Webinar: “Daylighting: Lighting Every Building Using the Sky” Presented by: Energy Center University in partnership with the Daylighting Collaborative, presenting faculty Abby Vogen Horn, Senior Project Manager, Energy Center of Wisconsin When: March 18, 2009 at 1:30pm – 3:00pm CDT What: Integrated daylighting design is the key to whole building energy savings and a successful [...]

On the heels of a modest uptick in December, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to a historic low level in January. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the [...]

Though up from a near record low a month ago, NEMA’s January Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current conditions continued to paint a bleak picture in January. January’s reading rose to 20 points, a 12-point gain from December, when the EBCI hit the lowest point in the past seven years. But it was still [...]

The SOURCE, Cooper’s 35,000-sq.ft. lighting education facility located at Cooper Lighting‘s headquarters in Peachtree City, GA, has released the 2009 calendar of classes for the lighting and design community. The SOURCE has been servicing the lighting industry for more than 17 years, educating more than 100,000 construction professionals with accredited seminars and workshops. New this [...]

In many schools, lighting eats up 30-40% of utility costs. As energy codes become more restrictive, can lighting satisfy the demands of the modern classroom, with horizontal and vertical workplanes, computers and A/V equipment? To test one approach, the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) engaged [...]

One in four baby boom generation households (26%) expects to move from their current home in the future, with the majority looking for a single-level home that is more comfortable or convenient, according to a new survey prepared for AARP. Echoing past surveys, most boomers (79%) say they would like to stay in their current [...]

The stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, focuses on economic stimulus through both tax credits and public-sector spending, with a heavy focus on infrastructure and energy. Here’s an interesting development I had missed at first glance through it: The Department of Energy is offering $16.8 billion to the states for a variety of [...]

The Lighting Controls Association has published an article I wrote on the topic of the major lighting changes in the 2009 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) related to commercial buildings. One of the most controversial changes isn’t directly related to lighting, but it could have a significant impact on lighting design. Previous [...]

Core77 has partnered with Greener Gadgets again to produce a design competition aimed at generating outstanding design innovations for greener electronics. They published the top 50 for online voting, and then the Top 10 will be judged live Friday, February 27, at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City. Click here to see the [...]