Energy + Environment

In late January, LightNOW published a short article about the International Dark-Sky Association’s position on blue light at night: In short, IDA said blue light produces higher light pollution with significant environmental impact, and discouraged the use of bluish-white light sources with >3000K color temperature. The post generated some very thoughtful discussion, and interesting points [...]

Air Cycle Corporation’s short video discussing lamp recycling and promoting its “Bulb Eater” product:

According to the Department of Energy, monitoring electricity can help consumers reduce energy consumption by up to 15%. Now Oregon Scientific has announced two new products designed to help consumers monitor energy usage and save energy in the home: The Advanced Wireless Appliance Manager monitors power consumption, carbon emissions and real-time costs for up to [...]

Below is my column for the Jan/Feb issue of Illuminate, for your consideration. Note that Jan/Feb is my last issue as editor at large. From here on out, I will not be leading the magazine as its editor but instead contributing it to as a staff writer. This was on my request … Death and [...]

According to the latest Department of Energy figures, the U.S. average commercial cost per kWh of electric energy to commercial end-users was 10.51 cents as of September 2009, down 2.4% from the same period in 2008. Overall, net generation in the United States dropped by 3% percent from September 2008 to September 2009. Get the [...]

The Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook 2010 presents updated projections for U.S. energy consumption and production through 2035. Existing policies that stress energy efficiency and alternative fuels, together with higher energy prices, will curb energy consumption growth and shift the energy mix toward renewable fuels. Fossil fuels, however, would still provide about 78% of [...]

In its new brochure, “Lighting Upgrades for Energy Conservation,” manufacturer Lighting Services Inc demonstrates that replacement of luminaires can save energy while maintaining performance. The brochure focuses on replacement of halogen luminaires with ceramic metal halide and LED luminaires. Click here to download the brochure as a PDF file now.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) have called on Congress to support expanding the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction from $1.80 per square foot to $3.00 per square foot. A letter to Congressional members was co-signed by more than 50 organizations in the construction and environmental arenas. [...]

Daylighting is going mainstream and daylight harvesting, the energy-saving lighting control strategy that actually makes daylighting “sustainable,” is beginning to catch up. All automatic daylight harvesting control systems need a device that can measure light levels and signal a controller to dim or switch the lights in response to daylight contribution. This device is called [...]