Featured

Inflation Reduction Act Brings Electrical and Appliance Tax Credits to Homeowners

• March 16, 2023

by Don Iverson, Schneider ElectricJust in time for tax season, tax breaks for eligible home improvements such as energy-efficient upgrades, new appliance installation, and electrical service improvements can help lighten Americans’ tax burden.A newly added perk of tax breaks has arrived for certain electrical and appliance upgrades under the Inflation Reduction Act. The credits not only save consumers money, but will help improve electrical safety in the home, according to electrical industry safety experts.Home renovation offers big opportunities to improve not Read More[...]

NEMA Supports the American-Made EAS-E Prize

• February 8, 2023
• Brian Marchionini

A new $2.4-million award system from U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office aims to spur innovative solutions to advance widespread electrification upgrades in residential buildings, and NEMA supports the endeavor.The American-Made Equitable and Affordable Solutions to Electrification (EAS-E) Home Electrification Prize is a two-phase competition designed to support a suite of design solutions, tools, and/or technology innovations that make electrification more affordable and accessible in existing U.S. homes. Applications are being accepted now through March 2023.Through this prize, the U.S. Department Read More[...]

NEMA Applauds DOE Efforts to Strengthen U.S. Rare Earth and Critical Mineral Supply Chains

• April 5, 2022

The recent, ongoing global supply chain disruptions have impacted the lives of Americans through inflated prices and delayed goods. As discussions around an overreliance on foreign supply chains and critical minerals are ongoing, President Biden recently announced a plan to invoke the Defense Production Act. The Administration’s goal is to spur greater domestic output of raw materials for clean-energy technology products and to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign supply chains.To help the federal government better understand domestic processing capabilities, the  Read More[...]

NEMA Submits Statement to House Ways and Means Committee on Administration’s 2022 Trade Policy

• March 30, 2022
• Jena Passut

By Spencer Pederson, Vice President of Public Affairs, NEMAOn Wednesday, March 30, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the Biden Administration’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda.While the electroindustry shares with the Administration the fundamental goal of creating well-paying American jobs and shoring up our domestic supply chains, NEMA submitted a statement for the record to the committee outlining three key areas of focus as the Committee considers trade policy:U.S. Leadership in International Standards-Setting OrganizationsFirst, as U.S. Trade Representative continues its Read More[...]

NEMA Outlines Ways to Decarbonize ‘Difficult’ Industrial Sector

• March 15, 2022

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently submitted comments to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) in response to the Advanced Manufacturing Office’s (AMO) Request for Information (RFI) on Industrial Decarbonization Priorities.In the RFI, the AMO notes that the industrial sector may be ‘difficult-to-decarbonize.’ But difficult doesn’t mean impossible, and there are incremental steps we can take today. The electroindustry recognizes the importance and urgency of decarbonizing manufacturing and production processes as we work Read More[...]

DOE Proposes to Revise the Process Improvement Rule (Again)

• April 22, 2021
• Alex Boesenberg

On April 12, the Department of Energy (DOE) published proposed modifications to its Process Improvement Rule of February 2020. The proposal responds to a Memorandum from the White House Chief of Staff directing agencies to review several rulemaking outcomes from the previous Administration.Before issuance of the February 2020 rule, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and other trade associations argued the original Process Improvement Rule of 1996 was sorely out-of-date, and its guidance had been interpreted and reinterpreted so many Read More[...]

NEMA Staff Analysis: An Assessment of the DOE LBNL Motor Systems Market

• February 26, 2021
• Alex Boesenberg

The Motor Systems Market Assessment (MSMA) is a study that delves into significant detail on the number, disposition, and operating characteristics of electric motor-driven systems in US industrial and commercial facilities. The study’s in-depth details will inform numerous activities and industries, assisting in planning and decision-making. This NEMA analysis focuses on the regulatory impacts of the MSMA and how NEMA (and other entities) may use it to inform and influence US Department of Energy rulemakings for minimum energy conservation Standards Read More[...]

Smart Buildings: A Key Element of Smart Energy and Climate Policy

• February 4, 2021

With the enactment of the Energy Act of 2020, smart buildings are finally making their debut in US clean energy and climate policy. Section 1007 of the bill, titled “Smart Building Acceleration,” directs the Department of Energy (DOE) in consultation with the General Services Administrator (GSA), to establish a Federal Smart Building Program to implement smart building technology and demonstrate the costs and benefits of smart buildings.The new law defines a “smart building” as a building, or collection of buildings, Read More[...]

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane End-of-Season Report

• December 21, 2020

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season was extremely active and costly. The season produced 30 named storms, 13 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes. Property damage estimates for the 2020 season are approaching $45 billion.The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season had many other notable statistics:This was the most active hurricane season on record and the seventh costliest on recordTropical Storm Arthur formed on May 14, more than two weeks before Atlantic Hurricane Season officially beganEvery named storm this season except three (Arthur, Bertha, Read More[...]

