- April 24, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
Endnotes for the President
Lighting industry disruption continues with light-emitting diode (LED) market penetration accelerating and domestic U.S. manufacturing base for lamps of all types shrinking. Reduced barriers to market entry and falling production costs allowed new manufacturers to join an industry that was once dominated by a few large companies. In turn all these factors have contributed to acquisitions, mergers, and spin-offs as organizations adapt to a changing landscape.
The
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- April 20, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Fred Ashton, Economist, NEMA
Nonresidential fixed investment in structures, a key end market for lighting products, has struggled to gain traction over the past year and will likely detract from overall GDP growth again in 2020. Fixed investment in structures has declined in four of the previous five quarters as of Q3 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and has subtracted a cumulative 0.9 percentage points
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- April 17, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Craig Updyke, Director, Trade and Commercial Affairs, NEMA
The European Union (EU) adopted a Green Deal policy paper in December 2019 that commits the 27-nation bloc to use trade policy in promotion of carbon emission reductions. Overall, the EU aims to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2050 through a series of policy initiatives leading to the decoupling of economic growth from resource use, according to the document.
Embedded in the
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- April 13, 2020
- Bryan Holland
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Part 1 of this blog posted on March 29 outlined three essential electrical products that will help you remain productive and efficient while working remotely at home. This included a back-up power supply, surge-protective devices, and quality workspace lighting. Part 2 of this blog will highlight three other essential electrical products for your home to provide enhanced safety for you and your family while sheltering in place.
Essential #1: Tamper-Resistant Receptacles
Many homes built prior to 2008 do not have tamper-resistant receptacles
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- April 13, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Laurie Soucy, Director, Statistical Operations, NEMA
As the Director of Statistical Operations for NEMA/BIS I have the opportunity to work across all Divisions of NEMA. While I oversee all of the statistical reports, I am personally responsible for managing the Lighting Division statistical reports. This includes collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical reports as well as managing Member committees to maintain and create valuable statistical programs. As the lighting industry
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- April 10, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Ann Brandstadter, Manager, Standards Publications and Marketing, NEMA
Installation Guidelines for Expansion and Expansion/Deflection Fittings provides information on the proper application and installation of fittings intended for use in hazardous and non-hazardous locations in accordance with the National Electrical Code®; the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I; the International Building Code; and the National Building Code of Canada.
NEMA FB 2.40-2019 is available for $88.
ANSI/NEMA WC 51/ICEA P-54-440-2009
(R2019) Ampacities of Cables
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- April 6, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Michael Poplawski, Principal Investigator for Connected Lighting Systems Research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Among the many ways LED lighting is changing the definition of what lighting can do and be is by enabling the development of connected lighting systems (CLS). LED technology facilitates the integration of intelligence, network interfaces, and sensors into lighting devices, which can result in reduced energy consumption and improved lighting performance. But CLS also has
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- April 3, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Tim McClintock, Midwest Field Representative, NEMA
We’ve all heard the phrase the “Roaring Twenties,” a time that saw the introduction of many new products and technologies, when the automotive, film, radio, and chemical industries all took off.
History appears to be repeating itself as we see emerging technologies in the electrical industry with the vast expansion of things such as light- emitting diodes (LED) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
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- April 1, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Kees Teunissen, Senior Scientist, Light and Vision, Signify Research
For many decades, light sources have been specified by their correlated color temperature (CCT) and general color rendering index (CRI)1. With the adoption of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for general lighting purposes, these two specification items, alone, are insufficient to fully characterize the appearance of object colors in a lit environment.
Color Fidelity
The CRI value indicates only the average difference in color
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- March 31, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Michael Erbesfeld, Program Manager, NEMA
NEMA is the Secretariat for the American National Standards Lighting Group (ANSLG) is composed of three Accredited Standards Committees (ASC): ASC C78 Electric Lamps; ASC C81 Bases, Holders, and Gauges; and ASC C82 Electronic Ballasts and Drivers. These three ASCs cover lighting technology from incandescent to solid state.
