David Shiller

The General Services Administration (GSA) Workplace Innovation Lab is a government initiative aimed at fostering innovation and modernizing government services by testing and implementing new and emerging technologies. The lab provides a platform for federal agencies to collaborate and work with the private sector to identify and solve complex challenges facing the government and to [...]

On January 4th, 2023, the U.S. EPA announced the first Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) to receive ENERGY STAR certification. Samsung SmartThings is the first platform to earn ENERGY STAR certification for a SHEMS. SmartThings creates smart home IoT control, integrated across any phone, any device, and any brand. With ENERGY STAR certification of [...]

On December 22nd, I published a story about the U.S. DOE’s proposal to significantly increase general service lamp (GSL) efficacy requirements, here. I’ve since learned that many manufacturers of lamps and luminaires, in the decorative lighting industry, are concerned about certain classes of LED lamps that won’t meet the proposed new federal standard. At issue [...]

The propeller is quietly being reinvented, in both marine and aviation. The new invention is toroidal propellers that move more efficiently and quietly through both air and water. A company named Sharrow Marine is poised to start selling toroidal propellers to replace traditional twisted-aerofoil bladed props that have been used for thousands of years, going back [...]

  Mui Board is a smart home system that allows you to control and manage your smart home devices through a single-touch interface. It has a sleek, minimalist design and can be mounted on a wall, making it a convenient and elegant way to interact with your smart home devices. The Mui Board supports a variety [...]

The Zhaga Consortium is launching a new awards program, the global Zhaga Smart City Sensor Awards, to address the needs of many cities that have installed Zhaga-D4i certified streetlights. The awards encourage and recognize excellence in smart city sensors that can be installed on streetlights using the Zhaga Book 18 standard and are suitable for [...]

The Consortium For Energy Efficiency (CEE) Integrated Home Competition seeks high-performance products that deliver energy savings and automated load management while continuing to meet consumer expectations for interoperability, reliability, and simplicity. Innovative submissions gain recognition through endorsement and promotion by Competition Sponsors. Residential end uses in the 2023 Competition span electric and natural gas equipment. Eligible products [...]

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed to expand the types of lamps that are required to display the Lighting Facts Label. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) specifically proposes to add: Lower-brightness lamps (light bulbs) that are not regulated by US DOE. These are lamps below 310 lumens and 30 watts. “Any other [...]

In November 2022, Satco announced the release of new decorative LED flame lamps that imitate a flame through the use of LED color-changing technology. These lamps create a gentle glow that dances and flickers without the risks associated with an open flame. These LED lamps are dual-mode capable, allowing them to operate in flame effect [...]