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Wanted: Energy Savings: 2026 Lighting Rebate Outlook by Craig DiLouie

William Attardi on May 15, 2026

The commercial lighting rebate outlook for 2026 remains strong, with rebates available in about 75% of the United States and covering all popular LED and lighting control categories. About 7% of rebate programs started the year with bonuses already in place, according to rebate fulfillment firm BriteSwitch, Kingston, N.J., but many are taking a more strategic approach by aggressively promoting LED options most likely to produce high energy savings. Average rebates for LED products rose 17%, with larger increases—exceeding 30%—for products replacing HID luminaires. Meanwhile, the number of rebate programs incentivizing LED-to-LED upgrades increased by 22%. While still accounting for less than 10% of the total number of rebate programs, this is a trend worth watching. In 2026, 6% of programs shifted from basing incentives on a per-unit-installed basis to other metrics such as power or energy savings. This combines the flexibility and innovation of custom rebates with the relatively straightforward prescriptive rebates, promoting thoughtful design and product selection that maximize energy savings. Wanted: Energy Savings: 2026 lighting rebate outlook | Craig DiLouie – Electrical Contractor Magazine

The US Sets Record Energy Production in 2025

William Attardi on May 14, 2026

Total energy production in the United States increased to a new record of 107 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) in 2025, a 3.4% increase from the previous record set in 2024, according to new data in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Monthly Energy Review. Total production was driven by record-high production in natural gas, crude oil, natural gas plant liquids (NGPLs), and renewables. This was the fourth consecutive year in which the United States set a record for total energy production. Coal accounted for 10% of domestic energy production in 2025. The US Sets Record Energy Production in 2025 – tEDmag

ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds 19K Jobs in April

William Attardi on May 11, 2026

The construction industry added 9,000 jobs on net in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 50,000 jobs, an increase of 0.6%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,000 positions, with gains in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty traded added the most jobs, increasing by 12,600 positions. Nonresidential building and heavy and civil engineering added 5,600 and 800 jobs, respectively, in April. The construction unemployment rate was 3.8% in April. Unemployment across all industries remained unchanged at 4.3% and is 0.1 percentage point higher than it was a year ago.  ABC: Nonresidential Construction Adds 19K Jobs in April

EPIC | Electrical Power Innovations Conference, October 13-15, Dallas

William Attardi on May 11, 2026

EPIC will bring together organizations and professionals engaged in exploring future trends that will shape the power industry over the next 5, 10, and 20 years, with an eye on improving power resiliency and safety. Twenty of the industry’s top experts will deliver presentations on emerging technologies, smart grid modernizations, and electrical power service futures. Subject matter experts and conference attendees will collaborate on strategies and pathways for advancing the electrical power systems industry. Home – EPIC26 Conference

EPIC26 – Electrical Power Innovations Conference | Register Now

SpaceX Wants to Blast Data Centers Into Orbit. Here’s What It May Take by Claire Hogan

William Attardi on May 5, 2026

Earlier this year, SpaceX filed an application with the FCC petitioning to launch up to a million satellites as part of an “orbital data center.” It has also become a big part of Elon Musk’spitch to investors ahead of his massive SpaceX IPO. We asked an engineer to break down the biggest technical hurdles and costly barriers to putting data centers in space. Watch the video to see what it would actually take to make it work.  SpaceX Wants to Blast Data Centers Into Orbit. Here’s What It May Take. – WSJ

Canada-U.S. Oil Pipeline Close to Reaching Commitment Requirement

William Attardi on May 5, 2026

The Alberta-to-Wyoming pipeline, proposed by Canadian ‌pipeline company South Bow Corp and its U.S. partner Bridger Pipeline, could increase Canada’s crude exports to the U.S. by more than 12 per cent if it goes ahead, bringing much-needed pipeline takeaway capacity to Canada. While the new proposal takes ​a different route through the U.S. than the canceled Keystone XL, South Bow’s portion would revive about 150 km (93 miles) on the Canadian side that has already been built and ​is sitting idle. That pipe would then connect to Bridger’s proposed pipeline in Montana and extend about 645 miles to Guernsey, Wyoming. Canada-U.S. oil pipeline close to reaching requirement

