SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The significant accounting policies of our Company, which are summarized below, are consistent with U.S. GAAP and reflect practices appropriate to the business in which we operate.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods presented. Estimates include, but are not limited to, the establishment of reserves for accounts receivable, sales returns, inventory obsolescence and warranty claims; the useful lives for property, equipment, and intangible assets; and stock-based compensation. In addition, estimates and assumptions associated with the determination of the fair value of financial instruments and evaluation of long-lived assets for impairment requires considerable judgment. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified within the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes thereto, to be consistent with current year presentation.

Basis of presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and, until the 2013 disposition of our pool products business and the 2015 dispositions of its subsidiaries EFLS in Solon, Ohio, and CLL in the United Kingdom. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated. Therefore, the results of operations and financial position of EFLS, CLL, and the pool products business are included in the Consolidated Financial Statements as Discontinued operations and previously reported financial information for the current and prior years have been adjusted. Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements relates to our continuing operations.

Revenue recognition

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as amended by subsequently issued additional guidance (together, “ASC 606”) using the modified retrospective method. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations, as our revenue arrangements generally consist of a single performance obligation to transfer promised goods at a fixed price.

Net sales include revenues from sales of products and shipping and handling charges, net of estimates for product returns. Revenue is measured at the amount of consideration we expect to receive in exchange for the transferred products. We recognize revenue at the point in time when we transfer the promised products to the customer and the customer obtains control over the products. Distributors’ obligations to us are not contingent upon the resale of our products. We recognize revenue for shipping and handling charges at the time the goods are shipped to the customer, and the costs of outbound freight are included in cost of sales, as we have elected the practical expedient included in ASC 606. We provide for product returns based on historical return rates. While we incur costs for sales commissions to our sales employees and outside agents, we recognize commission costs concurrent with the related revenue, as the amortization period is less than one year and we have elected the practical expedient included in ASC 606. We do not incur any other incremental costs to obtain contracts with our customers. Our product warranties are assurance-type warranties, which promise the customer that the products are as specified in the contract. therefore, the product warranties are not a separate performance obligation and are accounted for as described below. Sales taxes assessed by governmental authorities are accounted for on a net basis and are excluded from net sales.

A disaggregation of product net sales is presented in Note 13, “Product and Geographic Information.”

Cash and cash equivalents

We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, we had $6.3 million and $10.8 million, respectively, in cash on deposit with financial institutions located in the United States. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, $0.3 million of the cash balance amount was designated as restricted cash and relates to a standby letter of credit agreement for the lease of our former New York, New York office. Please refer to Note 3, “Restructuring,” for additional information.

Inventories

We state inventories at the lower of standard cost (which approximates actual cost determined using the first-in-first-out method) or net realizable value. We establish provisions for excess and obsolete inventories after evaluation of historical sales, current economic trends, forecasted sales, product lifecycles, and current inventory levels. During 2017, we implemented a strategic sales initiative to sell certain excess inventory that had previously been written-down in conjunction with our excess inventory reserve analysis in prior years, as required by U.S. GAAP. This initiative resulted in a net reduction of our excess inventory reserves of $1.4 million in 2017. During 2018 and 2016, due to the introduction of new products and technological advancements, we charged $17 thousand and $3.3 million, respectively, to cost of sales from continuing operations for excess and obsolete inventories. Adjustments to our estimates, such as forecasted sales and expected product lifecycles, could harm our operating results and financial position. Please refer to Note 5, “Inventories,” for additional information.

Accounts receivable

Our trade accounts receivable consists of amounts billed to and currently due from customers. Our customers are concentrated in the United States. In the normal course of business, we extend unsecured credit to our customers related to the sale of our products. Credit is extended to customers based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition and the amounts due are stated at their estimated net realizable value. We evaluate and monitor the creditworthiness of each customer on a case-by-case basis. We maintain allowances for sales returns and doubtful accounts receivable to provide for the estimated amount of receivables that will not be collected. The allowance is based on an assessment of customer creditworthiness and historical payment experience, the age of outstanding receivables, and performance guarantees to the extent applicable. Past due amounts are written off when our internal collection efforts have been unsuccessful and payments subsequently received on such receivables are credited to the allowance for doubtful accounts. We do not generally require collateral from our customers.

Our standard payment terms with customers are net 30 days from the date of shipment, and we do not generally offer extended payment terms to our customers, but exceptions are made in some cases to major customers or with particular orders. Accordingly, we do not adjust trade accounts receivable for the effects of financing, as we expect the period between the transfer of product to the customer and the receipt of payment from the customer to be in line with our standard payment terms.

Income taxes

As part of the process of preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements, we are required to estimate our income tax liability in each of the jurisdictions in which we do business. This process involves estimating our actual current tax expense together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenues, for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. We then assess the likelihood that these deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent that we believe that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be recovered, or is unknown, we establish a valuation allowance.

Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, we had a full valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets in the United States due to uncertainties related to our ability to utilize our deferred tax assets, primarily consisting of certain net operating losses carried forward. The valuation allowance is based upon our estimates of taxable income by jurisdiction and the period over which our deferred tax assets will be recoverable.

