October 12, 2024
5 Things to Know: October 12
Over 1,000 lighting people party in Chicago. Plus, will we eventually stop the recurring cycle of throwing entire LED fixtures in the dumpster?
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. KSA’s House of Blues Event Draws Over 1,000 Lighting People
Over 1,000 lighting professionals gathered at the House of Blues in Chicago for KSA Lighting & Controls’ highly anticipated post-pandemic return of their iconic event. Billed as “The Light Show that Started it All,” the event highlighted KSA’s appreciation for their long-time loyal customers. Attendees explored over 50 manufacturers exhibiting the latest innovations in lighting and controls, offering a chance to see cutting-edge products and technology firsthand.
KSA principals Jim Maucieri and Keith Wittenbrink briefly addressed the crowd, expressing their gratitude and celebrating the Chicago lighting community. The lively Thursday afternoon trade show transitioned into an energetic evening stage performance by Maggie Speaks, whose rotating cast of lead singers and 12-person ensemble kept the crowd bouncing with back-to-back feel-good hits.
Above (L to R): KSA principals, Jim Maucieri and Keith Wittenbrink with Inside Lighting's Al Uszynski
Throughout the event, KSA staff, including other agency leaders Joe Lloyd and Teresa Race, mingled with guests, ensuring everyone felt welcomed and appreciated. The combination of vibrant industry networking, product showcases and live entertainment made the House of Blues event a standout occasion, reaffirming KSA Lighting & Controls' appreciation of its community and clients.
Special thanks to the KSA person who suggested including a Liquid I.V. packet in the party favor bags. It was much appreciated by this lighting person on Friday morning.
2 . B-K Lighting Loses Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit
B-K Lighting has lost its motion to dismiss a 2023 lawsuit brought by a former employee and participant in the company's Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The court rejected efforts by B-K Lighting and associated defendants, including the Hagen family, to dismiss claims of fiduciary breaches related to an allegedly overvalued ESOP transaction. The suit claims the ESOP paid an inflated price for company stock in 2017, saddling it with excessive debt while the Hagen family retained control.
The lawsuit also highlights concerns over financial mismanagement, pointing to questionable transactions such as a $2 million consulting agreement for founder Douglas Hagen, a $5 million insurance payout, and the alleged misuse of a company-leased jet. Despite B-K Lighting’s argument that the case lacked sufficient grounds, the court ruled that most of the claims were worthy of further investigation.
3. New Video Breaks Down Purple Streetlight Issue
A recent video from scientist and consultant, Peter Palomaki, tackles the issue of purple and blue streetlights, a phenomenon seen on various roadways in parts of the U.S. and Canada. Following a teardown research months ago by a team led by Dr. J. Lynn Davis, which was reported by Inside Lighting in May and also presented by Davis at the recent Street & Area Lighting Conference in Atlanta, Palomaki’s video explores why the lights are failing and proposes a fix.
The issue stems from the delamination of the phosphor layer on LEDs, causing them to emit blue light instead of white. Palomaki and Matthew Bertram sourced two streetlights from Phoenix — one faulty and one new — to analyze the problem and test a possible solution.
Notably, the video shows an LED module branded with the logo of the now-defunct Universal Lighting Technologies (ULT), which supplied at least one major lighting manufacturer with streetlight modules years ago.
In the video, which has generated over 80,000 YouTube views in its first week, Palomaki demonstrates how applying a layer of phosphor powder and UV-curable ink to the exterior lenses of a broken streetlight restores white light output. This fix enhances illuminance and color rendering, improving both roadway visibility and safety. This solution may work technically, but could be perceived as unfeasible by private owners, communities, Departments of Transportation, and utilities that maintain these fixtures.
4. Chile Takes Strong Outdoor Lighting Stance
Chile's Ministry of the Environment (MMA) is revising its Supreme Decree DS043 to expand sky protection efforts beyond the northern regions of Chile, addressing light pollution on a national level.
The revised standard will introduce Special Protection Zones, covering astronomical areas, biodiversity protection areas, and species reproduction zones. Key updates include stricter limits on blue light emissions in outdoor lighting, aiming to reduce the environmental impact and safeguard public health. Specific requirements target the reduction of blue light to 7% nationally and 1% in Special Protection Zones, while new compliance timelines have also been established for new and existing lighting sources.
Source: Oficina de Protección de la Calidad del Cielo del Norte de Chile
The revised lighting criteria aim to mitigate the growing problem of light pollution, which threatens both the quality of Chile's night skies and local ecosystems. Special attention will be given to sports venues, which will now be subject to different blue light limits depending on their classification, and illuminated signs, which must now turn off by midnight. Full compliance will be enforced two years after the decree's entry into force, with extended timelines for existing sources in biodiversity and astronomical protection areas.
5. Product Disassembly & Recyclability
Unlike the fluorescent light fixtures of past decades, where only the lamps were discarded, today’s LED fixtures are often thrown in the dumpster at the end of life and replaced by entirely new fixtures.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new initiative, Circularity for Secure and Sustainable Products and Materials: A Draft Strategic Framework, seeks to address such wastefulness by encouraging circularity in product design and manufacturing across a broad spectrum of industries. A key component of this strategy is designing for disassembly and recyclability: "Designing materials to eliminate problematic contaminants and/or facilitate recycling" and "designing for disassembly to reduce complexity and contamination that can hinder repair, remanufacturing, and recycling."
The DOE's circularity initiative also focuses on removing technical barriers to ensure longer product life spans. For lighting controls, this could mean allowing continued functionality through software updates rather than hardware replacement. The report emphasizes the importance of "ensuring access to software and controls systems for product use life extension," which could prevent unnecessary replacements of lighting systems, particularly when only minor updates are required.
By adopting these principles, the DOE initiative hopes to transform the lifecycle of lighting products, reducing waste and increasing sustainability. Reusing products and designing for easy disassembly can enable longer-lasting solutions, positioning the lighting industry for a more circular and environmentally friendly future.
