Embracing Energy-Efficient and Economical Solutions to University Lighting

Universities across the country are homes to millions of students, many of which can be found “burning the midnight oil” while studying for exams on campus. One way or another, proper university lighting is essential. Now, more than ever, colleges are finding ways to make their lighting energy-efficient and economical.

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interior Lighting Campaign, winning awards in the categories Best Use of Lighting Controls in a Single Building as well as Exemplary Higher Education Sector Site. By switching the lighting in the Student and Academic Service’s Building to LED technology, NAU has significantly cut unnecessary energy usage, saving both energy and expenses.

Meanwhile, Boston University has been going across campus and replacing its usual metal halide bulbs, which have been prominent in its outdoor lighting, with LED bulbs. Over fourteen different lighting retrofitting projects have been completed at Boston University since 2008, when the sustainability initiative began. In the new Center for Student Services alone, the implementation of LED lighting has decreased energy consumption by fifty-three percent.

Tufts University has embraced both LED lighting and motion sensors. The first college to sign the EPA Green Lights pledge (an agreement to improve the lighting in ninety percent of their floor space), Tufts has achieved this and more. By investing in LED lighting and motion sensors to shut lights off in empty spaces, the university has saved approximately $91,930 and 876,024 in kilowatt-hours.

By embracing sustainable forms of university lighting, colleges can become more energy-efficient and save expenses.

Improve the Mood of Your Hospital by Upgrading the Lighting

You can improve the mood and health of the patients and staff in you hospital by upgrading the lighting. Hospital lighting has a great effect on anyone who spends a lot of time in the hospital. Below you will find five benefits to upgrading your lighting.

1. Increased productivity: with brighter lighting, employees will feel better, and produce higher quality work.

2. Better sleep for your patience: everyone needs a certain amount of light for their body to function well. If the light is lacking, people have trouble sleeping.

3. Improved mood: increased lighting can boost the moods of your patients and staff. Low lighting produces fatigue and total mood disturbance.

4. Quicker healing: when your patients are exposed to brighter lights, it reduces the time that it takes for their body to heal.

5. Improved moral: when the hospital is lit properly, everyone is functioning at their best. This helps to improve the mood of everyone that spends any time at the hospital.

The above reasons to upgrade your lighting are just a few. With better lighting in your hospital, everyone will feel the difference and be happier. The best source of light is the sun, but for the patients that have to be in the hospital, the brighter lighting will be better for them than the traditional low lighting of a hospital.

Want to Improve Your Grocery Store’s Lighting? 3 Reasons Why LED Lighting Fits the Bill

A grocery store is not just a building with aisles full of food. It can contain quite a few departments including meat, deli, seafood, bakery, produce, and sometimes a pharmacy. Then you have the front desk, break room, warehouse, refrigerator, freezer, loading dock, and general storage room. Switching to LED is one of the smartest things that you can do when you want to upgrade the lighting as a whole.

Light Is Always Needed

Every one of these departments or areas require lighting for efficient operation. This means you will need to have the lights on in most of the grocery store at all times. Since LED lighting is so efficient, you should be able to see a noticeable difference in your energy costs when changing all of the lights over to LED.

Brightness Is Key

An often overlooked advantage of LED lighting is the fact that it takes no time to reach complete brightness. This means that as soon as an employee walks into a room and turns the light on, they can start working. While this may only save a few seconds, over time it can amount to hours or even days. Also, it is easier for your employees to be safe when they have full illumination for handling tasks.

Spend Less on Cooling

It is important for a grocery store to be kept at a cool temperature at all times. This is especially true in the deli and meat department, as well as the refrigerator and freezer storage rooms. LED lights do not produce heat, so you do not have to worry about combating with lights that heat up these areas. Ultimately, this upgrade to better lighting will also provide you with lower cooling costs.

Six Advantages of LED Lighting over Fluorescent Bulbs

Incandescent lights produce so much heat, they can burn your skin when touched. They were even used to heat toy ovens sold in the 1960s. That they’re energy inefficient is beyond dispute. On the other hand, fluorescent lights are considered an energy-efficient alternative to incandescent lights. But how do they stack up against LED lighting? Here are six comparisons:

  • Fluorescent bulbs emit omnidirectional light while that of LEDs is directional. Fluorescent bulbs radiate light 360 degrees around the tube’s circumference. Only a small percentage of this light is directed to the area directly below (such as at a desk in an office). The rest radiates in less useful directions unless the bulbs are installed inside reflectors, which still scatter some of the light. On the other hand, LED lights are directional in that most of their light radiates in a 110 degree arc. They don’t require the bulky reflectors of fluorescent tubes.
  • LED lighting is more energy-efficient than fluorescent bulbs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a 12 watt LED light puts out the same lighting as a 15 watt fluorescent light. In other words, LEDs use 20% less power.
  • Fluorescent bulbs emit UV light. Fluorescent bulbs emit some UV light, which is hard on the eyes and causes color fading in fabrics. This is wasted energy. LED lighting does not emit UV light. In fact, its light emission lies entirely in the visible light range.
  • LED lights last longer than fluorescent bulbs. LED lights last up to 13 times longer than fluorescent bulbs. This means a big savings in maintenance costs.
  • LED lights are more rugged than fluorescent lights. LEDs are solid state lights, which are more damage resistant than the fragile tubes of fluorescent lights. Breaking fluorescent bulbs also exposes one to mercury.
  • LEDs do not flicker near the end of their life. Fluorescent lights go through a period of flickering before burning out. However, the usefulness of the light ends when the flickering starts.

