March 2009

Cooper Industries has announced the acquisition of Irvine, CA-based Illumination Management Solutions, Inc. (IMS). IMS is a developer of specialized optics and system design for LED luminaires. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. IMS designs and manufactures LED systems and luminaires for a variety of lighting applications and has developed an innovation called LightBAR(tm) [...]

The Lighting Controls Association has announced that its Education Express online education system now supports lighting controls training and certification conducted by the California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP). CALCTP is a new program operated by representatives of the California Lighting Technology Center, California Energy Commission, California Community College system, investor-owned and municipal utilities, [...]

In this post, I noted that ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 has been established by the Department of Energy as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes starting in 2010. Meanwhile, the stimulus package appears to be encouraging adoption of the latest version, which is 90.1-2007, as noted in this post. I promised a [...]

The California Lighting Technology Center is currently posting an entry level position for an Assistant Development Engineer to manage energy-efficient lighting demonstration projects at sites throughout California, analyze demonstration locations to determine energy baselines, design and implement energy-saving alternatives, and monitor projects to determine savings. A bachelor’s degree in engineering or construction management, or equivalent [...]

The NYC section of IES recently hosted the Ninth Annual Student Design Competition and Exhibition, March 4-5 at the Helen Mills Theater. Students of lighting, architecture, interior design, art, product design, photography and electrical engineering programs created three-dimensional work designed to conceptually convey a sensory perception of sound. The competition drew more than 55 submissions. [...]

The Department of Energy has announced it will host a 90-minute live webcast on commercial building LED site lighting in parking lots, moderated by Linda Sandahl of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Eric Richman and Michael Myer from PNNL will supply an overview of a ew LED Site Lighting Performance Specification developed by DOE [...]

Syska Hennessy Group, Inc. has completed a lighting design project to illuminate the new “Banner Art” display for the Port of San Diego. In 2006, the Port of San Diego commissioned artist John Banks to create a new sculpture for the Imperial Beach Art Walk at Beach Boulevard and Seacoast Drive, and Syska Hennessy Group [...]

If you’re like many people these days, you could use a laugh. The Onion provides with a short, funny article about daylight savings time. It’s not a light bulb joke, I promise. Read it here.

I recently wrote an article for TED Magazine about load-shedding ballasts, available online here. A building’s demand for electric power is the sum of the power required to run its electrical equipment in operation at any given time. Demand rises and falls as equipment is turned on and off. Peak demand is the highest level [...]