Does Energy-Efficiency Eventually Pay For Itself?

Businesses have to keep a firm eye on both their bottom line and their overhead in order to maximize their profits. For example, say a business could reduce its monthly electricity bill by one-third the cost without losing any current operations. That’s an obvious win-win situation, but what lots of businesses don’t realize is that energy-efficiency, particularly in their lighting, can have results that are this dramatic.

Is It Really That Simple?

Yes, and no. Every business and building is unique, and as such the solutions for making that business’s lighting more energy-efficient are also unique. In some instances that might mean something as basic as replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs, since LED bulbs use about 80 percent less energy, and generate no heat. In other instances it might mean re-designing entire fixtures so that fewer lights can be used to deliver the same illumination to the same area.

The way the process works is that our professionals will consult with clients, and examine the buildings in question. Once experts have examined the system that’s currently in place they can lay out options for the client, along with predictions on how much new a system or changeovers will cost initially, and how much they’ll save over time. After clients choose the options they want, our installers get to work taking a business from how it is, to how it should be.

It’s important to remember that energy-efficiency is an investment, and like all investments it will pay off in the long-term. For example, lights that use 80 percent less power and last for an additional 3 years, will allow you to spend a lot less money several years in the future, even if it feels like a burden to pay for the system today.

Why efficient lighting is an essential part of greening your business

Eco-friendly business practices are a growing concern in today’s business world, and going green is quickly becoming a necessity for any company that wants to stay in business. While you formulate a plan for greening your business, consider these three reasons to include efficient lighting as an integral step in the process.

Green Credibility

Customers and potential customers are more likely to view your company as socially responsible if they perceive that you’re doing a good job caring for the environment. Energy efficient lighting is one of the most visible and easily identifiable greening strategies for your business, so it can take your business up a notch or two in the eyes of your customers.

Energy costs

Efficient lighting costs less in the long run. This is partly because of lower energy consumption and partly because an efficient lighting plan can help you save money by reducing the number of lighting fixtures used. Calculating and installing the optimal number of bulbs, or removing unnecessary bulbs or fixtures, represents pure gain in lighting efficiency.

Maintenance Costs

The working lifespan of energy-efficient lighting is considerably longer than that of traditional lighting. This translates directly into lower overall maintenance costs, including bulb costs and labor costs. In addition, using fewer lighting fixtures means a broken fixture will occur less frequently.

Reducing your Carbon Footprint with LED lighting

Saving money and saving the environment often go hand in hand. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save money, LED lighting is the way to go. In fact, Delta Airlines recently announced they’re committed to upgrading their entire fleet to LED lighting over the next three years, in a move that’s estimated to save as much as $50,000 per plane, per year.

You don’t have to be an international air carrier to save money by switching to LED lighting, though. Check out these great ways LED lighting saves you money, all while yielding huge environmental benefits:

Save on utility bills with energy efficient lighting: LED lights are as much as 90% more efficient than conventional lighting. This means you’re looking at up to 90% savings on your utility bills.

Pay less for replacement bulbs and installation due to longer life: LED lights last as much as 5 times longer than conventional lighting. In addition, they have a small, compact profile and aren’t made with glass or toxic chemicals like mercury, making them extremely durable, and safe for use in tight spaces, food prep, or clean rooms.

Lower operating temperature puts less strain on your AC: Conventional lighting generates a lot of heat, as anyone who’s changed a light bulb will tell you. LED lights, on the other hand, due to their better energy efficiency, waste less than 10% of their energy as heat. Especially in hot climates, or in industrial applications, this lower operating temperature and brighter light results in much less work your HVAC system needs to do to maintain temperature, and translates to further savings on your energy bills.

3 Great Reasons to use LEDs for Parking Garage Lighting

LED lighting has benefits for every industry and every application. For example, if you manage a parking garage. Check out these 3 great reasons you should make LEDs your parking garage lighting solution.

Energy Savings: If your parking garage has underground or otherwise dimly lit sections, at least some of your lights have to be left on 24 hours a day. Even if your parking structure is fully above ground, for safety and convenience, you’ll need to leave the lights on from dusk ‘til dawn at the least. That much up time can quickly burn out conventional bulbs and add up to major utility costs. LED lights, on the other hand, are up to 85% more energy efficient than conventional bulbs, translating to major energy savings.

Instant On: Especially as the seasons change, setting the right time for your lights to turn on can be a pain. LED lights, unlike conventional bulbs, though, don’t require any warm-up time. This means you won’t have to guess the average time of sunset for the next few months and then subtract another 15 minutes or so to account for the lights warming up. Best of all, if you weren’t able to get the right time, if it’s a rainy day, or if you have a sensor system, your LED lights will instantly turn on to the proper brightness level.