At December 31, 2018, we had net operating loss carry-forwards of approximately $100.5 million for federal, state, and local income tax purposes. However, due to changes in our capital structure, approximately $46.0 million of this amount is available after the application of IRC Section 382 limitations. In 2019, we expect to have approximately $46.0 million of the net operating loss carry-forward available for use. If not utilized, $37.3 million of these carry-forwards will begin to expire in 2021 for federal purposes, and have begun to expire for state and local purposes. Please refer to Note 12, “Income Taxes,” for additional information.

Fair value measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or would be paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value of financial assets and liabilities are measured on a recurring or non-recurring basis. Financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis are those that are adjusted to fair value each time a financial statement is prepared. Financial assets and liabilities measured on a non-recurring basis are those that are adjusted to fair value when a significant event occurs.

We utilize valuation techniques that maximize the use of available market information and generally accepted valuation methodologies. We assess the inputs used to measure fair value using a three-tier hierarchy. The hierarchy indicates the extent to which pricing inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. Level 1 inputs include unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities and are the most observable. Level 2 inputs include unadjusted quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities that are either directly or indirectly observable, or other observable inputs such as interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity rates, and yield curves. Level 3 inputs are not observable in the market and include our own judgments about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The carrying amounts of certain financial instruments including cash and equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short maturities. Based on borrowing rates currently available to us for loans with similar terms, the carrying value of borrowings under our revolving credit facility also approximates fair value.

Long-lived assets

Property and equipment are stated at cost and include expenditures for additions and major improvements. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to operations as incurred. We use the straight-line method of depreciation over the estimated useful lives of the related assets (generally 2 to 15 years) for financial reporting purposes. Accelerated methods of depreciation are used for federal income tax purposes. When assets are sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Refer to Note 6, “Property and Equipment,” for additional information.

Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Events or circumstances that would result in an impairment review primarily include operations reporting losses, a significant change in the use of an asset, or the planned disposal or sale of the asset. The asset would be considered impaired when the future net undiscounted cash flows generated by the asset are less than its carrying value. An impairment loss would be recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value, as determined by quoted market prices (if available) or the present value of expected future cash flows. At December 31, 2016, we recorded an impairment loss of $0.9 million related to our surface mount technology equipment. Due to the specialized nature of this equipment we were not able to find a buyer for this equipment in 2017. As a result, we re-evaluated the carrying value of the equipment and software compared to its fair value and recorded an additional impairment loss of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2017. We completed the sale of this equipment in the first quarter of 2018. Refer to Note 6, “Property and Equipment,” for additional information.

Certain risks and concentrations

Historically our products were sold through a direct sales model, which included a combination of direct sales employees, electrical and lighting contractors, and distributors. The 2017 restructuring initiative included the transition to an agency driven sales channel strategy in order to expand our market presence throughout the U.S. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and generally do not require collateral. Although we maintain allowances for potential credit losses that we believe to be adequate, a payment default on a significant sale could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We have certain customers whose net sales individually represented 10 percent or more of our total net sales, or whose net trade accounts receivable balance individually represented 10 percent or more of our total net trade accounts receivable, as follows:

In 2018, one customer, a distributor to the U.S. Navy accounted for 41.9 percent, of net sales and total sales to distributors to the U.S. Navy represented 46.2 percent of net sales. In 2017, three customers accounted for 48.4 percent of net sales. In 2017, two commercial customers, a major northeastern Ohio hospital system and a large regional retrofit company located in Texas accounted for 18.3 percent, and 12.8 percent of net sales, respectively, while sales to a distributor to the U.S. Navy accounted for 17.3 percent of net sales. Total sales to distributors to the U.S. Navy represented 22.0 percent of net sales in 2017.

In 2016, two customers, a distributor to the U.S. Navy and a major Northeast Ohio hospital, accounted for 36.5 percent and 10.9 percent of our net sales, respectively. Including sales pursuant to an indefinite duration, indefinite quantity (“IDIQ”) supply contract we were awarded in 2011, total sales of products for the U.S. Navy accounted for 43.1 percent of net sales. This IDIQ contract expired on August 1, 2016.

At December 31, 2018, a distributor to the U.S. Navy accounted for 40.4 percent of our net trade accounts receivable. At December 31, 2017, two commercial customers, a major Northeast Ohio hospital system and a large regional retrofit company located in Texas, accounted for 21.0 percent and 17.4 percent of our net trade accounts receivable, respectively. In addition, a distributor to the U.S. Navy accounted for 39.0 percent of our net trade accounts receivable at December 31, 2017.

We require substantial amounts of purchased materials from selected vendors. With specific materials, all of our purchases are from a single vendor. Substantially all of the materials we require are in adequate supply. However, the availability and costs of materials may be subject to change due to, among other things, new laws or regulations, suppliers’ allocation to other purchasers, interruptions in production by suppliers, and changes in exchange rates and worldwide price and demand levels. Our inability to obtain adequate supplies of materials for our products at favorable prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, or results of operations by decreasing our profit margins and by hindering our ability to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis.

