July 2, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
Is manufacturing dying in America? It's a topic that seems to come up every four years -- timed, of course, to coincide with the presential election cycle. Washington-based international trade attorney Gibert Kaplan explored the question in a recent WaPo column,...
June 26, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
We know we're making progress on the energy efficiency front when our products start appearing as adorable mascots. Take a gander at how the the 21st Civil Engineer Squadron is promoting energy efficiency at Peterson Air Force Base. Is...
June 25, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
First we had NEMA Premium Motors -- electric motors that meet energy efficient specs that the Energy Department has embraced. Then we had NEMA Premium electronic ballasts for high efficiency lighting. And now we have NEMA Premium Efficiency Transformers. That's because last week at its...
June 11, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
Give the Energy Department some credit. Its recent public challenge, the L Prize, should help raise public awareness about the importance of energy-efficient lighting in our society. The competition, officially called the "Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize," encourages NEMA's lighting manufacturers to develop high-quality, high-efficiency solid-state lighting...
June 6, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
I was at the gym this morning, peddling my stationary bike, when one of the friendly (and talkative) senior citizens walked over to me. Warren, in his mid-80s, with a gregarious and eternally sunny disposition, stood before me and put a...
May 28, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
Hurricane season in the Atlantic starts this coming Sunday -- a span of year that often proves as busy for electric utilities (and electrical equipment) as it does for weathermen. Government forecasters are predicting a more active-than-usual hurricane season, with...
May 21, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
"Depending on people to make a hard choice every day -- don't turn on the lights so much -- is a less-promising solution than getting people to make a hard choice once, [for example, paying more for a high-efficiency bulb]...
May 14, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
At some point in his career Isaac Newton must have worked in politics. Surely that's how he derived his Third Law of Motion, "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." In Washington it works this way: As soon as...
May 7, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
Last week in honor of "National Electrical Safety Month" I posted an article on arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) and the political challenges these electrical safety devices are facing from homebuilders in midwestern states. The good news is that AFCIs are just one...
May 7, 2008
Written by: Stephen Gold
Time magazine's "World's Most Influential People" edition is out on the newsstands now. While I recognize that these lists are incredibly arbitrary, built thoroughly on the foundation of whatever biases the publisher has, like everyone else I'm compelled to read them....