Long Life: Running lights 24/7 will quickly burn out conventional bulbs. LEDs, on the other hand, last up to 5 times as long as conventional bulbs. This means you’re spending 5 times less on replacement bulbs, and you won’t have dangerous dark spots in your parking garage.

No matter what kind of business you operate, switching to LED lighting can save you a small fortune in utility bills.

 

Reliable Ways to Reduce Lighting Costs for Your Business

Sufficient lighting is an important part of any business. It is essential to provide lighting for clients, customers, and employees, but this does not mean lighting should be excessive to play it safe.

Finding an ideal balance of lighting should be the goal, and this often means making lighting adjustments or improvements over time, which will end up reducing the cost of lighting for your business.

Dim the Brightness and Reduce Blue Light on Monitors at Nighttime

For those that work in an office setting and are on the computer regularly, especially during nighttime, a common procedure is to use enough lighting to match the lighting that comes from the computer screen. While this is effective, it also leads to unnecessary lighting usage, as there is an alternative in reducing the brightness and blue light on the screen, which allows a person to work with less lighting or in the dark.

Make Routine Adjustments to Outdoor Lighting

With some outdoor lights, such as parking lights, a timer is set to determine when the lights turn on. However, throughout the year, daylight comes and goes at different times in the day, which makes it beneficial to keep up with making adjustments to make sure the lights do not turn on too early.

Upgrade the Bulbs in Exit Signs

Whether you take over a business space that already has exit signs or you are the one to purchase these signs for your business, these signs may be making you spend more on lighting than you need to.

It is ideal to invest in LED exit signs, which consume a lot less energy.

Although some lighting efficiency tips are more common than others, you should take advantage of every opportunity that allows you to enjoy savings on lighting, especially when there are no sacrifices.

Save Energy and Money with a Commercial Lighting Retrofit

Does your business worry about increasing energy prices?  Are you searching for ways to cut business costs? Or are you worried about your carbon footprint? In any of the above cases, updating your business with a commercial lighting retrofit can save you money!

Retrofitting your business lighting – including industrial warehouses, office spaces, and more – can be a challenging task, but with the right suppliers and years of experience, the challenge will be well worth the reward.  Utilizing energy-efficient lighting will help you and your employees in many ways.  First, LED bulbs can cut lighting costs by up to 90% because the bulbs are more efficient than other choices.  This also makes the lights cooler to the touch, cutting out any excess cooling costs that you needed previously.

Other health benefits will come to you and your employees with energy-efficient and cost-cutting LED lighting by Relumination.  The benefits of better and brighter lighting help with the functionality of the space, and LED lights do not wear out over time.  As well, the light produced by LED bulbs does not cause headaches or other symptoms that fluorescent and incandescent lighting do.

On top of these major benefits to your business, LED lights last longer, – meaning you have to buy fewer saving more money – are fully recyclable, and have no warm-up time.  A broad array of designs and lighting styles are available, including dimming lights and colored lights, to suit any business’s needs.

Overall, a commercial lighting retrofit will benefit your company monetarily, environmentally, and socially.

Taking a Lesson from History – Section 179d Tax Deductions Extended for 2015?

Last December, Congress approved the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 which retroactively extended the 179D lighting deduction through the end of 2014.  Since the Section 179d tax deductions save taxpayer money with energy-efficient public facilities, encourage sustainability and offer substantial tax savings to building designers and owners, it garners widespread support.

The president and congress show a history of extending the Energy Policy Act of 2005 but waiting until the last-minute to act and having the policy apply retroactively.  Since LED lighting has inherent savings even before tax considerations, upgrading to LEDs is worthwhile while the 179D incentive carrot hangs out there for 2015.

Furthermore, any LED retrofits and installations performed in 2014 can still qualify for the 2014 tax return deduction.  So if your project accomplished a 40% reduction in lighting power density or 50% for warehouses, determined by the minimum requirements in the ASHRAE/ESNA 90.1-2001 standard, it should qualify for the $0.60 per square foot deduction.

For light system installations that achieve a 25% lighting power density reduction, there is a $0.30 per square foot reduction available if you meet other lighting controls and levels prerequisites.

