Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

It’s hard to believe that it was just three years ago that much of the country was on red alert status thanks to Covid. Researchers were still learning more about the new virus, but one thing they were sure of was that it spread through the air, which made air purification systems a new priority for any place people gathered in large numbers.

It took a while, but people finally understand that watts don’t measure visible light output.

Lumens do.

Watts has to do with energy consumption, not light output. Getting some folks to understand that was a tough nut to crack, and I’m guessing some still don’t have a handle on it.

A decade ago, LED lighting was still fighting for acceptance among designers, contractors and consumers. Early product generations suffered from quality control problems, flickering and light that was too far into the blue end of the visual spectrum.

When working as an electrician in a processing plant, I was often called in to work on renovations, new area construction, and emergency repair scenarios. Often there wasn’t permanent power available, so temporary power using extension cords was necessary to power up tools and equipment for the job.

Earlier this year at the Light + Building 2018 trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, Philips Lighting announced a string of new initiatives aimed at the transition to more LED lamps as well as the inclusion of LEDs into the “Internet of Things” (IoT) in homes and buildings worldwide.

First the company announced IoT platform called Interact, designed to handle data collected from connected light points, sensors, devices and systems.

Lighting automation has bells and whistles, but a lighting contactor is necessary to switch the actual lighting circuits. Properly selecting lighting contactors can save installation and maintenance costs. What are some of the important considerations in addition to the correct voltage and current?