Amazon Opens Third-Party Logistics to Any Company

William Attardi on May 4, 2026

Today, Amazon is announcing Amazon Supply Chain Services(ASCS), opening its full portfolio of freight, distribution, fulfillment, and parcel shipping capabilities to businesses of all types and sizes, not only Amazon sellers. With this launch, Amazon is expanding its third-party logistics capacity to support businesses in industries such as healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, and retail. Starting today, businesses can access a centralized console to discover, select, and sign up for the various ASCS solutions.  Business News Today – tEDmag

April 2026 ISM®Manufacturing PMI® Report

William Attardi on May 4, 2026

The report was issued today by Susan Spence, MBA, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April for the fourth consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report. “The Manufacturing PMI® registered 52.7% in April, the same reading as March. The overall economy continued in expansion for the 18th month in a row. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 47.5%, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The Employment Index registered 46.4%, down 2.3 percentage points from March’s figure of 48.7%,” says Spence.  April

DALI Alliance to Host Third Annual DALI North America Summit in Dallas

William Attardi on May 2, 2026

The DALI Alliance announces that its 3rd Annual DALI North America Summit will take place September 16 and 17 in Dallas, Texas, alongside ArchLIGHT Summit, the commercial and architectural lighting event held September 15 and 16 at Dallas Market Center. The DALI Summit brings together lighting designers, manufacturers, integrators, and technology providers to explore the latest developments in standardized lighting control and smart building integration. The event continues to grow as a key forum for advancing interoperability, data-driven lighting, and the role of lighting within connected building systems.  DALI Alliance to Host 3rd Annual DALI North America Summit in Dallas | EC&M

LiFi Technology Update

William Attardi on May 1, 2026

PureLiFi & Askey are working together to extend the capabilities of wireless power transmission that uses light generated by LED lighting systems. PureLiFi, Edinbugh, United Kingdom, a large provider of LiFi technology, announced a landmark partnership with Askey, a manufacturer of advanced network communications equipment, for the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market. Askey will pioneer the demonstration of a fully integrated “all-in-one” solution that combines a high-performance 5G modem and pureLiFi’s proprietary through-window bridging technology in a streamlined self-installable solution. Developer are working on extending the range of LiFi systems, which is currently  relatively limited. Signify is also working with LiFi through its trulifi system. Several media reports said that LiFi has the capacity to be 100 faster the conventional WiFi. LiFi Technology Update | Electrical Wholesaling

That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind – The last time human beings headed moonward was on the Apollo 17 flight that launched Dec. 7, 1972—before any of the Artemis II crew members were born. Today’s crew will not land on the moon—they won’t even orbit the moon. But they will whip around the lunar far side, on a shakedown mission test-flying the Orion spacecraft. This is essential preparatory work for achieving NASA’s bigger lunar goals. Next year there will be another test flight in low Earth orbit during the flight of Artemis III, followed by up to two moon landings by Artemis IV and V in 2028, and annual landings thereafter. Unlike the Apollo program, Artemis aims not just for the so-called flags-and-footprints model of short, one- to three-day stays on the moon, but for a long-term presence at a long-term moon base in the south lunar pole, where deposits of ice can provide drinkable water, breathable oxygen, and oxygen-hydrogen rocket fuel. Very much like the Apollo program, Artemis finds itself in a closely watched moon race, not with the old Soviet Union this time, but with China, which has announced its intention to have astronauts on the moon by 2030. The U.S. is not going it alone this time, however. While Apollo was an entirely American enterprise, Artemis flies under the flag of 60 countries, signatories to the Artemis Accords, an international pact whose members vow to support the peaceful exploration of space and contribute money, modules, and astronauts to the Artemis cause. Artemis II Has Launched. Here’s Everything You Need to Know