Industry News
New Labor Dept Rules On Independent Contractor Vs. Employee
Big picture The Department of Labor’s rule (effective March 11, 2024) replaced the 2021 Trump-1.0‑era independent contractor rule and restored a broader, six‑factor “economic realities” test to decide whether…
IES Publishing 9 New Or Revised Standards In Q1 2026
The IES is publishing nine new or revised standards in Q1 2026: ANSI/IES RP-43-25 Recommended Practice: Lighting Exterior Applications Pedestrian-oriented illumination recommendations for the reassurance, safety, comfort, amenity, and enjoyment…
Growth In Hybrid Solar Lighting
Typical solar lighting is completely off-grid, relying entirely on solar panels and a battery to power the street or area light. A more recent variation that is gaining traction is…
ENERGY STAR Re-Funded To $33 Million
On January 23, 2026, President Trump signed a bipartisan fiscal 2026 funding bill (H.R. 6938) into law that secures roughly $33 million for the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, ensuring its operation…
Optogenetics Moving From Lab To Therapeutic Treatments
The field of optogenetics is moving from a research tool toward a potential therapeutic strategy for neurological disease, especially chronic neuropathic pain. Optogenetics works by inserting genes for light-sensitive…
Google’s Agentic AI For Large Retailers Evolves Quickly
Google is promoting a new wave of “agentic commerce,” where AI agents not only answer questions but help shoppers to complete tasks and transactions end to end. Google’s new…
Q4 2025 Pulse Of Lighting Shows Industry Falling Flat
The Q4 Pulse of Lighting reports that 2025 was a disappointing, essentially flat year for the lighting industry, with tariffs hurting project activity and masking weak unit volumes behind…
How eVTOLs Could Impact The Lighting Industry
Flying cars have been a sci-fi staple for almost a century. There is a type of small flying vehicle that is now very close to commercial production. An eVTOL…
Product Monday: Stacko Aim For Retail & Museum Applications
Stacko Aim is a constant current miniature display lighting product. It has four beam distributions and is a part of the modular Stacko Collection allowing users to ‘stack’ products together…
UV LED Performance Tackling More Manufacturing Applications
UV LEDs are increasing being used in manufacturing to replace mercury lamps for applications like UV curing and lithography. UV-A/B LED curing is production‑ready in many industrial segments, while…
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The LightNOW blog and newsletter are produced by Editor Suelynn Shiller
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