Is your homeowners’ association having difficulty attracting and retaining residents? Have you been tasked with finding out why? If so, you may want to examine your community’s crime rate and exterior lighting. According to U.S. Department of Justice reports, the two may be connected. Those two factors may also be the reasons why your homeowner’s association is failing to flourish. Here’s more:

There are many reasons why someone opts to live in a community governed by a homeowners’ association. However, two of the primary reasons are the sense of security and property value protection that the organization provides. Therefore, it just makes sense that if those two needs are not met, the community’s occupancy rate will falter.

So how does exterior lighting make a difference on those two areas? Simply put, those that seek to do harm often tend to conduct their activities in areas where they are less likely to be caught. These areas include places that are poorly lit and obscured by other items (i.e. unruly hedges, stockade fencing and brick walls).

In addition to influencing some criminals’ behaviors, law-abiding homeowners may also feel safer with the proper lighting present. After all, if done correctly it will typically provide them with a clear view of any dangers that may be in the area. Understandably, those dangers extend beyond criminal elements to include such things as fall hazards, oncoming motor vehicles, downed wires, unattended animals and unstable tree limbs.

It is also important to note that merely installing a series of exterior lights with no forethought is unadvisable. That’s because the wrong type of lighting can actually produce a glare that makes dangerous elements hard to spot. It can also contribute to your homeowners’ association’s utility and maintenance costs as well as contribute to light pollution. Thus, it is best to secure the assistance of a firm that has experience in establishing a community’s exterior lighting system.

Want to ensure that your homeowners’ association’s lighting system is a help when it comes to attracting residents rather than a hindrance? Contact us online or at 480-478-0703. We here at Relumination have been helping homeowners’ associations with their lighting needs for years.

R&D at Dutch lighting conglomerate Philips has launched an all-out assault — on one of its very own leading products. Philips is the world’s largest manufacturer of the fluorescent light fixture, that ubiquitous device that is famous, or infamous, for casting that not-so-flattering greenish tinge upon the unsuspecting.

Prototype May Double Energy-Efficiency

LED lighting has long been touted as the “next great thing” in lighting, thanks to the more natural light that consumes less energy to produce. Now, Philips has shown off a new LED prototype that is claimed to be twice as energy efficient as existing LEDs.

The tube-shaped prototype from Philips is capable of 200 lumens per watt, double the 100 lumens per watt common for conventional strip lighting. Compared to conventional incandescent light bulbs, the energy efficiency of this new innovation is even better. Those traditional bulbs typically produce only 15 lumens per watt. The new Philips LED improves upon that by over 1200 percent.

Global Impact In Several Years

Given that estimates of global electric ity production devoted to lighting typically range between 15 and 20 percent, this is no small announcement. In the United States alone, if all the existing lighting could suddenly be magically swapped out for these new Philips LEDs, the savings in both dollars and carbon dioxide emissions would be monumental.

Philips suggests such a “swap” would save $12 billion/year and prevent 50-100 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the air on an annual basis.

Savings are already being realized as the demise of incandescent lighting has been accelerating. However, fluorescents have been efficient enough that their replacement has been slow to arrive, even given their propensity for that greenish glow that many dislike.

2015 Availability Projected

Now, Philips’ new prototype LED, expected to be in full production by 2015, promises to change that. Philips new LEDs should be twice as efficient as typical fluorescents.

In the lighting industry, when Philips talks, analysts listen. Of the current total estimated global lighting demand of about $85 billion, Philips has over $11 billion of the market, according to consultant McKinsey.

Philips admits that these new LEDs will cost more than the bulbs that they replace. The estimated 20 year life-span also exceeds the still-impressive lifespans of current LED lighting. Those commercial enterprises that use lighting on a 24/7 basis will find the maintenance cost savings over time to be persuasive as well.

At Relumination, we are always alert to developing trends in lighting. For ideas as to how we can reduce your carbon footprint and improve your bottom line, please contact us.

Installing T8 fluorescent lighting is a great way to save on energy costs and taxes at the same time. The IRS allows businesses that upgrade lighting to T8 fluorescent fixtures and lamps to claim lighting tax credits and offset the cost of upgrading against owed taxes.

T8 credits are part of the Commercial Building Incentives of 2009 and fall into two categories.

Lighting Rebates – Rebates are not typically associated with tax credits but the T8 credit incentive legislation began with a rebate. Rebate amounts are $1.00 per qualified 28W lamp and $1.50 per qualified 25W lamp. These rebates are paid to the customer at the time of purchase.

Tax Deduction – Businesses can also deduct up to $1.80 per square foot ($0.60 for lighting) of new and existing commercial buildings. Prorated deductions of $0.30 to $0.60 per square foot are also available.

The company that pays for the lighting upgrades to the commercial building is eligible for the T8 incentives. Tax law recognizes both the owner and tenant of the commercial building and authorizes either party to benefit from T8 tax credits. However, only one business can claim the credits per building. If the owner pays for the upgrades, then the owner claims the tax credits. If the tenant pays for the upgrades, then then tenant claims the tax credits.

Tax credits can only be claimed for the year the commercial property was placed in service. Most lighting tax deductions will be applied to and adjusted against a previous year’s tax filing. Upgraded lighting systems must be inspected and certified according to Energy Department energy savings guidelines. Certified systems then qualify for the tax credit. Guidelines require that inspections be done by a licensed third-party engineer. Savings must also be calculated using approved software.

While T8 tax credits may be somewhat complex to claim, they can create a nice size deduction. Please contact us for more information about lighting tax credits and how to determine if your business is eligible.

Mark Major, acknowledged as one of the world’s leading lighting designers, was recently interviewed by the BBC regarding future lighting concepts involving LEDs. He spoke enthusiastically of a transformative revolution made possible by these lights. Major suggests that the revolution made possible by LEDs may very well exceed the impact of the transition from gaslights to electrical lighting.

Mr. Major was entrusted with no less a project than the relumination of world-famous St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Of the project he said, “Probably one of the toughest assignments we’ve ever had. It took about five years in its execution to design and have the lighting fully delivered.”

St. Paul’s is now an architectural masterpiece bathed in soft light; a visual oasis ‘midst the tumult of the city of London. Major was careful consider that this historic structure was originally lit by candlelight. He wanted to honor that heritage by using LEDs in ways that respected the original lighting both indoors and out. LED lights gave him the creative tools to achieve his goals.

Major speaks specifically of advantages that LEDs bring to both functional and creative lighting applications. Major cites the numerous advantages of LEDs; they are both cooler and smaller. He appreciates this broad- spectrum light that results in enhanced skin tones and the improved representation of color.

As the technology of the light-emitting diode continues to evolve, evermore complex arrays of such lights will be possible. The merging of the practical and the artistic will become more and more pronounced. This expert light designer concludes, “LEDs are going to fundamentally revolutionize the way we work with light. We’ve moved a long way from candles and gaslights.”

The fact that we are in the early stages of this lighting revolution is evidenced by how many organizations have yet to make the changeover to LED lighting. LEDs can do more than save on energy costs. They can enrich the customer experience and enhance an enterprise’s brand. For more insight into how you can enjoy the both the savings and the light quality offered by LEDs, please contact us.