Energy + Environment

“Dotted along rugged coastlines and harbor entrances around the world, lighthouses have long prevented disasters and saved lives at sea. They have also captured our imagination. Even today, with automation replacing the role of lighthouse keepers, a certain curiosity remains regarding these reassuring structures and the tales their former guardians have to tell.”

In this video, NPR shows us how the speed of light was first estimated, and how you can do a similar measurement yourself–using those leftover marshmallow Easter peeps and a microwave.

BriteSwitch recently sent out an email identifying key lighting rebate trends. LED rebates are leveling off after years of declining average rebate amounts. The DLC Premium category is making inroads into programs, while DLC is currently adding additional lamps and color-tuning luminaires. Control rebates, meanwhile, are going strong.

The California Energy Alliance (CEA) is an organization dedicated to promoting deep energy savings, sustainable energy generation, and integration in the State of California. Comprised of representatives of a broad range of organizations, CEA actively participates in the development and implementation of building energy standards and other initiatives.

Idaho has created a new International Dark Sky Park at Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Space is mind-blowingly big. This interesting video shows how the speed of light is used to measure these enormous distances.

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) recently announced the release of Technical Requirements V4.2 for solid-state lighting products, affecting qualification for listing in the Qualified Products List. From the DLC website: New Testing and Reporting Requirements for Hazardous Location Lighting Under the V4.2 requirements, products applying to a Specialty Use designation with a Hazardous descriptor must undergo [...]

BriteSwitch recently reported three major rebate trends in 2017, including: * Rebate coverage reaching all-time high in United States * LED lamp replacements for HID soaring * Average dollar amounts declining for TLED and screwbase LED replacement lamps as costs decline Click here to learn more about these trends.

The Trump Administration’s recent budget outline proposes a 30+% cut in Environmental Protection Agency funding, which threatens to defund the ENERGY STAR program. In a recent blog post, Steven Nadel, Executive Director the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), disagrees, stating, “ENERGY STAR has been very successful in its current form; why risk this [...]