June 2012

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions slipped to 54.2 in May from 59.1 the previous month and has retreated by a cumulative 18.3 points since reaching a post-recession high in February. Despite its recent slide, the index continues to point to an economic environment conducive to industry growth, as it [...]

After five months of positive readings, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has fallen into negative terrain. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The AIA reported the April ABI score [...]

Universal Lighting Technologies’ new electronic HID ballasts, designed to operate both open- and enclosed-rated 150W metal halide lamps, can reduce energy costs by 10% compared to traditional magnetic HID ballasts, and they feature universal input voltage so 120V and 277V units can be replaced by a single product. Click here to learn more about ULT’s [...]

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North American (IES) has issued a new document: IES Approved Method for the Characterization of LED Light Engines and LED Lamps for Electrical and Photometric Properties as a Function of Temperature, LM-82-12. The purpose of the document is to establish consistent methods of testing and data presentation for ease of [...]