David Shiller

  The Minamata Convention on Mercury was held 10/30 – 11/3, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland. During the convention, 147 countries agreed to phase out all fluorescent lamps by 2027. This decision will accelerate adoption of LEDs. According to the appliance efficiency non-profit, CLASP, the phase out will have the following beneftis cumulatively between 2027 to [...]

On September 11th, 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a final rule implementing Reese’s Law. The intent of the law and CPSC ruling is to prevent childhood choking and ingestion hazard from coin cell batteries. In the lighting and ceiling fan industries, this typically impacts handheld remote controls. Products utilizing coin cell batteries [...]

The ENERGY STAR Downlights Specification Version 1.0 was finalized on November 16, 2023, is effective immediately, and takes full effect on January 1, 2025 with the sunset of the Luminaires spec. Downlights don’t have to be recessed to qualify for the program. For example, flushmount downlights and even wall mounted downlights can qualify. The new program [...]

  Clothing retailer, Banana Republic, expanded into the home textiles market in March of 2023 with its new brand, BR Home. The home textile brand features patterns and richly textured fabrics, such as intricately hand-knotted rugs and luxurious bedding in linen, sateen, and a cotton-cashmere-silk blend. In September 2023, BR Home expanded their collection to [...]

  Here are 10 EV charger stories that I found interesting: Hotels Go Big On EV Charging Source: E&E News EnergyWire Until recently, there haven’t been a lot of hotels to meet EV drivers needs with a charging plug. However, new plans by Hilton and Marriott suggest that electric vehicle charging stations could become a regular [...]

  Many companies in the electric vehicle and EV charging industry are failing and collapsing.  Lordstown Motors (OTC:RIDEQ) and Proterra (OTC:PTRAQ) have both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a plethora of EV makers from Canoo (GOEV), Arrival (ARVL), and Faraday Future (FFIE) all teeter on the brink of collapse as their liquidity base gets eroded by consecutive [...]

The EC&M Product of the Year Awards are now accepting submissions. Important details: Fees Early Bird Entry Fee: $375 per product Regular Entry Fee: $425 per product Deadlines  Early Bird Deadline: December 1, 2023 Final Deadline: January 26, 2024 Product must have been released after January 1, 2023. Product categories relevant to the lighting industry [...]

  The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established a temporary public interest waiver to waive Buy America requirements for steel, iron, manufactured products, and construction materials in electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The temporary waiver became effective on March 23, 2023. This short-term, temporary waiver enables EV charger acquisition and installation to proceed while also ensuring the [...]

  Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and this article is a good faith, best effort at communicating the most relevant aspects of BABA requirements, for the lighting industry. The link at the end of this article goes to a more complete article published by the law firm, Steptoe. BACKGROUND The lighting industry has been [...]