January 2010

As part of LEED v3 (LEED 2009), the latest version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s program for green building design, construction, operations and maintenance, buildings seeking LEED certification will begin submitting operational performance data on a recurring basis as a precondition to certification. Projects can comply with the performance requirement in one of three [...]

GE Lighting, a unit of GE Appliances & Lighting, has announced the establishment of GE Lighting Solutions, a combination of the company’s LED business unit, Lumination, based in Cleveland, and its commercial and industrial fixture group, GE Lighting Systems, based in Hendersonville, NC. “This change reflects our strategy to serve as an industry-leading solutions provider [...]

In its new brochure, “Lighting Upgrades for Energy Conservation,” manufacturer Lighting Services Inc demonstrates that replacement of luminaires can save energy while maintaining performance. The brochure focuses on replacement of halogen luminaires with ceramic metal halide and LED luminaires. Click here to download the brochure as a PDF file now.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have called on Congress to support expanding the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction from $1.80 per square foot to $3.00 per square foot. A letter to Congressional members was co-signed by more than 50 organizations in the construction and environmental arenas. [...]

Daylighting is going mainstream and daylight harvesting, the energy-saving lighting control strategy that actually makes daylighting “sustainable,” is beginning to catch up. All automatic daylight harvesting control systems need a device that can measure light levels and signal a controller to dim or switch the lights in response to daylight contribution. This device is called [...]

The US architecture industry includes about 17,000 firms, with combined annual revenue of $20 billion, according to a new report by Research and Markets. The industry is highly fragmented: only about 100 firms have annual revenue of more than $100 million. The typical architecture firm has 10 employees and annual revenue of $1 million. See [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published LSD 46-2009 Photoluminescent Exit Signage—Factual Review. This new white paper, produced by NEMA’s Emergency Lighting Section, describes concerns regarding the marketing and application recommendations common to photoluminescent exit signage in the U.S. and Canada. The section seeks to educate potential users as to the drawbacks and realities [...]

Citing a more “hopeful state of world affairs” in relation to the twin threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the minute hand of its famous Doomsday Clock one minute away from midnight. It is now 6 minutes to midnight. The decision by the Bulletin of [...]