With energy costs on the rise, the word on the tips of the tongues of manufacturers is how to conserve energy and spend less. It’s time to get rid of those inefficient, dim fluorescent high-bay lights and install LED lighting. Martisa, a Spanish manufacturing company in Barcelona that produces metal parts for automobiles, was having problems with its 400-watt high-pressure sodium lamps throughout its facility earlier this year. The color rendering of the lamps was so poor that employees were unable to see the true colors of items in the facility. Also, if there was a power outage, the lights would take at least 10 minutes to come back on. Martisa also spend a considerable amount of money on maintaining the lights, between buying new lamps all the time and renting the platform to get to the lights.
To solve these problems, Martisa installed 150-watt Durosite LED high-bay lights throughout the facility, reducing its energy consumption from lighting by 69%. The facility no longer has to wait for the lights to come on after a power outage because LEDs turn on full power as soon as you hit the switch. The lighting no longer flickers or dims, and the improved color rendering allows employees to see true colors. With a 60,000-hour lifetime and 5 year warranty on the new lamps, Martisa can focus less on their electricity and maintenance costs and more on their products.
Next time you see an apartment complex, take note of how many lighting fixtures you see. There are, of course, lights inside the apartment, but there are lights outside of the apartment doors, on the building, lighting up paths around the perimeter, staircases, exit signs, parking garages or lots, gyms and laundry facilities, and so much more. That is a lot of electricity being used by just one apartment complex, and there are millions of them around the world! Lowering energy consumption is as easy as installing LED lighting in and around apartments. LEDs are more efficient than traditional fixtures and the vivid white light will help your customers navigate the area better and make them feel safer at night. 
The new Digital Lumens Intelligent lighting consumes only 160 watts and only costs 3.5 cents per square foot per year, a decrease of 93% in energy costs! Also, with the new lighting, the warehouse was able to get rid of the chiller-load associated with the metal halide lighting and eliminated their lamp replacement and maintenance budget. USCS’s payback period for this project was just 14.6 months.
The results of the Department of Energy’s second Gateway study say that 