Finally, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, and may therefore present waste disposal issues.

Trends in Hotel Lighting

Hotels in the U.S. spend more than $7.5 billion on energy every year, as reported by the EPA. This equates to about $2,200 per room per year taking into account the more than 47,000 hotels and motels in America. Given these facts, there is significant incentive within the hospitality industry to take advantage of advances in technology to reduce costs. At the same time, consideration for an environment that caters to the needs and comfort of guests is equally important.

Hotel lighting accounts for a hefty portion of total hotel energy consumption, and lighting is moving toward energy efficiency in the form of CFL (compact florescent lighting) and LED lamps as the use of incandescent lighting decreases. Although CFL and LED bulbs are initially more of an investment, the energy savings and lower maintenance makes them a financial win. Also, most standard lamps can now accommodate CFL and LED bulbs, making the change relatively painless while still providing lighting that is aesthetically pleasing for guests.

Lighting public spaces such as atriums, lobbies and hallways is becoming more important as baby boomers are becoming senior citizens, and safety is more of a concern. The needs of millennials has also come into focus. They’re a connected group that tends to share their views on a hotel or other venue through social media. They generally seek pleasing public spaces in which to work and are more attuned to design. It is important to consider combinations of task lighting and ambient lighting that will appeal to millennials as a whole.

While these ideas are trending, we understand that each client has considerations unique to his or her hotel or chain.

Is Your Parking Lot Lighting Adequate?

There are many opinions as far as parking lot lighting is concerned. Many feel as if the lighting in a parking lot is sufficient if it simply exists, and others feel it should be very bright, and meet all of the needs of the people.

When considering an upgrade to your lighting system, there are many things to consider. For example: if your lighting has not been upgraded in many years, you may want to consider the five basic questions below, and then decide if you need to upgrade your lighting system:

  • Intensity of the lighting: how bright are your lights?
  • Uniformity of lighting: how consistent is the light level throughout the lighted area?
  • Color of lighting: how accurately does the lighting show colors?
  • Efficiency of lighting: how much light per watt of electricity does the lighting system give?
  • Lamp life: How long do the lamps last before they will have to be replaced?

If you follow the suggested list above, you will be well on your way to ensuring that your lighting is up to date, and safe for anyone who enters your parking lot. Following this list will ensure that your lighting meets all the needs of the people.

Many business choose to wait until the lighting is not working to replace them. This is not a wise idea. Updating your system with brighter lighting will ensure your parking lot is running smoothly and is at the ultimate level of safety for your staff, and customers.

Will Solar Wallpaper be The Key to Lighting Sustainability?

Solar panels and electric lights have been getting quite cozy over the past few years. Whether it’s highway lamps charged up during the daylight hours, or businesses who dedicate their solar arrays to keeping the interior lights on, a huge amount of renewable power is being spent to make sure we never have to deal with the dark. Of course, for businesses who are looking for new and innovative ways to keep the lights on, the answer may have come from a former Chinese furniture store.

Does Solar Wallpaper Offer Sustainability For Lighting?

Len Gao and Phillip Gao are a father and son who, for years, used their furniture business as a way to finance their solar power ambitions. The result,according to Sustainable Brands, is that their new business Sunflare has produced a product unlike anything else; solar wallpaper.

It may sound ridiculous, but it’s actually not. These solar panels lack the stiff, glass substrates found in traditional solar arrays, and they are significantly thinner. Which means that, if someone wished to, they could put these panels up as wallpaper. Perhaps in the sun room.

An Open Design That Welcomes, and Saves Energy Costs

With the ability to put solar panels up inside, businesses may start re-thinking their designs. After all, if you can put up a bunch of windows to let in natural light, then you’re saving costs, and generating electricity at the same time. And, if a business combines these subtle solar panels with efficient lighting systems, like light-emitting diodes, then it’s possible they may never need to pay to keep the lights on again.

How LED Lighting Will Benefit Your Business

As a business owner it is important to have good lighting around your store or warehouse. Many businesses have made the switch to LED lighting to not only save money, but also cut down on lighting maintenance. Below are 5 benefits to making LED lighting upgrades at your business.

1. Reliability: One of the main benefits of LED lighting is its reliability. This is attractive for both commercial and industrial businesses, as it means less time is spent changing out faulty lights. LED lamps have a life span of over 50,000 operating hours, which greatly reduces the amount of a time a business will spend on lighting maintenance.