Product development

Product development expenses include salaries, contractor and consulting fees, supplies and materials, as well as costs related to other overhead items such as depreciation and facilities costs. Research and development costs are expensed as they are incurred.

Net loss per share

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period, excluding the effects of any potentially dilutive securities. Diluted loss per share gives effect to all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental shares upon exercise of stock options and warrants, unless the effect would be anti-dilutive.

The following table presents a reconciliation of basic and diluted loss per share computations (in thousands, except per share amounts):



	For the year ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Numerator:
Loss from continuing operations	$	(9,111	)	$	(11,267	)	$	(16,875	)
Loss from discontinued operations	—			—			(12		)
Net loss	$	(9,111	)	$	(11,267	)	$	(16,887	)

Denominator:
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding	11,997			11,806			11,673
Potential common shares from options and warrants	—			—			—
Diluted weighted average shares	11,997			11,806			11,673

As a result of the net loss we incurred for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, options, warrants and convertible securities representing approximately 59,180, 60,434, and 139,595 shares of common stock were excluded from the loss per share calculation, respectively, because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.

Stock-based compensation

We recognize compensation expense based on the estimated grant date fair value under the authoritative guidance. Management applies the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value stock options issued to employees and directors, and applies judgment in estimating key assumptions that are important elements of the model in expense recognition. These elements include the expected life of the option, the expected stock-price volatility, and expected forfeiture rates. Compensation expense is generally amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. See Note 11, “Stockholders’ Equity,” for additional information. Common stock, stock options, and warrants issued to non-employees that are not part of an equity offering are accounted for under the applicable guidance under ASC 505-50, “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees,” and are generally re-measured at each reporting date until the awards vest.

Foreign currency translation

Our product development center in Taiwan uses local currency as its functional currency. Included within “Accumulated other comprehensive income” within the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity is the effect of foreign currency translation related to our Taiwan operations.

Advertising expenses

Advertising expenses are charged to operations in the period incurred. They consist of costs for the placement of our advertisements in various media and the costs of demos provided to potential distributors of our products. Advertising expenses from continuing operations were $0.3 million, $0.5 million, and $1.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

Shipping and handling costs

We include shipping and handling revenues in net sales, and shipping and handling costs in cost of sales.

Product warranties

We warrant finished goods against defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service for periods generally between one and ten years. Settlement costs consist of actual amounts expensed for warranty coverage, which are largely a result of the cost of replacement products. A liability for the estimated future costs under product warranties is maintained for products outstanding under warranty and is included in “Accrued liabilities” in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The warranty activity for the respective years is as follows (in thousands):



	At December 31,
	2018			2017

Balance at the beginning of the year	$	174		$	331
Accruals for warranties issued	51			196
Adjustments to existing warranties	103			(87		)
Settlements made during the year (in kind)	(70		)	(266		)
Accrued warranty expense	$	258		$	174

Recent accounting standards and pronouncements

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles--Goodwill and Other--Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract, which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs in a cloud computing service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred for an internal-use software license. This standard will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which significantly changes the accounting for credit losses on instruments within its scope. The new guidance introduces an approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain financial instruments, including trade receivables, and requires an entity to recognize an allowance based on its estimate of expected credit losses rather than incurred losses. This standard will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and will generally require adoption on a modified retrospective basis. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of the standard.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, which supersedes the current lease accounting requirements. This standard requires a lessee to record on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. In addition, this standard requires lessees to disclose certain key information about lease transactions. Upon implementation, an entity’s lease payment obligations will be recognized at their estimated present value along with a corresponding right-of-use asset. Lease expense recognition will be generally consistent with current practice. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, which simplifies adoption of the new lease accounting requirements by allowing an additional transition method that will not require restatement of prior periods and providing a new practical expedient for lessors to avoid separating lease and non-lease components within a contract if certain requirements are met. The provisions of this guidance must be elected upon adoption of the new lease accounting requirements, which will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018.

We will adopt the standard as required on January 1, 2019 and use that date as our date of initial application of the guidance. Consequently, we will not update previously reported financial information and the disclosures under the new standard will not be provided for dates and periods prior to January 1, 2019. We will elect all of the practical expedients available under the transition guidance. The new standard also provides practical expedients for ongoing accounting. We will elect the short-term lease recognition exemption for all leases that qualify. This means we will not recognize right of use assets or lease liabilities for those leases. We will also elect the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of our leases.

We expect that this standard will have a material impact on our financial statements. While we continue to assess all of the effects of adoption, we currently believe the most significant effects relate to the recognition of new right of use assets and lease liabilities on our balance sheet for our real estate and equipment operating leases, and the significant new required disclosures regarding our leasing activities. We do not expect a significant change in our leasing activities between now and adoption.

On adoption, we expect to recognize additional operating lease liabilities of approximately $2.2 million, with corresponding right of use assets for the same amount based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments under current leasing standards for existing operating leases.