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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

BriteSwitch: LED-to-LED Upgrades and Rebates

William Attardi on May 2, 2025

Early adopters who first transitioned from fluorescent and HID to LED lighting a decade ago are discovering that it’s time to replace their early-generation fixtures. Traditionally, rebate programs haven’t supported LED-to-LED upgrades, but that’s starting to change. As LED technology has evolved, both light quality and efficacy have significantly improved. One effective way to measure these advancements is by examining the Design Lights Consortium’s (DLC)technical requirements. Increased efficacy basically means that new LED fixtures have to use fewer watts to get the same light output, providing an opportunity to realize additional energy savings.  RebatePro makes it easy to sort through all the commercial lighting rebates in the US and Canada. LED-to-LED Upgrades and Rebates

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”