indemnification is permitted without approval of the Court of Chancery or the court in which such suit is brought if the officer, director, employee or agent is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer, director, employee or agent is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him against the expenses which such officer or director has actually and reasonably incurred.

Section 145 further authorizes a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to indemnify him under Section 145.

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Section 102 of the General Corporation Law permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit.

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Article XI and Article XII of our certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate”) provides that the liability of our officers and directors shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the General Corporation Law. Under the General Corporation Law, the directors have a fiduciary duty to us which is not eliminated by these provisions of the Certificate and, in appropriate circumstances, equitable remedies such as injunctive or other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available to us. These provisions also do not affect the directors’ responsibilities under any other laws, such as the federal securities laws or state or federal environmental laws.

Article VI of our bylaws provides that we shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by us or in our right), by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of us, or is or was a director or officer of us serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonable incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding.

Article VI of our bylaws further provides that in the event a director or officer has to bring suit against us for indemnification and is successful, we will pay such director’s or officer’s expenses of prosecuting such claim; that indemnification provided for by the bylaws shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and that we may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of a director or officer against any liability asserted such officer or director and incurred by such officer or director in such capacity, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such director or office against such expense or liability under the General Corporation Law.

Liability Insurance and Indemnification Agreements

Our directors and officers are covered under directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by us, insuring such persons against various liabilities. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with certain of our officers, directors and key employees.

ITEM 16. Exhibits

No.			Description of Document

	1	.1	Form of Underwriting Agreement*
	2	.1	Asset Purchase Agreement, dated November 25, 2013, by and between Energy Focus, Inc. and S.R. Smith LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.01 to the Registrant’s Current Report on From 8-K filed on November 26, 2013).
	3	.1	Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2013).
	3	.2	Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 16, 2014).
	3	.3	Certificate of Designation of Series A Participating Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 27, 2006).
	3	.4	Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on May 1, 2006).
	3	.5	Certificate of Ownership and Merger, Merging Energy Focus, Inc., a Delaware corporation, into Fiberstars, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2007).
	4	.1	Form of Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2014).
	5	.1	Opinion of Baker & Hostetler LLP **
	23	.1	Consent of Baker & Hostetler LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)**
	23	.2	Consent of Plante & Moran, PLLC, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm**
	24	.1	Power of Attorney (included on signature page)**

* If applicable, to be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference herein.

** Filed herewith.

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ITEM 17.

Undertakings

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; and

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(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of an undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

The undersigned hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Solon, State of Ohio, on December 19, 2014.

ENERGY FOCUS, INC


By:	/s/ James Tu
	Name:	James Tu
	Title:	Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints James Tu, Eric Hilliard and Frank Lamanna, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and re-substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, supplements, including pre-effective and post-effective amendments or supplements filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, to this registration statement, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated below.

Signature	Title	Date

/s/ James Tu	Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)	December 19, 2014
James Tu

/s/ Frank Lamanna	Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	December 19, 2014
Frank Lamanna

/s/ Simon Cheng	Director	December 19, 2014
Simon Cheng

/s/ John M. Davenport	Director	December 19, 2014
John M. Davenport

/s/ Michael R. Ramelot	Director	December 19, 2014
Michael R. Ramelot

/s/ William Cohen	Director	December 19, 2014
William Cohen

/s/ Xin He	Director	December 19, 2014
Xin He

	Director	December __, 2014
Thomas Swidarski

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EXHIBIT INDEX

No.			Description of Document

	1	.1	Form of Underwriting Agreement*
	2	.1	Asset Purchase Agreement, dated November 25, 2013, by and between Energy Focus, Inc. and S.R. Smith LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.01 to the Registrant’s Current Report on From 8-K filed on November 26, 2013).
	3	.1	Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2013).
	3	.2	Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 16, 2014).
	3	.3	Certificate of Designation of Series A Participating Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 27, 2006).
	3	.4	Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on May 1, 2006).
	3	.5	Certificate of Ownership and Merger, Merging Energy Focus, Inc., a Delaware corporation, into Fiberstars, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2007).
	4	.1	Form of Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2014).
	5	.1	Opinion of Baker & Hostetler LLP **
	23	.1	Consent of Baker & Hostetler LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)**
	23	.2	Consent of Plante & Moran, PLLC, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm**
	24	.1	Power of Attorney (included on signature page)**

* If applicable, to be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference herein.

** Filed herewith.

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