David Shiller

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 [...]

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 [...]

Here is a quick summary of 4 acquisitions and one bankruptcy, in the first quarter of 2025:  Kuzco acquired Insight Lighting. Details here. LEDVANCE acquires loblicht (German). Details here. Elemental LED acquires Gammalux Lighting Systems. Details here. LSI acquires CBH (display). Details here. Touche Lighting Control filed for bankruptcy. Details here. Reviewing the lighting manufacturer [...]

  A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate funding previously awarded under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), after President Trump froze these disbursements on his first day back in office. The ruling, delivered by Judge Mary McElroy of the U.S. District Court for [...]