- August 26, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Chances are you are reading this indoors. We spend almost our entire lives in buildings. Whether at home at work, learning in school, or recuperating at a hospital, buildings are integral to our lives. Consequently, NEMA and electrical manufacturers are working to make sure we are safe, healthy, and productive in those buildings. Here is a snapshot of some of the important work at NEMA to improve building performance:
Improving Code Enforcement
Read More[...]
- August 23, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Carolyn Hull, Manager, MITA's Global Regulatory Standards, has been selected as one of three winners of the USNC's 2019 IEC Young Professionals program. She will be a representative of the United States at the IEC 2019 General Meeting in October, in Shanghai, China.
Carolyn has been with MITA for just over a year. During that time, she has excelled in her grasp of the Standards development process and the role Standards play
Read More[...]
- August 19, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Ann Brandstadter Manager, Standards Publications and Marketing, NEMA
NEMA SPD 1.1-2019 Part 1—Surge Protective Device Specification Guide for Low Voltage Power Distribution Systems is the first in a new series intended to guide the evaluation, specification, and use of surge protective devices (SPD) deployed in low-voltage power distribution system applications. It includes SPD ratings, a specification checklist, and information on surge current ratings, modes of protection, and general grounding practices.
NEMA SPD 1.1-2019
Read More[...]
- August 16, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Jack Lyons, Northeast Field Representative, NEMA
I have been appointed to a new National Fire Protection Association Technical Committee that will develop a new Standard for Remote Inspections (REI-AAA). This Standard will assist jurisdictions in adopting procedures of inspections that use current technologies, increase department efficiencies, and address security for data that is gathered in the process.
The idea was presented at the 2017 NFPA Annual Meeting by Jim Muir, Chief Building Official
Read More[...]
- August 12, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Brian Marchionini, NEMA Senior Program Manager, speaks at the Power Africa Clean Energy Standards Program workshop on energy storage in South Africa in February.
For the Western Hemisphere, the Administration launched the America Crece energy initiative in 2018 (“crece” is Spanish for “it grows”). Led by the Treasury Department but involving six additional agencies, the initiative promotes economic prosperity through energy growth, integration, and security. It encourages energy trade, private sector investment,
Read More[...]
- August 9, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Kirk Anderson, Industry Director, NEMA
During a recent Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group meeting, representatives from the Department of Defense (DOD), International Society of Automation (ISA), and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) outlined a new program to address the growing risk of unprotected and underprotected building control systems in the U.S. and abroad.
Building owners, users, and manufacturers of control systems continuously work to find practical ways to create safe and more
Read More[...]
- August 5, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Mariela Echeverria, Communications Services Manager, NEMA
The Edison Electric Institute, GridWise Alliance, and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) hosted the Grid Innovation and Infrastructure Expo on Capitol Hill recently in conjunction with the U.S. Congressional Grid Innovation Caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH).
“Innovation will be central to the long-term resilience of our nation’s energy infrastructure,” said Congressman Jerry McNerney. “Today’s expo brings together leading industry companies
Read More[...]
- August 1, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Scott Ziegenfus, Systems Architect, Hubbell Lighting
Even though it’s not published yet, it’s possible you’ve heard something about BACnet Secure Connect (BACnet/SC), which has sparked a significant amount of buzz in the building systems industry. The name itself triggers curiosity. Here are some questions you may be asking:
How secure is it?
How different is it from the BACnet we use today?
Does it allow BACnet to work in the world of IoT?
How IT “friendly”
Read More[...]
- July 24, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “weather, water, and climate-related events cause an average of approximately 650 deaths and $15 billion in damage per year.”1Chad Kennedy, Director of Industry Standards for Power Equipment, Schneider ElectricIn 2018 alone, there were 14 different billion-dollar disaster events in the United States. And over the past three years, the yearly frequency of billion-dollar disaster events has doubled the long-term average.2 With storm data
Read More[...]
- July 19, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Zijun Tong, Program Manager, NEMA
When it comes to modern consumer digital technologies, the first few things that come to mind might be Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Home. People rarely think of thermostats, although they are quietly serving everyone in the background. The technology related to thermostats has evolved from manually setting a cooling or heating point with a mechanical lever to a computerized thermostat that improves the user experience.
Two
Read More[...]
