Jeff Gavin

Self-generated power is an old idea gaining new currency. Thanks to an aging grid, a quest for different power solutions and the march of technology, time has caught up to the microgrid. It’s a market on the rise. “The...

It’s a new year, but will it be different from last year? From 2012–2015, the wind was to our backs, and we made great strides. Total construction starts (breaking ground) grew between 11–14 percent. In 2016–2017, we...

Wireless home automation may seem like it snuck up on us, yet the smart home market has been around for four decades. What’s changed is the rapid success of voice assistants, the internet of things, technologically confident...

Lighting controls have elevated energy efficiency. Dynamic white lighting control is something different. Also known as tunable white lighting, it has the capacity to fine-tune LED light to better sync with our biological...

Wind power is now well-established and enjoying impressive growth. Federal assistance disappears after 2019 (for the most part), so the growth may slow, but for how long is debatable if wind-power electric rates remain...

It seems likely that designing a building digitally will become standard practice; the question is when. Certainly, contractors of all sizes have digitally designed to one degree or another, but building information modeling...

The City of Chicago has earned some bragging rights. By the end of 2017, its crane count stood at 60, bested only by Seattle. As Mayor Rahm Emanuel posted on Twitter: “Chicago’s 60th crane marks a 5x increase from 2010, when...

Sports and sustainability have teamed up. Not only are professional sports venues, campus athletic buildings and community recreation centers built with cost savings in mind and achieved through clean energy, energy...

Everything can evolve, even the humble parking garage. Today, pioneering garages are accommodating electric cars, using wireless power and operating sustainably. Parking structures in the 21st century could soon be a link...

We are in the second longest expansion of the U.S. economy (eight years and 11 months). Strong fundamentals continue to fuel growth as “slow and steady” wins the day. However, recessions are part of every economic cycle. So,...

When safety is second nature for electrical contractors, they are stronger and better construction team members. However, making safety a core company value takes more than good management; it takes leaders. If your crew...

Passive house (PH) building design is challenging, meticulous and energy-focused. It began as a niche approach to deliver serious energy efficiency for single-family construction. Now gaining traction across the United States...