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WHITE PAPER: Using Smart Technology to Control Building Energy Use

William Attardi on November 26, 2024

Have you asked if your facility is working as hard for you as it could? While staff training and workforce development are key to preparing your organization for decarbonization, so is optimizing building systems to work smarter, not harder. Smart building systems use sensors and monitors to collect real-time energy usage data that’s leveraged to achieve more efficient building operations. Whether installing occupancy sensors to switch lights off in areas of a building that aren’t in use or using heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controllers to fine-tune air flow and humidity in different zones, there are numerous ways to automate energy savings. Commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings may be eligible for New York State and utility incentives to support adoption of energy management systems, smart technologies, and other energy efficiency improvements. nyserda_cisponcon_article_august_facilityexecutive_smarttechnology_8.16.24-3.docx (live.com)

RESEARCH: U. S. Lighting Market Analysis Published

William Attardi on November 26, 2024

Research and Markets has published the 18thedition of its United States Lighting Fixtures Market report for 2024. The seven-chapter report states that while the market slowed to pre-COVID-19 levels in 2024, estimates show market expansion is expected for the next two calendar years due to an expected increase in construction of non-residential projects. The analysis covers topics such as basic data and trends, the U.S. market structure, demand determinants and insights into international trade. For example, the report indicates that China continues to be the largest lighting fixture import partner of the U.S. while imports from Canada, Cambodia, Mexico and Vietnam are also significant. Lighting brands such Acuity, LEDvance, Signify and Zumbotel along with many others are included in the analysis.  To find the full report, visit: www.researchandmarkets.com

The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.

When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:

  • Malleability:It could be hammered into elaborate, thin sheets.
  • Weight:Copper is lighter than stone or bronze, making it easier to ship 350 individual pieces across the Atlantic.
  • Durability:It was strong enough to survive a 27-day ocean voyage and the harsh winds of the harbor.

When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.

The Timeline of Change:

  1. 1886–1900:The bright copper dulled into a dark, muddy brown.
  2. 1903:The first hints of a light green crust, or “patina,” began to appear.
  3. 1906:The color change was so controversial that Congress nearly stepped in. They appropriated $62,000 to paint the statue back to its original color, but the public protested, calling the idea “sacrilege.”
  4. 1910–1920:The statue was a patchy mix of brown and green until 1920, when the oxidation was complete, leaving her entirely teal.

While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering.  By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.