Benefits of Upgrading your Office Lighting

Updated lighting systems have become integral in making energy-efficient improvements to commercial buildings. In fact, research conducted by the US Small Business Administration showed that using light fixtures that are energy efficient is and should always be the first step in saving energy.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider upgrading your office or business’ lighting.

Energy saving

Retrofitting outdated lighting systems can help save on energy by reducing the lighting costs and energy consumption. Considering that lighting in commercial buildings accounts for up to 38 percent of energy output, upgrading your lighting can see you lower your electricity bills significantly while maintaining quality lighting.

What is more, upgraded lighting allows employees to control the lighting of their workspace, which further helps to save energy. In the end, you get to reduce the consumption of energy and other related costs.

Improved lighting quality

The quality of lighting for your office is paramount since it affects productivity and employee satisfaction. Upgraded lighting systems are designed to solve common lighting issues such as flickering and dimness. Moreover, they enhance reliability while providing better lighting options like improved color, less glare, and better lighting output.

Employee productivity and safety

An office that is either too bright or too dim will no doubt affect the morale and productivity of employees. In any case, people depend on lighting to work on their computers, operate machinery, and so forth. Therefore, if the quality of lighting is poor, it can be difficult for an individual to focus on a task, which can affect their productivity.

More importantly, workers do not have to risk their safety by walking on dimly lit walkways since the lighting is sufficient.

LEED green building certification

The US Green Building Council provides verification that a building attains the threshold in energy savings, water efficiency, environmental quality, and other metrics that aim at improving performance. This means that by upgrading your lighting systems, you stand to gain international recognition, which can work to market your business or services.

From the points mentioned above, it is clear that updating your lighting systems fully works to your benefit. Invest in your lighting today and see the difference.

At Relumination, we strive to help your business reduce energy costs, lower electricity expenses, and enjoy quality lighting by offering lighting system solutions and products. Contact us for more information on any lighting-related issues.

LED Reduces Environmental Impact and Overall Costs

As standards for energy efficiency increase around the country, commercial properties must find ways to decrease consumption. These rising standards are creating new challenges for owners and managers of commercial buildings. They are also providing a unique opportunity to lower long-term costs associated with energy consumption. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, lighting accounts for 17% of total energy usage in commercial properties. Recent progress in the development of LED lighting is set to lower that number significantly, and a breakdown of the science behind it shows how.

How LED Lights Work

An electric current is sent through a microchip which activates light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and visible light is created. Excess heat is drained into a heat sink within the unit to ensure its efficiency and longevity. LEDs emit directional light, which is focused only on spaces that require illumination.  Energy Star notes that this process is more efficient than competing methods of illumination like compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) since these send light and heat in every direction. The efficiency of LEDs isn’t limited to its creation of light, however.

Lifespan of LED

A notable benefit of this light technology is it’s extraordinarily long lifespan. Expertly engineered LED lights have the potential to last 8-10 times longer than fluorescent lighting of comparable brightness. For commercial properties, this corresponds to lower maintenance costs on replacement and greater overall efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy detailed the superiority of LED technology over CFL and incandescent in a study that examined the life cycle of these light sources. Not only are the two latter technologies unable to compete with the overall efficiency of LED, their environmental impact is also greater.

No two buildings are the same. To achieve maximum efficiency, commercial properties require individualized assessments to determine their lighting needs. Relumination specializes in energy-efficient lighting installations that will reduce overhead costs and decrease environmental impact. Please contact us for more information and to determine your next step towards a more efficient future for your building.

The Importance Of Energy-Efficiency

If you are an owner of a commercial building, something you should be familiar with is energy efficiency. Most people are familiar with energy efficiency but don’t realize how much your building could be using every day. You want to operate the best possible building with the best possible quality and services. Reducing your energy efficiency can be a game-changer in the quality and cost of your commercial building.

What Is Energy-Efficiency

Energy efficiency means using less energy to do the same task, eliminating energy waste. Increasing energy efficiency is the most cost-effective and often timely way to reduce the use of fossil fuels. In regard to commercial buildings, energy efficiency refers to the extent to which energy is consumed per square meter.

Why You Should Care

Lighting is one of the biggest costs in commercial buildings.  Upgrading your lighting to more energy-efficient solutions can decrease the overall cost of running your building. We have helped our customers save over 4 million dollars to date. Not only can decreasing energy efficiency help your wallet it can also help the environment. When you consume less power in a commercial building you are helping conserve resources and contributing to a healthier and safer world. The companies we have served have seen a 90% decrease in energy consumption.

How We Can Help

We offer lighting solutions that are sustainable and reduce energy consumption. Our customers are in a variety of industries and include companies such as WinCo Foods,  Dillard’s, Alberstons, and more. We assist facilities with reducing energy costs, improving lighting, lower maintenance expenses and most importantly reduce your environmental footprint. Which will make a healthier and happier environment for your employees.

