Allan McHale

Allan P. McHale, CEng, MIMechE, MEI, MBIM, has a career spanning 40 years in the energy and building controls industry. In 1980, he formed Proplan to provide consultancy services in the marketing and business development of products for security, safety and environmental control in buildings. In 2008, the assets of Proplan were acquired, and McHale became a founder member of Memoori Business Intelligence Ltd, a Web-based intelligence service focused on intelligent controls in buildings.

For more details about the lighting controls industry, download Memoori's research report, Smart Buildings: The Lighting Controls Business 2013 to 2017.

Articles by Allan McHale

• Why 2014 is a good time to be in the lighting controls business

  Tuesday, January 28, 2014

  This is now the most exciting time for the lighting industry since the early 20th century. We are truly at an inflection point, and the forthcoming shakeout over the next five years will determine the winners and losers in the game — as well as who will be the lighting giants of the future. The impact of LED technology is providing vast opportunities to improve lighting products and controls and their efficiency. This has coincided with the mandated demand to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in buildings, thus creating this challenging opportunity.

• Smart buildings and smart cities will take center stage in 2014

  Friday, January 10, 2014

  Capital-intensive renewable power projects are now at a place where governments around the world are delaying their commitment to spend — at a time of economic austerity and fear of political suicide if they allow electricity charges to go up. In addition, the centralized structure of the electrical utility industry through which most of the renewable power will be traded is not the most appropriate and is not yet fully on board.