- July 17, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Mark Kohorst, Senior Manager, Environment, Health, and Safety, NEMA
On one afternoon in February 2019, three aviation mechanics working in a hangar in Moberly, MO, were overcome with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning resulting from a malfunctioning heater inside the structure and rushed to the hospital. The previous month, emergency workers treated 14 people and hospitalized one from a nail salon in Fort Worth, TX, less than a week after three employees of
Read More[...]
- July 15, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Maria Karpman, BEMP, CEM, LEED, AP Principal, Karpman Consulting, and Michael Rosenberg, FASHRAE, CEM, LEED AP; Chief Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Buildings are complex systems composed of numerous interacting components that are influenced by external factors such as weather and occupant behavior. Building energy modeling (BEM) tools use physics-based equations to calculate building energy use at hourly or sub-hourly timesteps. Typical applications of energy modeling include optimizing building designs, documenting compliance
Read More[...]
- July 11, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Brian Letendre, Director of Engineering, CBRE
Analytics serve as a business tool in the management of real estate facilities by taking large amounts of data inputs and transferring this data into useful information that is used to drive business decisions and operational improvements.
The raw data is automatically processed and organized using predetermined algorithms that prepare mass amounts of data for human consumption. We gain knowledge and insight on historical trends, abnormalities, and
Read More[...]
- July 10, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Buildings are like small cities. They are the infrastructure of our economy and include multiple and varied subsystems that serve to support the people who live, work, and visit them. These “communities within cities” are increasingly smart and connected.
According to Congress, “the term ‘high-performance building’ means a building that integrates and optimizes on a life cycle basis all major…attributes, including energy conservation, environment, safety, security, durability, accessibility, cost- benefit, productivity, sustainability,
Read More[...]
- July 8, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the July/August 2019 issue of electroindustry.
For building systems, especially those used as corporate workspaces, the Facility Manager (FM) is an indispensable role. The FM bridges conversations with executives and building management professionals while also helping to implement a corporate workplace strategy.
If an FM gets involved in a discussion at a strategic level, the C-suite may shift their view of the manager as someone who creates value and minimizes costs. Tapping into C-suite dialogue requires
Read More[...]
- June 26, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Gustavo Dominguez, Director, Latin America, NEMA and Craig Updyke, Director, Trade and Commercial Affairs, NEMA
Even bbefore taking office on December 1, 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, announced the cancellation of the $13 billion construction of a new airport for the capital city. Citing allegations of corruption, the president decreed improvements would be made instead to existing facilities, including a military airfield, to reduce traffic
Read More[...]
- June 24, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of electroindustry.
NEMA Helps Drive Transportation Innovation
Advancements in electric vehicles are taking off. Manufacturers are producing vehicles in larger numbers, and the cost of their batteries is quickly going down. Meanwhile, population growth, traffic congestion, and the need for infrastructure fixes will motivate the manufacturing of smarter infrastructure systems and devices.
But electric vehicles are a fraction of a global movement toward connecting our transportation fleet. We know the future of transportation
Read More[...]
- June 21, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Ann Brandstadter, Manager, Standards Publications and Marketing, NEMA
ANSI/NEMA MG 1 Motors and Generators assists users in the proper selection and application of motors and generators. It contains practical information concerning performance, safety, testing, and manufacture of ac and dc motors and generators.
MG 1 now includes 2018 updates to Parts 7, 12, 30, and 31:
Harmonization of MG 1 Part 7 with vibration requirements in IEC 60034
Current industry practice to test
Read More[...]
- June 19, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
Clark R. Silcox, General Counsel, NEMA
The Department of Energy’s recent proposal to correct a prior legal error during a lightbulb rulemaking has recently sparked a discussion about our Nation’s future progress toward reducing electricity use and a connection to power plant emissions. A recent article republished online by Scientific American speculated that proposed energy efficiency rules for light bulbs could slow emissions reductions. As if to highlight the potential threat from correcting DOE’s prior legal error, the article emphasizes
"Last year
Read More[...]
- June 17, 2019
- NEMA Communications
-
This piece was originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of electroindustry.
Peter Weems, Senior Director of Policy & Strategy, MITA
In March, MITA published NEMA/MITA 2 Requirements for Servicing of Medical Imaging Equipment, a Standard that describes and defines the minimum quality management system (QMS) requirements for the servicing of medical imaging devices to ensure return to a safe and effective condition for its intended use. Until now, there have not been any QMS Standards developed specifically for servicing of medical
Read More[...]