April 2026

  The IES has approved five revised or reaffirmed lighting standards: ANSI/IES RP-27-26 Recommended Practice: Photobiological Safety for Lighting Systems Updates include new definition (angular subtense), removal of propagation of uncertainty for wavelength accuracy, improvements to measurement metrics, updates to the relative spectral weighting function for Assessing Actinic Radiation Hazard, and new equations for retinal blue [...]

  Another interesting trend at LEDucation was the growing sophistication of RGBTW light sources. These are color changing, tunable white, and everything in-between! 5-channel RGB-WW-CW has been around for a while, but American Lighting just introduced its Trulux 6-channel, RGBWWW tape light. It is a DMX-controlled tape light combining RGB color mixing with wide range [...]

  One of the trends that was still evident at LEDucation, earlier this month, was continued miniaturization of luminiaires. A good example that I saw was the new release of Velino.0 by Optique Lighting. They claim that it is the slimmest, low UGR, architectural luminaires on the market, and I believe them. The family features [...]

  The IES is now accepting submissions for the 2026 IES Industry Progress Report. The IES is seeking significant new advancements in lighting products, research, publications, and design tools from the past year. The mission of the Progress Committee is to keep in touch with developments in the art and science of lighting throughout the [...]

  California’s SB 343 law creates a new “accurate recycling labels” framework meant to reduce misleading recycling claims and make packaging labels better reflect what is actually recycled in the state. The core idea is that companies can’t use the chasing arrows symbol, or any other recyclability indicator, unless certain criteria are met, and those [...]

  By Eric Pollack, President, ESP Prosearch & David Shiller, Executive Recruiter, ESP Prosearch The following article was originally published in US Lighting Trends. Special thanks to David Gordon and Linda Longo. From our vantage point as executive recruiters in the lighting industry, 2025 saw a pronounced contraction in hiring activity. Organizations adopted a defensive [...]

  LightNOW has already written about Maine’s new strict dark sky law, and Hawaii’s proposed dark sky bill. Here is a look at New York State’s proposed dark sky law. New York State’s proposed Dark Skies Protection Act (Assembly Bill A4615 / Senate Bill S5007) is part of a broader effort to reduce light pollution, [...]

  By Bill Chan, President at LiteController Inc. During talks I’ve given over the years, I often encourage people to take a morning walk outside for at least half an hour—so their eyes are exposed to daylight and their circadian rhythm can stay aligned. However, I am often asked a very practical question: “If I [...]

  Recent horticultural lighting trends are centered on smarter LED systems, more precise spectral control, and tighter integration with greenhouse automation. The biggest shift is away from static lighting toward dynamic, data-driven lighting that can adjust intensity and spectrum in real time based on crop stage, natural sunlight, energy prices, and climate conditions. LED Becomes [...]