Legislation + Regulation

A bill introduced into the Senate, the Commercial Buildings Modernization Act (S.3591), seeks to extend the Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction (179D) created by the Energy Policy Act to the end of 2016, make it easier for taxpayers to claim the deductions, and offer higher maximum deduction levels, as the current tax deduction is set to [...]

OSRAM SYLVANIA offers an interesting online tool identifying regulatory impacts on various light source technologies, with suggested substitutions for products being eliminated. Check it out here.

The Department of Energy Office of Hearings and Appeals has granted Halco Lighting Technologies a two-year exemption relief for certain T8 fluorescent lamps from the efficiency regulations that went into effect on July 14, 2012, according to the company. This decision permits Halco to continue to manufacture its 700 Series T8 general service fluorescent lamps [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has called upon Congress and the White House to rise above partisanship to find common ground to avoid the “fiscal cliff” threatening our nation’s economy, solvency, defense, and vital operations. “Clearly, there are strong and legitimate differences of opinion among our nation’s elected officials on tax policy, spending levels, [...]

Regulation coming in July will put millions of directional lamp sockets for halogen sources up for grabs. Energy standards covering incandescent reflector lamps, first instituted by the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2009, and going into effect starting in July, will eliminate a majority of the least-efficient and lowest-cost options from the market in favor [...]

H.R. 5325, the fiscal year 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which recently passed by the House of Representatives, includes a provision–the Burgess (R-TX) Amendment–which prohibits funding for enforcement of national energy efficiency standards for certain lamps created by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The inability of the Department of Energy to [...]

OHIO: March 27, 2012. The Ohio Board of Building Standards (OBBS) has announced a public hearing on April 26, 2012 at 10AM in Reynoldsburg. IDAHO: February 2, 2012. Proposed electrical code adoption effectively killed. NEW JERSEY: January 25, 2012. The New Jersey Uniform Construction Code Advisory Board announced the proposed adoption to the 2011 National [...]

Common household lamps now carry uniform labeling to facilitate educated decisions focusing on light output and energy costs, not watts, helping consumers transition to more efficient lamp types. That’s the topic of an article I contributed to the January 2012 issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine. Read it here.

By now, the electrical industry is well aware that national energy standards have eliminated the manufacture and import of fluorescent magnetic ballasts for 4- and 8-foot standard and energy-saving T12 lamps, with few exceptions. On July 14, 2012, Department of Energy (DOE) rules regulating general-service fluorescent lamps will go into effect, eliminating many popular models [...]