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.

Technological advances in the 21st century can be summarized by several key words; innovative, avant-garde and prolific to highlight a few. However, in a world where energy resources, the growing population and the increasing demand for available energy are all in direct competition, perhaps no technological goal should be more pressing than the creation of efficient energy.

Efficient energy use strives to reduce the amount of energy required to accomplish such tasks as interior and exterior lighting, home insulation and transportation through the creation of products that simultaneously use less energy and last longer. The goal is to create energy that is as self-sustaining and re-usable as possible without compromising the quality of the product.

Our modern world runs on batteries, electric lights and staff willing to work late nights in front of glowing computer screens. In a corporate, technologically-advanced society like the one we live in, efficient lighting surfaces as one of the key ways that everyone from the head CEO to the stay-at-home mom can participate in energy conservation. The benefits of simple modifications that increase lighting efficiency in homes and offices are reflected on both the electric bill and in the long-term health of the planet and longevity of its resources.

Use of LED lighting has long been recognized as a front-runner in energy efficiency. LEDs are simple to install. They’re affordable, long-lasting and provide energy-efficient technology that makes an immediate (and significant difference) in the production of sustainable technology.

The future of LED lighting is even brighter thanks to a ground-breaking new study out of Europe called the NEWLED Project. The study is based out of Scotland and will run through 2016. It aims to “develop a new generation of 50-60% energy efficient white light-emitting LED lights, which would be more than twice as efficient as existing LED-based bulbs”. Those involved with this European-wide project believe that “the higher efficiency white-light LEDs, if widely implemented, could have a significant effect on reducing global energy consumption and CO2 emissions”.

The study holds that these light bulbs “will enable effective heat dissipation and light management and the devices are expected to have applications in automotive, industrial lighting and displays. Widespread use would cut global energy consumption by about 10%”.

Advances in LED lighting, like the ones heralded by the NEWLED project, will continue to increase the availability of green, energy-efficient technology. As consumers it is both our responsibility and privilege to use the resources that both meet our energy needs and conserve the earth’s resources.

For more information please contact us.

It has been estimated that only about 10% of eligible companies have taken advantage of the Commercial Building Deduction known as EPAct, originally implemented in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Are you among them? If not, you still have time, but you’ll need to act quickly. The “go green” incentive is set to expire at the end of 2013.

What type of energy-efficient upgrades qualify? Briefly, commercial building owners need to install interior lighting, HVAC or certain other technology that reduces energy and power costs to obtain tax deductions ranging from $0.60 to $1.80 per square foot. New construction and remodeling projects both qualify, with varying percentages of energy reduction requirements, depending upon what system(s) are being installed. Lighting deductions utilize a sliding scale proportional to lighting power density (LPD) reduction.

It may seem a little complex at first blush (what government-sponsored program isn’t?), but it can be well worth the effort and the experts at the Tax Analytics Group have compiled this helpful infographic and handy tax-savings calculator to simplify things and assist in understanding how to obtain the best deduction for your investment.

Bottom line: not only can a well-planned lighting installation including energy-efficient, long-life LED lights provide major benefits such as: lowering daily operating costs by reducing energy consumption by up to 90%; reducing heat output (which helps reduce HVAC loads in general areas as well as lowering temps in cold-storage facilities); and providing a healthier light source, it can also provide a reduced tax liability. And who doesn’t welcome that these days?

Contact us and let the lighting solutions specialists at Relumination help design, implement and service your lighting retrofit today – and take advantage of those 2013 EPAct tax deductions while there’s still time.

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to gaze at the stars in a truly dark sky, you know what an awe-inspiring experience it is. But the sad truth is, most Americans have never enjoyed such an occasion. Not because they haven’t looked up at night, but because what passes as a “dark sky” in modern society is, in reality, far from actually dark.

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