ElectricSmarts Network

The current trend in occupancy sensors is to pack more features and options in ever smaller packages, making sensor installation quick and efficient, while also promoting the greater use of sensors for both energy savings and security benefits.

First, sensors are moving towards a lower-profile, cleaner design intended to “flatten” the device against a ceiling or wall.

Exterior luminaires often are treated as the workhorses of the lighting industry. With a need to withstand what can be harsh operating conditions, through winter storms and summer heat, design emphasis often focuses on durability and basic lighting functions, over more versatile applications. That’s beginning to change, however, as manufacturers have begun adding new capabilities to a range of outdoor fixture types.

Fluke’s new T6-1000 Electrical Tester is designed to let commercial and light industrial electricians do basic troubleshooting, verifying voltage and continuity values and testing individual circuits to get current and voltage levels all without test leads or metal-to-metal contact.

Maybe like you, I’ve recently begun switching out my compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs with LED replacements in my table and ceiling fixtures. The energy savings aren’t huge, maybe 5 watts per lamp, and certainly not what I initially managed when switching from old 60 watt incandescents to the 13 watt CFLs. But every little bit helps, plus, the LEDs could last 15 or 20 years, depending on use, so I won’t have to worry about replacing them again for another decade or two.

Conduit bending is a common task for commercial electricians, with many jobs requiring a combination of 90-degree, offset and saddle bends. IDEAL industries offers a selection of bender heads, hickeys and handles to help get the job done.

The place to start is in the selection of bender heads.

When I was young (which was, like, EONS ago) my brother and I were the energy control devices. Mom and Dad were the energy controllers. Yeah... you know what I mean.

"Turn off those doggone lights!" came the fervent instructions from the other room. "Do you think money grows on trees? You're running up the electric bill, you know."