Energy + Environment

New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, and St. Louis are all preparing to fine building owners who fail to comply with new local regulations that in most cases, limit large buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions and/or curb energy usage. The earliest of the fines will go into effect this month in San Francisco. This [...]

A large percentage of LightNOW readers will likely attend LightFair, this May, at the Jacob Javits Center, in New York City. The Javits is the largest and busiest convention center in the United States. What might surprise you is the list of sustainability features that were installed as part of the 5-year, $1.5 Billion renovation [...]

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 [...]

The United Kingdom has joined the growing list of governments working to eliminate fluorescent, halogen, and other HID sources. Last week, the UK government published its proposal to raise lighting product efficacy requirements, using a technology-neutral set of minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). The proposal would impact residential, commercial, and industrial lighting products. Specifically, the [...]

The recently released 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) found that the total floorspace in commercial buildings had increased but energy consumption had not, compared with the last survey analyzing commercial building energy use, in 2012. This difference indicates that the consumption per square foot (energy intensity) had decreased, [...]

Earlier this week, the US Department of Energy (DOE) proposed a new energy efficiency standard for General Service Lamps (GSL). The new standard would impact an enormous variety of lamps, including A-lamps (CFL & LED), directional R & PAR lamps, and LED tubes (TLEDs). Right now it is still a proposal, but odds are good [...]

The Biden-Harris Administration, through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), released a Notice of Intent, on 11/22/22, announcing $550 million to support community-based clean energy in state, Tribal, and local governments — serving more than 250 million Americans. This investment is through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program in order to support communities [...]

The US Green Building Council and the International WELL Building Institute have formed a partnership to simplify certifying buildings for both health and sustainability. The USBGC’s LEED certification rates a building’s sustainability credentials, while WELL ratings consider a building’s impact on the wellbeing of people who use it. Both LEED and WELL building certifications have [...]

The field of photocatalysis chemistry is producing important breakthroughs in industrial chemistry. In July, LightNOW reported on a new photocatalyst revolutionizing the conversion of methane into liquid methanol, here. Now Rice University researchers have created a small, LED-powered device that converts ammonia to hydrogen on the fly Ammonia might carry hydrogen exceptionally well, but if [...]