David Shiller

The U.S. DOE Lighting R&D Program has two open funding opportunities: The SBIR Program is looking to fund development of Advanced Lighting Fixtures, horticultural lighting, and germicidal UV solutions. Letters of intent for the SBIR are due Jan. 3. The DOE also has the BENEFIT FOA with concept papers due 12/18/23. SBIR link. The BENEFIT FOA [...]

  The following is a list of 24 lighting industry trends to watch in 2024, broken into three categories: technology, regulations, and industry. Technology: Alternative ceiling fan blade geometries: Toroidal? Bladeless? AI impacting lighting, including: AI generative design, AI chips going into IoT products, and AI in building automation systems. Emergence of AC COB tape [...]

  LightFair has announced that the 2025 trade show and conference will be co-located with HD Expo + Conference, as well as open showrooms at the Las Vegas Design Center (LVDC). The three events combined are being dubbed “Las Vegas Interior Design Week.” LightFair will be May 4-8, 2025 at the Las Vegas Convention Center [...]

  The following is an excerpt from my article in the December issue of LD+A: “As the coronavirus pandemic raged on, an upscale bistro in Dallas, TX became one of its many casualties. The restaurant had been located in an iconic chrome and glass gem structure within the grassy downtown oasis of Klyde Warren Park. [...]

  In the absence of Federal government action, lawmakers in 28 states have proposed legislation to end seasonal time changes each Fall and Spring. In March, 2022, The U.S. Senate passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The bill went nowhere in the House, and has made no apparent progress in the past [...]

  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 [...]