Legislation + Regulation

  In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence & Security Act (EISA07). This law directed the US Department of Energy (DOE) to set regulations that initially phased out the incandescent lamps in popular 40W, 60W, 75W, and 100W wattages. They were largely replaced with halogen lamps that were somewhat more efficient, as well as some [...]

The current California energy code (Title 24 Nonresidential) requires luminaires or lamps that are used for plant growth to have a photosynthetic photon efficacy (PPE) of at least 1.9 micromoles per joule (µmol/J) for indoor grow facilities with more than 40 kW of horticultural lighting load. Luminaires or lamps used for plant growth in greenhouses [...]

  On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed Reese’s Law (P.L. 117-171), which aims to protect children 6 years and younger from accidentally swallowing button cell and coin batteries. Reese’s law requires the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to promulgate a safety standard for these batteries and consumer products containing these batteries. This law raises [...]

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) and an announcement of a public meeting about DOE’s proposed new and amended standards for ceiling fans. Some important things to note: Standard and hugger ceiling fans with representative values of blade span >53” will likely have [...]

  At LightFair, last week, I was part of a panel presenting the impacts of electrification on the lighting industry. I had the pleasure of co-presenting with Chris Brown and Peter Brown, two prominent thought leaders in the lighting industry. I’m going to share some of the key impacts on lighting in a series of [...]

Two more states are joining Vermont and California in banning fluorescent lamps. Hawaii’s legislature passed HB 192 / SB 690, and sent it to the Governor’s desk for signing, which is expected. The bill, once signed, will phase out mercury-containing lamps, such as fluorescent lamps. Colorado’s House Bill 23-1161, called Environmental Standards For Appliances, passed [...]

  A new “Lights-Out” bill has been proposed in NYC’s City Council to reduce migratory bird deaths. The bill would require many privately-owned commercial buildings to reduce light at night. NYC Audubon estimates that 230,000 birds die annually in collisions with windows and brightly lit facades. The bill wouldn’t apply when people are in buildings, [...]

In October 2022, the Mexican government passed a law ending seasonal clock changes that the Mexicans call “Summer Time” and the U.S. calls “Daylight Savings Time.” This March, most of Mexico did not ‘Spring forward,’ and are now in a permanent Standard Time. Similar legislation has been passed by the U.S. Senate, but has not [...]

California’s energy code, Title 24 2022, became effective January 1st, 2023. In it were new code requirements for indoor horticulture spaces, including grow light requirements. This was in part motivated by a large surge in energy use after the 2018 legalization of recreational cannabis in the State. Urban indoor grow facilities took off and energy [...]