LED lighting system improvement to commercial buildings, apartments of at least four stories and public buildings qualify for the 179D provision.  It is available for tenant-owned leasehold upgrades, building renovations and new construction.  In most cases, the building owner takes the deduction at the time of the installation although non-taxable government facility owners not needing the deduction may allocate it to the engineer or architect of the retrofit.  A qualified third-party must certify that the project meets the ASHRAE standards and the government entity must provide a letter allotting the deduction.  The assigned deduction is available retroactively if the filer submits an amended tax return within three years.

Although the 179D deduction expired at the end of 2014, the fact that it belongs to the group of tax extender provisions which have bipartisan support and typically see renewal, provides a good reason to upgrade to LED lighting in 2015.  LED lighting is versatile which is why owners and designers use it for enhancing the design of commercial spaces while saving energy and money.

Get Clean Energy in Your Lighting With LEDs

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes as they’re called on your invoice, are small, energy-efficient lights that have been subtly changing illumination. Tougher, longer-lasting, and less expensive than traditional bulbs and lighting assemblies, LED lights are a definite part of a clean energy lighting solution.

Use Less, Get More

One of the main reasons that LED lights are being used as part of a green energy approach is their efficiency. They only use 2-17 watts of power according to this source, which means they use 1/3 to 1/30th the amount of power that other lighting displays need. LED lights create no excess heat, and the light they generate is bright and focused. Not only that but LED lights can last up to ten times as long as compact fluorescent lights do, and significantly longer than traditional incandescent lights. There’s no filament in an LED bulb either, which means they survive bouncing, sudden moves, and other situations that would completely break incandescent bulbs.

LEDs Are Recyclable Too

In addition to all of their other benefits LED bulbs can be recycled. Up to 95 percent of an LED is recyclable according to this source, and they contain almost no harmful materials. All you have to do is replace the old bulb with a new one, and then hand it over to be remade into something else. It really is that simple.

Will LEDs Make Clean Energy More Attainable?

Because LEDs use less energy and last longer than traditional bulbs (both of which are good for the environment and for the energy grid) they make it more feasible for renewable energy to fulfill a business’s lighting needs. Whether it’s solar panels on the roof or a wind mill in the parking lot the less power your lights require to shine brightly the easier it will be to generate that power locally rather than buying it from the power company.

More Businesses Are Going Green With Efficient Lighting Systems

Energy costs are a constant concern when it comes to a business’s overhead. You need to run the freezers, keep your heating going during the winter, and perhaps most noticeably keep your lights on. While there will always be a certain cost lots of businesses are cutting their costs and going green at the same time be re-evaluating their lighting systems.

A Brighter Future

While metal halide bulbs have bee the standard for years that standard is falling by the wayside thanks to new technologies. Light emitting diodes, typically abbreviated to LEDs, are becoming one of the most popular retrofits for businesses according to this source. Warehouses in particular have been embracing these longer-lasting, environmentally friendly lights because in the long run they’re just cheaper to use.

How much cheaper are they? A 300-watt high bay LED provides the equivalent of a 1000-watt metal halide high bay in terms of light. That 700 watts of difference can have a big impact on a business’s light bill as well as on the strain it would otherwise put on the local power grid. If you take a full-size warehouse or large-scale store then that 700 watts of savings per high bay can translate to a lot less power used, and a lot less money spent on overhead.

It’s Never Too Late To Go Green

Just because a business already has a lighting system installed doesn’t mean it’s too late to cut costs and save energy. Green lighting retrofits are becoming more and more common, particularly when the up-front costs of the retrofit are compared to the long-term costs of using inefficient lighting.

Benefits of Replacing the Interior Lighting in Your Coffee Shop

As an owner of a coffee shop, it’s important that you’re always looking into new ways to keep your small business energy-efficient and inviting for customers. If it’s been years since you’ve changed the interior lighting, you may find that you’re paying much more than you need to be on energy costs. Since the costs of replacing the lighting in your entire coffee shop can be high if you haven’t been planning to do a replacement for a long time, it’s a good idea to look into all the benefits that you can enjoy.

Plenty of Options in Styles

Exchanging the lighting in your coffee shop business can be the perfect excuse to make some other remodeling changes in the space. From hanging lights to wall mounted lighting, you’ll want to look into what styles stand out the most to you.

Reduced Energy Costs

The biggest benefit business owners find when replacing the lighting is the energy savings. Older lighting, even by a few hours, can be more costly to power than you may be comfortable with. By changing out the lights, you could be lowering your energy bill and even be eligible for tax savings from the government.

Adjust the Lighting

Coffee shops are unique in that dim lighting is often better than stark, white lights. By changing out the lighting in your coffee shop, you can pick out lights that look great and produce just enough light for the space to be inviting.