Craig DiLouie

Paced by continued demand for projects such as new education and healthcare facilities, public safety and government buildings, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) increased in June following fluctuations earlier this year. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. [...]

In November 2014, ASHRAE published ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. This updates the 2011 version and covers energy efficiency, site sustainability, water use, indoor environmental quality and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.
 The standard allows states and other jurisdictions to regulate [...]

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary testing and labeling program that verifies that energy-efficient lighting products provide comparable performance as incumbent-technology products while saving energy. ENERGY STAR is used as a qualification for product rebates by a number of utilities. On June 1, the EPA released the new (final) Luminaires v2.0 spec, which will replace v1.2 [...]

Seen at Kickstarter: Flyte, an LED lamp with a wireless power receiver and electromagnet in its bottom that allows it to levitate over a wooden base containing a power transmitter and a second magnet. Put the lamp on the base, and it slowly levitates to position. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here. Preorder to support [...]

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mariana G. Figueiro, PhD, Professor and Light and Health Program Director, Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The topic: what we know, what we don’t know, and what’s currently actionable in design concerning light and health. I’m happy to share her responses with you here. The interview informed [...]

I wrote this article for the July issue of tED Magazine. Reprinted with permission. LED performance continues to increase, making it increasingly competitive with traditional lighting, while costs continue to fall, making it increasingly attractive for purchase. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), between 2005 and 2013, average efficacy of cool-white LED packages [...]

The Lighting Controls Association recently published a whitepaper I wrote about the 2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, published in stages this year by the Department of Energy. The 2012 CBECS provides an estimated profile of the U.S. commercial building stock based on an interviewed sampling. Information includes number of buildings, floorspace, age, building type, [...]

Prudential Lighting’s Bionic and P40 Series utilize the company’s FusionOptics technology to give both lines very good optical control, shaping light in new ways while maintaining efficacies as high as 100 lumens/W. Promising an end to mechanical kickers and makeshift solutions, FusionOptics–incorporated into wall wash, wall graze, perimeter fill and batwing/ceiling wash options–delivers good optical [...]

Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, SSL Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy There’s a growing awareness of glare these days, both within and beyond the lighting community. Glare can be a problem with any lighting technology, but the nature of LEDs as point sources [...]