Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Off-grid lighting products were once restricted to truly off-grid locations. Old-school lead-acid batteries needed regular maintenance and the added costs made these fixtures only practical where wiring simply wasn’t possible, in applications like remote cell towers or other such locations. That’s changing quickly, though. New all-in-one options combine high-efficiency LED fixtures with attached solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, creating affordable new possibilities for wires-free area lighting installations, even in dense urban locations.

As someone who’s been writing about LED lighting for almost a decade, I’ve gotten used to the terms “color temperature” and “light output,” and I now have a reasonably good idea about what to look for when shopping for my own lamps (aka, “bulbs”) and fixtures. But I still, on occasion, either realize I’ve chose the wrong lamp for a fixture or wish I could move between two color temperatures with the same luminaire.

Got a call the other night about 1:00 o'clock in the morning. I had to go into the plant to troubleshoot an electrical problem. When I finally made it back home, I crashed on the couch, worn out, too tired to even take off my boots.

I lay there for a little bit, and finally fell asleep. Needing to get up at 6 the next day, I put my phone on the arm of the couch with the alarm clock set.

About 15 years ago, a friend of mine and I remodeled a vending room area. It used to be full of snack machines and microwaves lined up around 3 walls. We turned that area into a nifty conference room. Ronnie did the carpentry work, building a very nice U shaped workspace around an open area where the speaker would stand.

I'd not thought of this before until I came across some interesting lighting products. Using wireless lighting control indoors is almost second nature to me. I love the technology, to be honest. I can't remember the last time I touched a switch at home to turn lights on or off.

Okay … I haven't fully integrated the kitchen yet … but that's coming soon to a Maurer home near me. The lights I have in there aren't "smart" enough. And they cost me a good chunk of change, so I don't want to trash them.

It's kind of been a theme lately. Smart offices, smart buildings … and smart homes. Believe me, I'm all for it. It's not that I'm to lazy to turn off lights. It's just that, well, sometimes I forget.

Automation and voice control help overcome my forgetfulness.