Legislation + Regulation

Good news! It’s confirmed: The “lighting designer” language in Texas House Bill 2649 will be withdrawn and replaced with language requesting a study by the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation of the feasibility of licensing in the industry, according to Texas State Senator Kip Averitt’s office. IALD President Jeff Miller said the combined grassroots [...]

Your voice has been heard. There have been hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails over the past 48 hours about this potentially disastrous bill. Now here’s an update for Thursday, May 28. The latest word via discussions on LinkedIn and emails I’ve received is: * Senator Averitt’s office has indicated that he will be [...]

I was copied on this letter that JoAnne Lindsley, a leading lighting designer, past president of IALD and principal of Lindsley Consultants Inc., wrote to Texas Representative Wayne Smith about the new bill, which has passed both houses of the state legislature, that essentially would require licensing to do lighting design. Rep. Smith initiated the [...]

IALD is hoping the Texas Senate Business & Commerce Committee will remove language restrictive to the profession as a “technical adjustment” when the bill is prepared for the Governor’s signature, or the eventual veto of the bill by the Governor should no changes in language be made. Here’s what IALD says we can do: 1. [...]

Wow. This is terrible. Yesterday, I received an email from IALD about Texas HB2649/SB2414 (the House and Senate versions are identical), “An Act Relating to the Regulation and Practice of Engineering,” which requires professionals who do lighting design to be a licensed electrician, architect, interior designer, landscape architect or engineer. The bill passed the House [...]

“If someone really wanted to do a green household, they could use dimmers, they could use occupancy sensors to turn off the lights in case they forgot to. Control of the light is really the most energy efficient way to gain benefit.” –Howard Brandston LightNOW says: Amen, brother! Click here to read this interview with [...]

Most lighting professionals are aware by now that the Commercial Buildings Deduction has been extended to 2013. Here is an article I wrote for Electrical Contractor Magazine, published in the March issue, that describes the Interim Lighting Rule, which in my opinion is the easiest and fastest path for an indoor lighting project to qualify [...]

Great conversation still happening in the comments section in an earlier post here. To which I’d like to add: Perhaps we are “banning” the wrong technology? CFLs save energy but they have dimming issues with self-ballasted screw-in type units, thermal issues in some luminaires, sizing issues in others, color, time to reach full brightness, etc. [...]

The stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, focuses on economic stimulus through both tax credits and public-sector spending, with a heavy focus on infrastructure and energy. Here’s an interesting development I had missed at first glance through it: The Department of Energy is offering $16.8 billion to the states for a variety of [...]