Craig’s Lighting Articles

In November 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) released its new 2015 U.S. Lighting Characterization report. The 135-page report, which follows similar reports issued in 2001 and 2010, estimates the total installed lighting stock in the United States by light source and building sector. Dense with tables and graphs, it provides data useful for business planning while clarifying trends.

Virtual personal assistants use speech recognition technology to execute voice commands by users. Now homeowners can control their lighting, shades, thermostats, A/V, and other smart devices using virtual assistant apps and devices compatible with popular smart lighting and home automation systems.

At the Strategies in Light conference held February 28-March 2, 2017 in Anaheim, California, Dan Ryan, VP Product, IoT Solutions, Acuity Brands Lighting examined lighting disruption posed by LED technology and the Internet of Things (IoT). He said a good starting point to predicting what will happen next in the lighting industry is to look at changes in similar industries such as electronics and computing. Specifically, by examining bundling and unbundling, based on a quote attributed to American executive Jim Barksdale: “There are two ways to make money in business: You can unbundle, or you can bundle.”

The lighting industry continues to explore potential benefits of lighting solutions that optimize human health. Studies indicate light has physiological effects that go beyond vision. In recent years, the industry has focused on the impact of light on the human circadian system, and how electric lighting choices thereby can affect circadian health. Mariana G. Figueiro, PhD, Professor and Light and Health Program Director at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, says there are four major factors in designing a lighting solution that optimizes circadian health.

At the 2017 Strategies in Light conference, Robert F. Karlicek, Jr. spoke about creative destruction in the lighting industry brought on by LED technology and the Internet of things (IoT). After catching his fascinating presentation, I interviewed him for a story for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. Click here for an excerpt and link where you can read the article.

In 2016, education put-in-place construction spending reached $88.7 billion, making it the largest building market. This exciting lighting market is changing as teaching methods evolve toward greater interaction, flexibility, and technological integration. In this article, I talked to manufacturers about how school lighting is changing.

Outdoor stationary lighting presents a substantial market and a distinctive subset of lighting design. This article, which I wrote for the November issue of tED Magazine, describes considerations for evaluating and designing outdoor lighting systems.

LEDs have further differentiated themselves from traditional light sources by offering dramatically expanded color capabilities. These capabilities enable distributors to better serve existing customers and build new markets. Accomplishing this requires understanding LED technology, metrics used to evaluate color, and knowing what the customer wants and needs.

My lighting column in the October issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR describes the DesignLights Consortium’s market transformation program aimed at networked lighting controls and describes the first utility rebates promoting the technology.