Tivoli Lighting’s Litesphere True RGB+W LED strand light offers proprietary algorithm controls for good color saturation and true white performance for commercial and architectural lighting applications.

While nonresidential construction activity contracted in 2020 and is projected for another decline in 2021, residential construction was strong last year. Led by a solid, double-digit gain in single-family starts, overall housing starts increased 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.67 million units, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

More U.S. states have adopted or advanced new energy-saving targets and vehicle and appliance rules, but COVID-19 slowed other efficiency efforts, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2020 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. For the first time in four years, California took first place nationwide, edging out Massachusetts, the leader in the Northeast. Rounding out this year’s top 10 are Massachusetts (#2), Vermont (#3), Rhode Island (#4), New York (#5), Maryland (#6), Connecticut (#7), Washington, DC (#8), and Minnesota and Oregon (tied for #9).

The International Code Council recently launched online tools showing building code adoption in the United States and globally.

As lumen depreciation is a significant failure mode with LED lighting, it raises the question whether some older exit signs are still producing sufficient brightness to be visible in smoky conditions. This is the subject of a new study being undertaken by NALMCO in partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and the topic of an article I wrote about the study for the January issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR.

Eureka’s Knit pendant provides high-quality lighting while helping to reduce noise levels.

Estimated to be 10% more energy-efficient than the 2018 version, 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is now available for purchase.

Slowing demand at architecture firms in 2020 is expected to contribute to a projected 5.7 percent decline in construction spending for 2021, according to a new consensus forecast from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Demand for design services from U.S. architecture firms took a pointed dip in December 2020, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).