Intelligent Power Today Magazine

News and Trends

Counterfeiting Kills

Each year, the counterfeiting of well-known brands and products continues to rise, creating an even more threatening problem. Such well-known counterfeited brands, including consumer safety and critical electrical products, are estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) estimates that the counterfeiting of distinguished brands costs industries $600 billion each year worldwide and may result in as many as 750,000 lost jobs every year in the United States.

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Buyer's Guide

News & Trends

Featured

Advanced protection against electromagnetic exposures and electric arc

HAZARDS AROUND While working live in the energized grid, presence of voltage around the workers requires special attention. However, live-line (live working) techniques are widely applied for decades, several accidents in the past prove that the level of safety must be improved to minimize...

Introducing Intelligent Power Today

Welcome to Intelligent Power Today Magazine, our publication that explores and explains the who, what, where, when, why and how of intelligent electrical devices, a collection of complex mechanical devices and sophisticated control systems used in industrial, commercial, and institutional...

State of Industry

Illuminating Decisions: EPRI Lights the Way for Modern Lighting Adoption

Facility managers and operators understand the critical role lighting plays in their daily operations. Accounting for roughly 30% of a commercial building's energy load, lighting significantly impacts energy consumption and associated maintenance costs. However, focusing solely on the...

Building Automation Training

Energy Efficient Lighting Programs

Evaluating today’s certification programs

BY JACKI SWIERNIK, Intertek

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and its subsequent amendments established minimum efficiency standards for lighting products.

These minimum efficiency standards, as well as recently-proposed penalties (including product holds, recalls, and fines) that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have threatened to incur in the event of a manufacturer’s non-compliance (as publicized in the DOE’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, issued on March 26th, 2012) were discussed at length in Intertek’s August 2012 white paper entitled, “Understanding the DOE Announcement of Compliance and Enforcement: The Definitive Q&A Guide for Lighting Products”.

While the DOE’s mandatory energy efficiency standards and recently-heightened surveillance efforts are designed to ensure manufacturers’ compliance with minimum energy efficiency requirements, they do not account for all of the “green” lighting certification programs and...

Communications

Building a Breath of Fresh Air: BAS and Indoor Air Quality

Modern buildings prioritize energy efficiency and aesthetics, but sometimes at the expense of indoor air quality (IAQ). Poor IAQ can lead to respiratory problems, allergies, and decreased occupant comfort and productivity. Fortunately, Building Automation Systems (BAS) offer a powerful solution,...

Energy

Overcoming Integration Hurdles in BAS for Energy Management

Potential and Integration Challenges for Energy Optimization Building Automation Systems (BAS) hold immense promise for optimizing energy consumption in buildings. By intelligently controlling various systems, they can significantly reduce energy waste and improve overall efficiency. However, to...

HVAC

Legacy Systems: Strategies for Integrating Outdated HVAC Equipment into Modern BAS

Building automation offers powerful tools for streamlining HVAC operations, optimizing efficiency, and improving comfort. However, a significant challenge arises when dealing with legacy systems - older HVAC equipment from various generations that might lack the native compatibility necessary for...