The Illuminating Engineering Society is now accepting submissions for the 2017 Illumination Awards, including the Lighting Control Innovation Award sponsored by the Lighting Controls Association. The deadline for submissions is February 17, 2017. The entry fee is $125 per project. Click here to see past winners. Click here to learn more.

Although some respondents noted weakness in their markets, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) indicates a decidedly positive shift overall as the current conditions index moved from 57.9 in November to 66.7 in December.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview James Benson, GM Global Marketing – Current, powered by GE, Intelligent Cities for an article about smart cities for Electrical Contractor Magazine. DiLouie: What is the concept of the smart city? What are the basic capabilities and benefits? Benson: A smart city is a place [...]

At its 90th Annual Membership Meeting, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) elected Michael Pessina, co-CEO and president of Lutron Electronics, as chairman of the 2017 Board of Governors. Additional officers include Immediate Past Chairwoman Maryrose Sylvester of Current, powered by GE and First Vice Chair and Treasurer David Nord of Hubbell Incorporated. In his [...]

The LIGHTFAIR International (LFI) 2017 conference will offer 77 courses totaling more than 190 education hours at Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center May 7-11, 2017. Highlighting the conference are two leading-edge forums that will explore some of the newest advancements in the industry: IoT & Smart Lighting Forum and Light & Health Forum. Each all-day forum [...]

The ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1 energy standard provides a model energy code to jurisdictions interested in regulating the energy-efficient design of commercial buildings. The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) recognizes 90.1 as an alternative compliance standard. ASHRAE recently published the 2016 version, which supersedes the 2013 version. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognizes the 2013 version [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to PLC Multipoint Tandem lighting control system. Click here to learn more.

In 2016, ENERGY STAR hosted a series of webinars on important lighting and control topics including flicker, evaluating color quality, connected lighting and dimmable LED lamps. You can also sign up for the last 2016 webinar, which will be held December 29, 2016 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET. This webinar will cover the [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently published a white paper that discusses new requirements that help reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings. NEMA WD ARCP 1-2016 Automatic Receptacle Control to Meet ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and California (CA) Title 24 explains the controlled receptacle requirement now appearing within non-residential energy codes, as well as a summary [...]

Commercial building energy codes contain detailed mandatory lighting control requirements related to buildings such as K-12 schools. The high-performance school design movement extends these requirements by demanding additional flexibility to support the contemporary learning experience in today’s classroom. This application guide by the Lighting Controls Association describes various control strategies that can be applied to [...]

According to new research by Lutron Electronics, lighting for video conferencing (VTC) applications must accommodate the visual requirements of the people and the camera, and provide visibility of any display materials, especially to remote participants. Achieving the proper lighting balance requires the right combination of fixtures and the right combination of control strategies. While linear [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to Wattstopper’s Segment Manager software.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA WD 7-2011 (R2016) Occupancy Motion Sensors Standard, which promotes uniformity in the use and application of occupancy motion sensors used in lighting control systems, HVAC, and other devices. This standard explains field of view and coverage characteristics relevant to vacancy and occupancy sensors using passive infrared, [...]

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview Yan Rodriguez, VP, Product & Technology, Acuity Brands Lighting for an article about LED flicker for Electrical Contractor Magazine. DiLouie: In your opinion, how big a problem is LED product flicker in the lighting industry as of 2016? What types of products (lamps versus luminaires, [...]

The interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies (NALMCO) has launched the Certified Lighting Controls Professional (CLCP) designation. With no prerequisites, the CLCP is open to all applicants. Intended to demonstrate a high degree of general knowledge in lighting controls, the CLCP is based on the Lighting Controls Association’s Education Express online education system. This high-quality [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to the SimplySNAP wireless lighting control solution by Synapse Wireless. Click here to learn more.

This article published in TechCrunch identifies intelligent lighting as a platform for developing Internet of Things strategies in buildings. “The LED revolution is over. To no one’s surprise, LEDs have won. Solid-state lighting is changing how we light the world, successfully displacing traditional illumination sources across every part of the global lighting market. Over the [...]

This video post by LUX asserts that a looming skills shortage could threaten widespread adoption of connected lighting. Check it out below:

Traditionally, outdoor lighting was automatically turned ON and OFF at the circuit level by an astronomical time switch or photosensor. Energy codes are now promoting power reduction during dusk-to-dawn lighting operation. Coupled with advances in wireless communication and intelligent control, the result is dramatic changes in how outdoor lighting is controlled. New construction Twenty-four states [...]

Strategies Unlimited recently published its annual market research report, Global Luminaires: Lighting Analysis and Forecast 2016. For 2015, the global luminaire market was assessed at US $62.9 billion with anticipated revenue growth of 2% from 2015 to 2022. The seemingly stagnant growth is due to all other technologies except for LED luminaires declining in demand [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA LSD 23-2016 Recommended Practice—Lamp Seasoning for Fluorescent Dimming Systems. This paper provides a recommended practice to season lamps for fluorescent dimming systems. This paper is an update to NEMA LSD 23-2010, developed by the NEMA Lighting Systems Division. NEMA LSD 23-2016 may be downloaded at no [...]

