November 2011

The University of Maryland took first place in the highly competitive Architecture Contest of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011. For the Architecture Contest, collegiate students from around the world are judged on the design and construction of attractive, high-performance houses that integrate renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies. Maryland earned a score [...]

“LED Lighting: Fact And Fiction,” webinar produced by the Energy Center of Wisconsin, will be held Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 1–2:30 PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME. Learn about LED lighting, from how it works to where it works best, including where to find unbiased info and how to compare products. Click here for more information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published a webpage devoted to compact fluorescent lamps, including benefits, disposal and cleanup procedures, legislation impacting availability of incandescent lamps, and details about the new Federal Trade Commission Lighting Facts label that is taking effect June-December 2011. New FTC Label for all general-service screw-in, reflector and three-way lamps:

Acuity Brands, Inc. has expanded its LED indoor ambient lighting portfolio with the launch of the Lithonia Lighting RTLED RELIGHT assembly kit, which joins the RTLED, ACLED, TLED and VTLED as part of Lithonia Lighting’s recessed LED indoor ambient lighting product family. Available in 2×2 and 2×4 configurations for parabolic and lensed troffer upgrades, the [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) indicated that conditions facing the North American electroindustry improved on balance in October, climbing to 57.4 from 50 in September. The latest month was the first since May in which the index exceeded the 50-point “growth threshold.” Meanwhile, October’s EBCI for future North American conditions moved higher for a [...]

The New Buildings Institute recently launched the Daylight Pattern Guide, a free interactive tool that features 19 prime examples in common space configurations, developed by Christopher Meek, AIA, with the University of Washington Integrated Design Lab and Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg of the University of Idaho Integrated Design Lab. Check it out here. On December [...]

NEMA’s shipment index for incandescent lamps increased for the second consecutive quarter in Q2 2011, showing an improvement of 5.6% over the same period last year. Conversely, the index for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) declined for the fifth consecutive quarter. Moreover, the rate of decline in the shipments index accelerated to 18.5% on a year-over-year [...]

As demand for lighting controls continues to grow, advanced solutions are becoming increasingly specified while also becoming increasingly sophisticated. This increasing sophistication translates to greater owner benefit but can also pose greater risk of design and installation mistakes. For the designer, the key is to clearly express the design intent, or the basis of design, [...]

Leviton Manufacturing Company recently announced the acquisition of Obvius, a recognized leader of cost-effective hardware solutions to collect energy information. Obvius products offer data acquisition, wireless communications, energy dashboard software and plug and play hardware solutions. The Obvius acquisition will enable Leviton to offer its customers the most complete line of lighting & energy management [...]