To simplify the process of gaining certificates, Education Express now offers two. One for AIA LU/HSW credit, and one for all others on the same PDF certificate. We took this step to simplify the certificates, reduce student paperwork, and make a cleaner appearance on the My Classroom page.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently interviewed Jamie Britnell, Director of Product Marketing – Lighting, Synapse Wireless for an article about the Internet of Things, which will be published in the October issue of tED Magazine.

This educational video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2018 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to the Ketra lighting control solution by Lutron Electronics.

With the right combination of dimmer and solid-state driver for LED products, dimming performance can achieve excellent results from 100% all the way to dark, smoothly and predictably, says Kevin Willmorth in his latest exclusive contribution. However, when the combination is wrong, many undesirable effects may occur, he points out. Investigating the reasons for these issues requires a basic understanding of where issues can arise.

Scott Ziegenfus, manager of government and industry relations at Hubbell Lighting, recently contributed an insightful article to LD+A Magazine about how lighting specifiers should approach a dialogue with client IT departments when specifying a networked lighting control system.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published NEMA IOTP 1-2018 Standby Power of Connected Devices and the Internet of Things. This new white paper explores the conflict between limitations on what is commonly referred to as standby power, and the potential services and benefits of connected devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Stacks+Joules is a non-profit workforce training program designed to prepare high school seniors for jobs in the building automation field. This article by LCA Education Director Craig DiLouie describes the program and the role LCA’s Education Express plays in it.

This guest post by Steve Mesh introduces the new Lighting Controls Association troubleshooting guide for networked lighting control systems.

Eaton’s The Lighting Resource recently published an article about dimming LED lamps and luminaires.

Hubbell’s Summer Albergotti and Marissa Keisler contributed an article to Facilities.net, “Human-Centric Lighting for Schools, Hospitals, and Offices.” The article describes how color tuning enables lighting systems to better serve the needs of users and spaces.

The most popular lighting control rebates continue to be occupancy sensors, light sensors, and daylight dimming systems. The average rebate for controls is fairly high when one considers their cost, positioning them as an attractive add-on to a retrofit. In some cases, such as high-bay lighting, the rebate can almost completely cover the cost of adding a luminaire-mounted occupancy sensor.

This educational video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2017 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to Wattstopper’s Humancentric Lighting solution.

“Coexistence,” “interchangeability,” and “standby power” are samples of some of the terms featured in Lighting Systems Terms and Definitions, a new publication by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

This article produced by Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP for the May 2018 issue of tED Magazine presents a roundtable by lighting experts talking about the impact of connected lighting.

This article by Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP, published in the March 2018 issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, describes the latest developments in lighting control software.

Several Education Express online courses offered by the Lighting Controls Association are now required as prerequisites for National Lighting Contractors Association of America (NLCAA) certification and training of Acceptance Test Technicians in the State of California.

California has been a historical leader in terms of state energy codes. California’s Title 24 has led the way by restricting allowable LPDs (Lighting Power Density) as well as mandating specific types of lighting controls. This article by Steve Mesh introduces the Title 24 energy code and its lighting control requirements.

The Lighting Controls Association is proud to offer an advance look at a selection of new products that will be displayed by members at LIGHTFAIR International May 6-10, 2018 in Chicago. While some can be seen here, many more await at member booths, so be sure to visit! SYNAPSE WIRELESS DIM10-087-06 The DIM10-087-06 adds the [...]

Networked lighting control is an important emerging trend in lighting control. However, these systems may be more complex than traditional solutions. In response, the Lighting Controls Association has created a generic troubleshooting guide for networked lighting control systems, currently available free as a V1.0 beta version.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP, recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Britnell, Senior Product Manager, Synapse Wireless, Inc. about lighting control software for articles for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR and tED. Click to read the interview.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA), a council of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), has re-released EE110: Commissioning and Lighting Controls, a course in its popular Education Express program.