Last year was a dynamic one for the ANSLG, with ASC C78 publishing 13 Standards. Among these
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- March 29, 2020
- Bryan Holland
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With a large percentage of the American workforce now remotely working at home instead of their place of business as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of COVID-19, chances are you will be reading this blog from your home office. The problem is that most home offices do not have all the necessary features to facilitate and promote successful and productive long-term telecommuting. Whether you are practicing social distancing or have been required to shelter in place, this blog
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- March 26, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by David Richmond, Program Manager, NEMA
ASC C136 covers all types of street and area lighting, including lamp types, pole construction and support, tunnel lighting, enclosed architectural luminaires, system selection guides, lighting controls, ingress protection, and ancillary devices.
ANSI Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) C136 is publishing a new outdoor lighting Standard: C136.58-2019 Luminaire Four-Pin Extension Module and Receptacle— Physical and Electrical Interchangeability and Testing.
Committee work is continuing on several other new
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- March 25, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Neil Egan, Director, Communications, Acuity Brands Lighting
Back in the 1990s, thanks to the internet, online shopping emerged, bringing with it profound innovations, including the now-dominating mobile platform.
With this mobile platform, shoppers have taken control. They search, research, choose, pay, and ship—all whenever and wherever they want. Still, when they enter a physical brick-and-mortar store, they’re provided the same level of control as was available 40 years ago. This
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- March 24, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Alex Boesenberg, Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs, NEMA
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), an important subordinate entity within the White House Office of Management and budget (OMB), recently published1 its final report on the national impacts of significant rulemakings by Federal agencies from 2006 to 2016. Federal law mandates that OMB review any proceedings that may involve an estimated economic impact (benefit or cost) of approximately
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- March 23, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Craig Updyke, Director, Trade and Commercial, Affairs, NEMA
Following positive bipartisan votes in the House of Representatives and Senate, in January the President signed into law legislation to implement the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which will replace the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The House approved USMCA 385-41 on December 19; the Senate voted 89-10 on January 16.
“USMCA provides greater certainty for NEMA Members working with partners in
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- March 23, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While electrical equipment manufacturers are considered “Critical Manufacturing,” they also directly support every other sector by making the products needed to assure the reliable and consistent flow of electricity. Without on-demand electricity, which depends on a steady supply of equipment for maintenance and upgrade of existing systems and construction of new buildings and capabilities, our nation’s current situation would go from bad
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- March 20, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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by David Woodward, Head of Standards & Regulations Americas, Signify
LiFi, the technology where light is used to provide broadband connectivity in the most secure and stable way, is developing rapidly. Some of the larger lighting companies have already clocked more than 100 pilot projects around the world. Use cases include offices, the hospitality sector, government institutions, and education. But its use isn’t strictly earthbound, and companies are continuously developing new business models to accelerate the mainstream use of this groundbreaking
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- March 18, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
by Phil Squair, Vice President, Government Relations, NEMA
In some ways, the 116th Congress has been one long tease for those interested in energy/climate and infrastructure policy. But this situation changed over the course of a 24-hour period on January 28-29, 2020, with the release of two major proposals in the House of Representatives. These two proposals contain provisions that would, if enacted, be some of the most significant new
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- March 16, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.
From the moment we wake up until the time we switch off our bedside lamp, lighting is an integral part of many of the daily things we do. On-demand lighting is something that we rely upon and expect to be available as a matter of course. Writing this column made me reflect on how much we take modern lighting for granted.
The inventions that have shaped our world, such as
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- March 13, 2020
- NEMA Communications
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This piece was originally published in the March/April 2020 issue of electroindustry.by Steve Mesh, Principal, Lighting Education & DesignMr. Mesh teaches a full-day class on networked lighting controls on behalf of the DesignLights Consortium (DLC)Lighting controls save energy. That’s why many electric utility companies incentivize people for installing them, and, in some cases, they also incentivize manufacturers for making them. Any time a control device switches off or dims a light, it
reduces energy use. Saving energy
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