Vehicles are expected to play a big part in the Internet of Things. By 2020, 250 million connected vehicles will be on the road, creating new services and driving capabilities, according to Gartner, Inc. Infotainment is high in demand, though other capabilities are enabled, including crash warning, traffic violation warning and relaying weather, traffic and [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published NEMA SSL 7A-2015 Phase-Cut Dimming for Solid State Lighting—Basic Compatibility. This standard provides compatibility requirements when a forward phase-cut dimmer is combined with one or more dimmable light-emitting diode (LED) light engines (LLEs). An LLE, for the purposes of this document, comprises one or more LED modules, LED [...]

About two-thirds (64%) of the United States is covered by prescriptive lighting rebates, according to BriteSwitch, a rebate fulfillment company. These rebates can significantly reduce the installed cost of new lighting in existing buildings and improve payback by 20-25%, which would reduce a two-year payback to about 1.5 years. Rebates became popular in the 1990s [...]

The Northwest Lighting Network recently published an article about the potential of luminaire-integrated lighting controls. From the article: While traditional lighting control strategies can yield considerable benefits, Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC) show promise of both easier installation and commissioning and deeper energy savings beyond other lighting controls. And: The Design Lights Consortium will publish [...]

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 April 26-28 in San Diego. While some can be seen here, many more await at member booths, so be sure to visit! ACUITY BRANDS WSX D 0 – 10V [...]

GDP ended 2015 strongly with an annual estimated growth rate of 2.4%. The overall U.S. economy continues to improve. Positive economic conditions continue to support growth in demand for nonresidential construction. The nonresidential construction sector enjoyed double-digit growth in 2015, and strong momentum is expected to continue in 2016. The AIA’s semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, [...]

Craig DiLouie, LC recently had the opportunity to interview David Ciccarelli, VP Dynamic Lighting, Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. The topic: tunable-white lighting. DiLouie: Looking at LED sources and controls, what are the different technological methods used to produce tunable-white light in commercial luminaires? Ciccarelli: The goal of Tunable White lighting is to reproduce multiple color [...]

As adoption of dimmable lighting grows, task tuning, a lighting control strategy, is becoming increasingly viable as a way to save energy while increasing occupant comfort. Also called “institutional tuning” and “high-end trim,” task tuning involves reducing lighting in a space based on IES-recommended maintained task light level requirements or user preference for individual spaces [...]

Lighting controls are now required by energy codes in the large majority of new commercial buildings. As demand for controls continues to increase, so does demand for commissioning as a quality assurance process. This process helps ensure that installed controls satisfy both the design intent and owner requirements by minimizing error across the construction process. [...]

Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, SSL Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy For years now, people have been talking about the “LED revolution” that’s being fomented by the disruptive technology that is solid-state lighting. But at DOE’s inaugural Connected Lighting Systems Meeting, held last [...]

Recently published in EC&M Magazine: According to research from the ABB Group, the following segments made up the home automation market last year in North America. Lighting, a leading product category for the electrical industry, pulled in 23% of that total. This trend reiterates the importance of lighting and control opportunities in this growing automation [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published NEMA LSD 73-2015, Energy Savings with Fluorescent and LED Dimming. This new white paper describes the signal path from the user control input through the control wiring, ballast or driver, and lamp or LED module. It also explains factors that affect energy consumption and savings, efficacy and user [...]

BUILDING OPERATING MANAGEMENT Magazine recently published an article about recommissioning lighting control systems. I was happy to be interviewed and contribute to the article. Research suggests retroactive commissioning can generate real energy savings and maximize the performance and value of installed equipment. Check it out here.

Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, SSL Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy As we mentioned in these Postings a few weeks ago, the biggest takeaway from this year’s LIGHTFAIR® International was the prevalence of connected products, and the fact that sensors and controls seemed [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has begun releasing results from the 2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). The CBECS is an estimated profile of the U.S. commercial building stock based on an interviewed sampling. Information includes number of buildings, floorspace, age, building type, region, energy consumption, end-use equipment and more. DOE defines a [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued new energy standards for general-service fluorescent lamps that are expected to reduce availability of standard 4-ft. linear and 2-ft. U-bend 32W T8 lamps as well as some reduced-wattage T8 lamps. The rules go into effect January 26, 2018. After that date, distributors may continue to sell their [...]

Agostino Renna, President & CEO of GE Lighting for Europe, The Middle East and Africa, recently authored an interesting series of blog posts, “More Than Light,” in which he describes the potential for intelligent cities and the role of lighting in these schemes. He notes: “For me, the most important thing to consider when discussing [...]

According to BriteSwitch, for the fifth year in a row, lighting control rebates continue to remain at fairly high, stable levels compared to their costs. For example, current average rebates now available include: * $32.68 for remote-mounted occupancy sensors * $30.30 for fixture-mounted occupancy sensors BriteSwitch reports: “The relatively high rebate amounts (versus the cost), [...]