David Shiller

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, a critical legislative measure that sets federal spending priorities for agencies like the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This bill attempts to save the popular ENERGY STAR program within the EPA—an initiative long [...]

  Annual spending on home renovations and repairs in the United States is projected to grow at a much slower pace through the first half of 2026, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. The LIRA predicts that expenditures for improvements and [...]

The accelerating demand for electricity is reshaping the energy landscape, presenting both challenges and unprecedented opportunities for the electrical distribution industry. As one of the pivotal sectors positioned to drive this transformation, electrical distributors are tasked with supplying the critical services, products, and innovative solutions that will power the future. To guide its members through [...]

  Researchers from the University of St Andrews and the University of Cambridge have achieved a breakthrough in wireless optical communications by using OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes)—commonly found in smartphone screens and televisions—as fast, long-distance transmitters for visible light communication (VLC), also known as Li-Fi. VLC uses light waves rather than radio frequencies to send [...]

  There is a rapidly escalating crisis in metal thefts across the United States, with a strong increase in copper theft driven by international trade policies and increasing industrial demand. Metal thefts, especially copper and aluminum, have surged this year. This spike is widely attributed to the adoption of significant new tariffs. For example, over [...]

On July 28th, the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) released the second draft of its SSL V6.0 & Luna V2.0 Technical Requirements for LED Lighting. A notable change from the first draft is the removal of some product categories traditionally covered by ENERGY STAR, that were proposed to be added to DLC in Draft 1. These [...]

I was impressed to read about the lengths to which display makers were going to improve eye comfort for users. Let’s look at the new TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus 11” tablet, as an example. First introduced in 2020, NXTPAPER is a hardware and software combination designed to manage blue light output from devices “while maintaining excellent visual [...]

The Trump administration has created sweeping changes and accelerated phase-outs to energy efficiency and clean energy tax credits through the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Key implications of the OBBBA are: Accelerated Sunset of Major Credits: The OBBBA rapidly ends or shortens the lifespan of most major tax credits related to residential and [...]

  One of the most interesting conversations that I had at LightFair, this year, was discussing lighting-HVAC integration with Chris Wolgamott, Principal Product Manager, Technology & Product Management, at the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). Chris graciously agreed to do an interview about his pioneering LLLC-HVAC integration pilots. SHILLER: You and NEEA are approaching lighting-HVAC [...]