David Shiller

The September 2023 issue of LD+A has an interesting article arguing that a 180-degree cut-off for street and area lights is an inadequate requirement. The article is written by Thomas Paterson, who lays out the following arguments for a tighter beam cut-off angle, such as 150 or 120 degrees: Tolerance – A 180-degree cut-off doesn’t [...]

  Scientists from Fishtek Marine, a manufacturer of sustainable fishing gear, had a surprise discovery. Bright lights that they added to crab pots to catch more crabs instead attracted loads of scallops. The scallops swam into the traps to get to the lights. Traditional scallop fishing involves dredging the bottom of the ocean, causing considerable [...]

    I had the pleasure of interviewing Derek Richardson, CEO of Deako, about their unique approach to residential smart lighting controls. Shiller: Derek, thank you for sharing your expertise with LightNOW readers. I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of Deako until recently, but Deako seems to have a very large footprint in [...]

  The DLC Controls Summit has announced panelists for the session, A Brighter Future for NLC Energy Savings Through External Systems Integration, which will be held on Wednesday, 9/27. The panelists will quantify the potential energy savings in two different regions, explore innovative efficiency programs to support NLC-HVAC integration, and consider the potential impacts of regulatory [...]

  Colorado recently became the seventh state to ban nearly all fluorescent lamps. The other six states are: California, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The above chart shows the effective dates for each state’s phaseout of screw-based CFLs, as well as pin-based CFLs & linear fluorescent tubes. All of the fluorescent lamp bans [...]

  In mid-July, Mexico passed China to become the U.S.’s largest trading partner. Experts say Mexico’s gains are due to the U.S. strategy of gradual economic decoupling from China. This trend has is also named “Friendshoring,” where trade moves from China to countries like Mexico, India, Vietnam, and other trade partners with less contentious relationships [...]

  Verozza’s MODULINE Low Voltage Track System excels at combining minimalist appearance with lots of value-added features. MODULINE is a 48V magnetic low-voltage track system that easily integrates general and accent lighting fixtures into a small, modular design. Fixtures attach magnetically into the 1” track for easy installation and design flexibility. The track can be [...]

Despite many predictions of a recession this Summer, the U.S. economy continues to chug along strongly, including consumer spending on luxury items, which typically see reduced demand in a faltering economy. Plastic surgery, motorcycle sales, cruise sales, and expensive concert ticket sales are four examples that are all booming this Summer. Consumer spending is especially [...]

  The IES has released six new standards during the past IES fiscal year. At a high level, three address ultraviolet (UV) sources, one addresses light pollution / sky glow, one is about controls, and one is about daylighting. Here are the six:   ANSI/IES RP-27.1-22 Recommended Practice: Risk Group Classification and Minimization of Photobiological Hazards [...]