February 2009

Multilevel switching and personal dimming are often lumped together because the goal is the same–providing users a manual choice of light levels. The 2003 Advanced Lighting Guidelines, published by the New Buildings Institute, says they both save about 30% in energy. There is evidence that bi-level switching saves much more energy than personal dimming control, [...]

It’s a myth that reducing electric energy consumption by installing energy-efficient lighting will have a significant impact on oil consumption. According to the Energy Information Administration, oil accounted for only 1.6% of electric power generation in the United States in 2007. Coal is the largest producer of electric power in the U.S. at 48.5% of [...]

WAC Lighting, manufacturer and designer of track, recessed, undercabinet, monorail and decorative lighting, is celebrating 25 years in 2009. The company was started in Forest Hills, NY in 1984 by Tony and Tai Wang. In the beginning, the company marketed portable lamps at a variety of trade shows across the United States. As its line [...]

Edge Lighting now offers a new online “Configurator” designed to allow lighting specifiers to create and price complete custom Pro Aim Monorail lighting systems for customers in minutes. The Configurator allows builders, contractors, lighting showroom sales people and consumers to create a complete list of all the components needed to create a Monorail lighting system [...]

The IES website has profiled Naomi Johnson Miller, principal of Naomi Miller Lighting Design in Troy, NY, as a “featured member.” I saw this as a perfect excuse to write my own ode to Naomi and her work. Naomi is one of those designers who makes the lighting profession a profession. Her award-winning projects have [...]

Last year, it was my honor to work with legendary lighting designer Howard Brandston on editing his new book LEARNING TO SEE: A Matter of Light, which was subsequently published by IES. I wrote about the book in Illuminate, a magazine I edit for the publishers of Architectural Products and several other magazines for which [...]

The latest research shows that at least 10% of all outdoor lighting, even fully shielded lighting, ends up creating light pollution, according to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). Many communities across the U.S. have tried to deal with light pollution or some facet of it–sky glow, light trespass and, more rarely, glare–with a patchwork of [...]

Studies show that commercial buildings produce about half of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change—making these buildings the top emitter of human-caused greenhouse gases, ahead of cars and trucks—while consuming nearly three-fourths of electricity produced at power plants. The Commercial Buildings Initiative (CBI) is a public-private partnership formed to achieve an ambitious goal: By [...]

Material Beliefs has designed a prototype of a lampshade that functions similarly to a Venus Flytrap–capturing flies and turning them into energy. When the floor lamp is turned on, flies and moths become naturally attracted to the light, entering through holes in the lampshade but unable to then escape. Over time, the insects die and [...]