August 2023

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have achieved a new milestone in wireless charging. Efficiency had always dropped dramatically as the distance between wireless power transmitter and receive increased. The Aalto researchers, however, achieved 80+% efficiency at a distance of 7” between the transmitter and receiver antennas. To do this, the team developed a new [...]

  HueBlog.com has leaked that Signify’s Philips Hue is planning to release new security cameras, as well as smart contact sensors for doors and windows. The company has not confirmed nor denied either product release. Smart home publications have rumored that Philips Hue will release four smart security cameras, representing a major new product direction. [...]

  In April 2023, the UN announced that India’s population had surpassed China’s, to become the largest in the world. India’s economy is also on a trajectory to surpass the U.S. in the next 50 years. The U.S. is currently the largest global economy with China in the #2 spot. Over the 15 years prior [...]

For an upcoming article for Electrical Contractor Magazine, I recently had the opportunity to interview Mariana G. Figueiro, PhD, Director of the Light and Health Research Center (LHRC) and Professor in the Department of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Professor Mark S. Rea. The topic: a new methodology (called SOWatt), which specifiers could use to evaluate the relative energy efficiency of luminaires in delivering circadian-effective light.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has completed an assessment of critical materials for energy. The Energy Act of 2020 defines a “critical material” as: Any non-fuel mineral, element, substance, or material that the Secretary of Energy determines: (i) has a high risk of supply chain disruption; and (ii) serves an essential function in one [...]

  The US Department of Energy has announced that US states and territories can apply for more than $8.5 Billion in funding for residential energy efficiency and electrification. The funding comes from a pair of programs in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Priority will go to homes that can save the most energy, with more [...]

  In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence & Security Act (EISA07). This law directed the US Department of Energy (DOE) to set regulations that initially phased out the incandescent lamps in popular 40W, 60W, 75W, and 100W wattages. They were largely replaced with halogen lamps that were somewhat more efficient, as well as some [...]

  HYDREL, an Acuity Brand, has created a new twist on RGBW architectural lighting. The new FLAME floodlight combines two RGBW beam angles in a single luminaire, creating a colored flame effect. The central beam can be one color, while the outer beam can be another color. The product is offered in three distributions (see [...]

  The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) approved $4.3 billion in investments for energy efficiency efforts from 2024 through 2027, along with a forecasted budget of $4.6 billion from 2028 through 2031. Roughly 14% of the budget will be channeled to programs that target disadvantaged and underserved communities to ensure equitable access to energy efficiency programs. The [...]