Lighting Industry

By Clifton Stanley Lemon How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: Does it have to be a light bulb? While this old joke lampoons the legendary persnickety design thinking personified by Steve Jobs and others, the response is quite valid. Who in the lighting industry today is asking this question or [...]

The American Lighting Association (ALA) has shared information about a China tariff exclusion that has been reinstated by the Biden Administration. This exclusion for passive infrared (PIR) sensor luminaires could reduce tariffs on certain fixtures depending on the light source (socketed vs. integrated). As part of the Section 301 tariffs on goods imported from China, [...]

Electronic shelf labels (ESLs) are a technology that allows retailers to remotely update product prices and information displayed on shelves in real-time. ESLs have the potential to revolutionize the way retailers operate, but they also have significant implications for manufacturers: Increased price transparency: With ESLs, retailers can quickly and easily change prices on the shelves, [...]

States are increasing their spending on highways, streets, and bridge construction by 10% in fiscal year 2023. Four out of five states expect to increase this type of infrastructure spending in FY2023 over the previous year. Almost 75% of the increase is due to increased federal reimbursements to states. This includes early spending on IIJA [...]

The United States government and some allies are evolving and escalating the trade war with China. During the Trump administration, the trade war was characterized by increasing trade tariffs, most of which are still in place today, during the Biden administration. Now the trade war is escalating in new directions. FRIENDSHORING: In the past month, [...]

  Those of us with gray hair remember that luminaire housings were primarily made of steel until the LED revolution. Aluminum became the predominant luminaire housing material because of its superior thermal conductivity that keeps LED engines cooler. Today, there is enormous interest and pressure to make luminaires from more sustainable materials. More designers are [...]

There are many Matter-compatible smart lighting products beginning to hit the market. Matter is a smart home standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly the Zigbee Alliance) in collaboration with other leading companies in the smart home industry. Matter is designed to provide greater interoperability between smart home devices, allowing them to work seamlessly [...]

What happens when the impacts of electrification collide with the obsolescence of telecommunications infrastructure? We’re all going to find out. Last week, I learned of two seemingly unrelated things: Undergrounding Powerlines Electrification of buildings and transportation raise the stakes for grid reliability / resiliency. Historically, power outages take out lighting, appliances, and HVAC systems. We’re [...]

Both Forbes and the E-commerce site Houzz have recently published about the growing adoption of residential smart lighting. According to Houzz smart lighting grew from 14% of Houzz lighting purchases in 2021 to 17% in 2022. The March 31, 2023 Forbes article interviewed designers and found ever greater adoption rates. Designers around the country shared [...]