2. Color Options: LED lights, unlike incandescent lights, are able to produce light in a wide range of color spectrum. These options allow business owners to set the tone in a given space, based on its lighting needs. These color temperatures include:

  • Warm White– This is the light that most people are familiar with, and is most commonly used for intimate locations such as restaurants or lounges.
  • Natural White– This shade is cooler than warm white, using more white than yellow. This light is best used for commercial applications, such as in offices.
  • Daylight White– This shade most closely resembles natural sunlight. Some locations that would benefit from daylight white are large areas such as conference rooms, classrooms, and retail stores.
  • Cool White– The best application for cool white light is in areas that require intense light, while offering high contrast. Some examples are jewelry stores or art galleries.

3. Brightness: Not only does LED lighting offer a wide range of color options, it is also brighter than traditional incandescent or florescent lighting. This is due to the fact that LED lights convert more energy into visible light, as opposed to heat.

4. Energy Savings: Since LED lighting emits more visible light, rather than producing heat, upgrading can greatly reduce your energy costs. Many businesses must leave lights on 24/7 for safety and security reasons, so keeping electricity costs down is key. Since very little heat is produced, it will also cut cooling costs during the summer months.

5. Upgrading is Simple: When it comes time to upgrade your current lighting system, LED lights can easily be designed and manufactured to fit your current specifications.

If you are looking for ways to cut costs for your business, while adding the appropriate color of light to any given space, it is time to make an upgrade to LED lighting.

Why LED Lighting Improves Office Productivity

An optimal office environment requires more than keeping it well lit, maintaining a comfortable temperature, and providing workers with the right tools. These are only the basics and don’t include more subtle environmental factors. Subtle effects such as the brightness of the lighting and its spectrum of color components, play an important role throughout the course of the work day. Although you can, with some effort and focus, achieve spectacular productivity in less than ideal conditions for an hour or two, the subtle environmental effects will take their toll over the course of the day and workweek.

Light brightness can produce eyestrain when it’s too dim. Unfortunately, many office environments overcompensate with lighting that’s too bright. This produces fatiguing glare and likewise causes eyestrain. The right amount of light will vary depending on the task. The ideal lighting that reduces computer screen glare for example, is different from that required for reading text off a sheet of paper, which depends on reflected light. This is solved with an adjustable light source for the different types of work. LED lighting readily accommodates this.

LED lighting is unique in that it is whiter than other types of lighting. The reason is that its light has a fuller color spectrum and closely resembles sunlight (minus the UV rays). Specifically, LEDs have more blue light.

It’s this blue light that boosts your mood and alertness when outdoors on a sunny day. This means that workers in LED lit rooms without windows will not feel like they’re working in brightly lit caves. The blue light component boosts their mood, alertness and productivity. Unlike a window however, the weather won’t affect the output of an LED light.

Some have exploited this “outdoor lighting” effect by installing LED panels in the ceiling that look like skylights. Others have taken this further and devised LED ceiling panels that simulate white clouds floating under a blue sky.

When considering the period required for LED lighting to pay for itself, most estimates only take energy savings into consideration.

Simple Summer Energy-Efficiency Tips

The heat is on and it is tough to keep your home cool while lowering your energy bill. These simple summer energy-efficiency tips will cool your home without the huge cooling bill.

Dial Down the Thermostat: Do not cool an empty home. Buy a programmable thermostat for your home and set the air conditioner to cool your home before arriving home. When you are only home 12 to 14 hours of the day there is no need to cool your home 24 hours

Cover the windows: When the sun comes through your windows it heats your home and fades your furnishings. Install curtains, shades or blinds to block the heat in the summer while protecting your flooring, paintings, and other furnishings.

Cool showers and laundry: Reduce your water heater temp or reduce the water temperatures of showers and laundry loads. Your clothing last longer with cooler water temperatures. A cooler, shorter shower make you more comfortable in the warmer temps.

Seal the heat out: Hot air leaks through the cracks and crevices around windows and doors. Add insulation around window and door frames where gaps allow heat entry. Remove the frame and push strips of insulation around the door and replace.

Close the gap around pipes: Your heating and cooling pipes with gaps require added insulation to keep cool air from escaping. Inspect all your furnace and air conditioner pipes and connectors. When a connector is loose, tighten and insulate around it.

Use fans to increase the cool: Ceiling and stand-up fans are less expensive to run. Set ceiling fans are to circulate air in an efficient way. Placing floor fans around your home increases airflow, increasing the cooling effect.

Grill or microwave your food: Using your grill keeps the heat outside. Microwave your food and reduce heat from cooking, that normally would warm your home.

Keep hydrated: Drink water, tea and other cool drinks to keep your core body temperature down. You will feel cooler when hydrated.

Power down: Use power strips to turn off appliances and electronics when not in use. Phantom energy increases your bill.

Spend more time outdoors: You have a patio, deck or porch to enjoy. Keep your thermostat down while you are outdoors, Use your air condition only when you are actually indoors.

Try these ten simple summer energy-efficiency tips and reduce the energy use and lower your energy bills.