Standby Power Regulation Emerging for Connected Devices

• October 30, 2020
• Alex Boesenberg

As part of a 2020 Strategic Initiative (SI), NEMA examined regulators’ openness to referencing industry Standards for standby power, rather than developing new requirements. Standby power is the energy needed by a device to be ready to respond to an outside query or control signal while the device is otherwise not performing its primary function. The SI also focused on developing industry guidance for regulators about the standby power requirements of connected devices that offer edge computing, cybersecurity protection, monitoring, Read More[...]

The Half-Life of a Champion

• October 8, 2020
• NEMA Communications

by Tip Goodwin, ANSI C119 Standards CommitteeYou’re most likely familiar with the term “half-life,” as in the half-life of a radioactive isotope. The half-life measures the time required for the isotope to decay to half its strength. With each half-life, the radioactive level weakens by half. I have often applied a similar concept to my personal and business life, i.e., the “half-life of a champion.”Let’s set the stage. You, your boss, or maybe an associate, champion new technology, a new process, Read More[...]

NEMA Responds to Hurricane Laura

• September 10, 2020
• Bryan Holland

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season is the first on record in which 13 tropical storms have formed before September. As of the writing of this report, a total of 17 named storms, five hurricanes, and one major hurricane have developed during this season. This season is also the first to see seven named tropical cyclones make landfall in the continental U.S. before the end of August. Hurricane Laura was a deadly and damaging Category 4 hurricane that tied with the 1856 Read More[...]

Hurricane Isaias Sets off Atlantic Hurricane Season

• August 12, 2020
• Bryan Holland

The ninth tropical cyclone of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season developed on July 28, approximately 600 miles east of the Leeward Islands. With its landfall on August 3, Hurricane Isaias became the earliest fifth named storm on record to make landfall on the U.S. mainland.Due to the storm’s slow development and asymmetrical geometry, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were mostly spared any significant impacts as the storm passed, never making landfall along these territories Read More[...]

NEMA Launches Healthcare Facilities Council

• July 27, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry.by Marc Neufcourt, Industry Director, NEMAThe healthcare industry is facing accelerating changes driven by a perfect storm of new technology adoption, consumer demographics, and regulation. To top it off, the industry is at the forefront of a global pandemic, with COVID-19 pushing to the limit its staff, infrastructures, and operations.There is little doubt that the current crisis will only accentuate trends that are reshaping the industry such as telehealth Read More[...]

All-Electric Buildings: Electrification in the Code

• July 27, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry. by Mike Stone, West Coast Field Representative, NEMA Member companies have made possible the electrification of the country. What the term “electrification” has meant traditionally is to provide electricity to areas that previously did not have service. In the late 19th and first part of the 20th centuries, providing electricity to all parts of the country, including rural areas, was the challenge. The products and technology supplied by NEMA Members Read More[...]

NEMA Strategic Initiatives Focus on Digitalization, Technology

• July 24, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry. by Daniel Abbate and Steve Griffith, Industry Directors, NEMA Each year the NEMA Strategic Initiatives program generates valuable market research, technical and policy reports, websites, educational toolkits, and more for the benefit of NEMA Members. The 2020 Strategic Initiatives (SI) cover topics related to digitalization and the Internet of Things, market development, resilience, and workforce development. One example of a 2020 initiative is NEMA.Lab. This SI will establish a cross-domain, technology-based Read More[...]

NEMA Publishes Guidance for Disinfecting Electrical Equipment

• July 17, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry. by Alan Manche, Vice President, External Affairs, Schneider Electric Mr. Manche is an active leader and contributor  to the electrical industry, including participating in NEMA, ANSI, and NFPA activities. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have incorporated extra precautions into our daily routines to stay safe. Now, as state and local governments begin lifting social distancing regulations and workplaces reopen, virus prevention methods are shifting from isolation Read More[...]

A Distributor’s Role in Technology

• July 13, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry. by Tom Naber, President & CEO, National Association of Electrical Distributors Mr. Naber possesses a strong background in both association management and the electrical industry, bringing more than 20 years’ experience as an association executive. New technologies are pushing the boundaries of the electrical industry every day. Where once devices and equipment were meant to perform a simple function (e.g., transmit power or provide light), today, devices are collecting information about Read More[...]

New Challenges and Opportunities for Energy Management

• July 10, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of electroindustry. In the past few months, we have undergone massive changes as a country. The pandemic has moved many of us to an entirely remote work environment—one where we must still engage with our teams. But we cannot forget the millions of people across the country who have continued to show up every day on factory  floors or at customer sites. These are the people dedicated to keeping our food Read More[...]

NEMA Companies Support Transportation Innovations

• June 29, 2020
• NEMA Communications

This piece was originally published in the May/June 2020 issue of electroindustry. The first means of human transport involved walking and running. Basically, survival depended upon some elemental level of mobility. But as social groups became larger and interactions among them increased, an impetus for traveling faster than on foot emerged. From single-axle carts in previous millennia to globe- spanning passenger aircraft today, we humans remain keen to shrink time and distance. Ideas that seemed to belong only to the realm Read More[...]