The light emitted by portable electronic devices (PEDs), particularly when used at night, has drawn a great deal of interest among sleep researchers, healthcare professionals, and the media. Research shows that exposure to light at night (LAN) may be associated with poor sleep and may lead to diminished alertness and performance throughout the day. Exposure to LAN can also acutely suppress melatonin, a hormone produced at night and in darkness, which tells the body it is nighttime. The short-wavelength “blue” light emitted by electronics can be especially disruptive to melatonin production, and the proximity to the eye when PEDs are in use only aggravates the threat to getting a good night’s sleep.

At Smart Cities Week, Silver Spring Networks, Inc. and Power Over Energy unveiled the findings from their Smart Cities Consumer Research Study, conducted with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Advanced Grid Research. More than 500 U.S. consumers took part in the online study.Respondents were representative of the U.S. Census, ranging from ages 18 to 65+ (52% female, 48% male), and from all areas of the country including New England, Mid Atlantic, Mountain, Pacific, South East, and various areas of the central U.S. A majority of respondents (47%) lived in cities with populations of more than 100,000, 14% of which currently reside in major metropolitan areas of more than one million people.

Businesses around the world could realize savings of up to USD 1.5 trillion in reduced rental costs alone if their office buildings were refurbished to the most efficient standards of today, according to a new analysis from Philips Lighting.