If you’re installing a lighting control system in 2018, you have to be concerned about cyber security. Why? Very simply – because many current lighting control systems are networked.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE301: Wireless Lighting Controls, as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

For input devices and luminaire controllers to interact in many applications, a signal pathway is needed. This may be wiring or, more recently, wireless, with control signals sent through the air. This approach eliminates the need for control wiring, resulting in significant benefits, particularly in existing buildings. Using wireless communication, control devices can communicate as discrete devices or as part of networked systems. Click to read this article by Steve Mesh, LC and Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP.

This video by Audacy Wireless Lighting Control introduces the company’s advanced wireless control solution.

Stacks+Joules recently focused on the Lighting Controls Association’s Education Express program, awarding certificates to seniors attending Madison Park Vocation School. Recognized were Cameron L., Janice W., Brian H., David M. and Miguel C.

Lutron’s Pekka Hakkarainen contributed an article to the February 2018 issue of ELECTROINDUSTRY, the NEMA magazine, in which he argues that specifiers should look beyond the lowest common denominator when it comes to lighting controls (energy code compliance) and instead look to realize their full value potential.

The National Lighting Bureau convened a panel of industry experts to talk about outdoor lighting being used to implement Internet of Things/Smart Cities solutions, part of the organization’s 2017 Annual Lighting Forum. Click to watch this informative discussion.

The U.S economy grew by 2.5% in 2017, outpacing 2016, and is expected to produce similar growth in 2018. A major contributor to the economy is construction, and the outlook for construction spending in 2018 overall is positive, particularly nonresidential. The AIA’s semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s leading construction forecasters, is projecting 4% growth in nonresidential construction spending in 2018 and 3.9% in 2019.

The designers were asked to design the illumination for a 200-ft. pedestrian bridge; gateway to a 2-mile-square suburban village. But without any funds, the designers recognized that an extraordinary concept was needed to inspire funding. Through research, they discovered the original bridge once carried a historic high-speed train. They formed an idea to combine art, history and technology and create the allusion, or ghost, of this passing train.

This educational video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2017 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to smart lighting controllers by Synapse Wireless.

The Lighting Controls Association is proud to announce that Audacy Wireless Lighting Control has joined the association.

The Illuminating Engineering Society is still accepting submissions for the 2018 Illumination Awards, including the prestigious Lighting Control Innovation Award sponsored by the Lighting Controls Association. The deadline is February 12.

A new application for voice-control personal assistants is control of home systems such as lighting, shades, thermostats, A/V, security, and other smart devices. A typical solution includes a virtual assistant device (phone or speaker), Wi-Fi connection, downloadable smart device app, and a compatible lighting or home automation system. This article by Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP describes typical solutions, how they work, and their benefits.

This guest article by Steve Mesh compares the pros and cons of room- versus building-based control systems.

While installing controls in new construction or full-scale remodeling is reasonably straightforward, retrofitting controls into an existing building or space can be somewhat problematic, especially when cutting into walls and ceilings is undesirable. To this end, the first step in assessing an appropriate approach is to establish what the goals of a retrofit are. Pure energy savings gains can be realized with simple ON-OFF controls additions, while inclusion of dimming functionality requires greater investment. Embracing more complex targets, such as inclusion of human factors driven lighting strategies are even more involved.

As the lighting market shifts to SSL technology, Current, powered by GE is one of many companies that are helping to reinforce U.S. manufacturing and R&D leadership. This will not only help bring significant energy savings through more-efficient lighting products, but will benefit our economy by adding jobs at multiple levels of the supply chain.

The Lighting Controls Association’s Education Director Craig DiLouie recently interviewed Terry Arbouw, Director of Business Development & Product Innovation at Hubbell Control Solutions, and Félix Omar Pérez, Product Manager – Energy Efficiency at Hubbell Wiring Systems. The topic: automatic plug load control.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) agreed to enter a formal liaison to advance the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). A liaison relationship between IIC and NEMA fosters common understanding of new technologies for the digital economy.