May 2025

  Here is an update on two important industry conferences & trade shows: NYControlled 2025 This show is being held Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, from 9am – 6pm, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. Exhibitor registration is now open. Lighting control manufacturers will be showcasing their cutting-edge products. Also exhibiting will be: + [...]

Last week, Espen Technology introduced an entirely new product category at its LightFair booth: Battery Energy Storage Systems aka BESS. I’ve written many articles in LightNOW about how numerous manufacturers in the lighting industry are managing the effects of a contracting LED lighting market by diversifying into non-lighting product categories, especially electrification products. The most [...]

By Derek Bobbitt and Geoff Ling, Merrimack Group The first 100 days of the new U.S. administration have been tumultuous to say the least. The tariff war has caused major disruption to supply chains, caused significant stock market volatility, and stoked fears of inflation and recession. For lighting business owners, this environment has introduced a [...]

An interesting find at LightFair last week, was a retail spotlight that used a color detection sensor and AI to automatically optimize color rendering of retail merchandise, based on the color of the object illuminated. The company is K&L Kinglumi Co., Ltd., a contract manufacturer of the Caimeta smart spotlight system. At their LFI booth, [...]

Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, has set a new industry benchmark by publishing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for 50,000 of its electrical products, a move widely recognized as a record for the sector. These EPDs, which include lighting and lighting accessories, are now accessible through the One Click LCA platform, [...]

President Trump’s unprecedented tariffs on Chinese imports, which have triggered a dramatic drop in shipments from China to the United States, cast a shadow of uncertainty over the U.S. economy. President Trump, fulfilling campaign promises, has radically altered decades of American trade policy by imposing broad and unpredictable tariffs. As of early April 2025, a [...]

The landscape of the U.S. home remodeling sector is evolving in 2025, due to the interplay between tariff pressures and a potential rebound in renovation activity. During the pandemic, there was a surge in home improvement projects as people spent more time at home, and spent less money on going out to eat and travel. [...]

A recent study conducted by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine has uncovered a potential link between blue light exposure and an increased risk of kidney stone formation, raising important questions about the health impacts of modern lighting and screen use. Kidney stones are a growing global health concern, traditionally associated with [...]

  Here are quick updates on four lighting industry award programs: 2025 IES INDUSTRY PROGRESS REPORT The IES is accepting submissions for significant new advancements in lighting products, research, publications, and design tools from the past year, for the 2025 IES Industry Progress Report. Acceptance is based on an impartial judging process used by the [...]