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NEMA Launches New Digital Storefront

William Attardi on April 3, 2026

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced the launch of the NEMA Standards & Publications Store, a new NEMA-owned and operated digital storefront that serves as the authoritative source for NEMA technical standards and related publications. The launch represents a significant step forward in NEMA’s commitment to making its industry-leading standards more accessible to the product designers and engineers, manufacturers, electricians, procurement officers, and other end users who depend on them. The new store offers a more seamless experience for discovering, accessing, and purchasing NEMA’s full retail catalog – encompassing more than 800 standards, technical documents, and guidance materials – while also connecting users to other NEMA programs such as the Make It American™ program and NEMA Academy. NEMA Launches New Digital Storefront – tEDmag

Seeking Standardization: Open Systems Are Becoming More Relevant by Craig DiLouie

William Attardi on March 13, 2026

As lighting systems evolve from simple illumination devices into connected infrastructure, the industry is placing more emphasis on open, interoperable standards. While many control platforms still rely on proprietary hardware and software, open standards are becoming increasingly relevant. A significant player in standards is Zhaga-D4i (zD4i). It combines a standardized plug-in interface for sensors and communication modules with a common digital language for data exchange. For electrical contractors, this framework can simplify installation, improve upgradability and create new opportunities for offering connected lighting solutions. To address this, Zhaga introduced Book 18 in 2018. Now in its fourth edition (released in 2025), Book 18 defines how a smart node physically attaches to an outdoor LED luminaire, receives power and exchanges digital information with the driver. In effect, Book 18 serves as the socket standard for modern connected outdoor lighting. Around the same time, the DALI Alliance expanded its DALI-2 standard to better support internet of things (IoT) and luminaire-level control. With Zhaga’s Book 18 managing the physical and electrical interface and the DALI Alliance’s D4i managing the digital handshake, the two organizations partnered to create the zD4i product certification. Seeking Standardization: Open systems are becoming more relevant | Craig DiLouie – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Decoding California’s Title 24, Part 6

William Attardi on August 26, 2025

Commercial building energy codes regulate the design of nonresidential buildings to minimize energy consumption. While the majority of U.S. states adopt model codes and standards, the State of California developed its own code: Title 24, Part 6 of the state’s Building Standards Code. The latest version was released in 2025 and will take effect January 1, 2026. Title 24, Part 6 covers residential, nonresidential, high-rise residential, and hotel/motel buildings. Title 24, Part 6 contains robust, detailed lighting and control requirements. It requires a broad range of controls to ensure general lighting is turned Off or reduced when not needed.  .  For lighting, a number of changes have been made, mostly adjustments and clarifications. Decoding California’s Title 24, Part 6

It’s Back to School – How Some of Our Most Acknowledged Universities Got Their Name – Who were the true visionaries who would donate half of their estate to sculpting the minds of the future. These stories are monuments to history and culture. Let’s take a stroll through academia’s memory lane and uncover the origins of these storied university names!

  1. Ah, Harvard! The Ivy League giant was once a small college in the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement called New Towne. But where did “Harvard” come from? Enter John Harvard, a clergyman who, in 1638, decided to bequeath half his estate and his library (a whopping 400 books!) to the fledgling college. Grateful for this generous gift, they promptly named the institution after him.
  2. A gem of New Haven, Connecticut, Yale is another Ivy League powerhouse known for its prestigious law and drama schools. It owes its name to Elihu Yale, a wealthy merchant who, in 1718, donated a modest shipment of goods (including portraits, books, and textiles) to a struggling collegiate school. Those goods were auctioned off, raising a much-needed £562 –a small fortune at the time.
  3. Dartmouth is renowned for its beautiful rural setting, nestled in the picturesque town of Hanover, New Hampshire. It was named after the Earl of Dartmouth, William Legge, a British nobleman who supported the college’s founding –despite never actually setting foot in America!
  4. Brown, this Rhode Island Ivy University, known for its open curriculum and emphasis on student choice, was founded with a mouthful of a name – the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It was renamed in 1704 for Nicholas Brown, Jr., a prominent merchant whose family donated generously to the school.
  5. Perched atop a hill overlooking Ithaca, New York, Cornell is celebrated for its diverse academic programs and its stunning natural surroundings. Founded by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, this university was unique for its commitment to practical education, allowing students the freedom to choose their own course of study. It was a revolutionary notion at the time, which would guide a curricular reform across the country.
  6. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and its close ties to the tech industry. But this California powerhouse has a touching origin story. Leland Stanford, Jr., the founder’s son, tragically died young from typhoid fever. His father Leland Sr., railroad magnate and former state governor, and his mother Jane, founded the university in his memory, ensuring his legacy lived on through the pursuit of knowledge.
  7. This North Carolina research giant, known for its strong medical and law schools, underwent a bit of a name change in its history. Originally called Trinity College, it was renamed Duke University in 1924 after James Buchanan Duke, a tobacco and electric power industrialist who founded the American Tobacco Company. He established The Duke Endowment, to which he donated throughout his life and left half his estate after his death.
  8. Nestled in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt is a renowned research university with a vibrant campus life. It owes its name to “The Commodore,” Cornelius Vanderbilt, a shipping and railroad magnate, who provided the initial gift to establish the university.
  9. Texas businessman William Marsh Rice provided the initial funding for this Houston university, but did not live to see its opening. He was murdered by his valet as he slept, in a plot to forge the man’s will. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Rice University flourished through the years, becoming an institution known for its strong engineering and science programs.
  10. Who was Harvard named after? Origin of university names