Contact us today for all of your energy-efficient lighting solutions. And check out our blog for more energy-efficient tips!

LED; the Path to Cost Savings

Commercial building managers are continuously seeking innovative ways to reduce costs. However, lighting replacement projects are often pushed aside for upgrades in such areas as HVAC systems, storage fixtures, and interior space expansions. But did you know that lighting costs can comprise up to almost 17% of the facility’s total energy expenditures? This is often caused by using power-hungry fluorescent and incandescent bulb lighting. Now is the time to consider upgrading your lighting system to more energy efficient LED technology.

The most obvious advantage to using LED lighting in the commercial setting is that of increased energy efficiency. A 4-foot, 32 watt fluorescent bulb uses 34 watts due to ballast inefficiencies. However, an LED tube replacement in that same area uses only 16 watts. Multiply this difference over the course of a year, and it is plain to see that substantial energy savings in the thousands of dollars can be realized.

Incandescent lights also generate greater amounts of heat caused by electric current traveling through filament. In order to compensate for this added heat, cooling systems and fans must work harder, adding to energy costs.  LED, on the other hand, uses a process called electroluminescence which produces a much cooler light. LED uses light emitting diodes to accomplish this process without the fragile filaments that traditional bulbs use.

Reduction in maintenance costs is also another reason to use LED lighting.  A report by Energy Star states that LED last 35 to 50 times longer than the traditional bulbs. As a result, less material costs are realized in replacement purchases. This translates to decreased labor costs and frees up time for staff to attend to more pressing maintenance tasks.

From a functional standpoint, LED is substantially brighter than the traditional bulbs. This can increase productivity since dim lighting can contribute to eye strain and headaches. LED lighting can mimic actual daylight which the human body naturally reacts and easily adapts to.

LED systems can also be software controlled when used with smart lighting on a wireless network. By harnessing the power of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, sensors can be programmed and enabled from a mobile device or computer to control varying degrees of lighting in every area. This is a game-changer for flexibility in lighting options across the facility’s work areas.

Delaying the upgrade to LED lighting systems will continue to cost your business in increased energy, maintenance, and material bills. Purchase and installation costs have come down which further substantiates doing this upgrade as soon as possible. As your business continues to grow there will be future costs for renovations, expansions, and equipment. Installing an LED lighting system will result in savings that can be used towards these projects.

There is no better time to upgrade your facility’s lighting to an LED system. This lighting has proven to be incredibly energy efficient and virtually maintenance-free, while providing a more sustainable solution to the business. Contact us today for more information on our commercial LED lighting systems.

LED and Controls for Manufacturing

In today’s competitive manufacturing world reducing costs can be the difference between profit and loss. Lighting is one of the least expensive ways to trim costs. As well as trimming costs lighting has been proven to boost worker morale and bring a positive mood into your space. Relumination is committed to helping commercial and industrial businesses reduce overhead costs, save electricity, minimize facilities management expenses, and decreasing our environmental footprint. Here is how we can help with LED and controls for manufacturing.

Benefits Of Manufacturing Lighting Solutions

– Reduced lighting  electricity and maintenance costs

– Improved lighting colors, levels, consistency and layout leading to increased productivity

– Longer fixture/lamp life span resulting in no production shut down

– Zero lost workdays to due to improved safety

– Reduces production turn-backs/mistakes

Why Led Is Better For Manufacturing Facilities

– Outdated incandescent or fluorescent fixtures won’t provide proper lighting

– LED uses a fraction of the power when compared to traditional bulbs making them energy efficient

– The lifespan of a LED bulb is up to 10,000 hours

– LED generates less heat, making it easier to keep a large facility cooler

– LED is durable and can hold up in a most workplace environments

Why Controls Help Manufacturing Facilities

– Dimming controls

– Programmable control zoning

– Sequence of operations

– Motion sensing

– Humidity/Temperature monitoring

– Data collection

Using LED paired with controls in your manufacturing building will benefit your budget, productivity, and employees.  LED will help take your lighting to the next level and reduce overall maintenance and operating costs. You have control over the rest of your manufacturing building and having control over your lights is important too.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out some of our previous manufacturing projects to see for yourself how we can take your building to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about LED and lighting controls in your manufacturing building.

 

 

How To Use IoT Controls To Aid Social Distancing In Your Facility

A major issue that businesses and workplaces are facing today is encouraging its workers to abide by social distancing guidelines. In larger facilities, this is not always easy to monitor and can be overwhelming. However, an LED lighting system that utilizes IoT (Internet of Things) technology can put this task at your fingertips and eliminate the need to tour your facility. This technology monitors the people and assets in your facility and reports back to you in real time, and also allows for LED lighting adjustments for worker safety. IoT controls can also make it easier for your employees to meet social distancing guidelines and stay safe.

Social Distancing Controls

Employee Location Monitoring – IoT applications are able to track the location of people in your facility and uses an advanced algorithm to provide accurate data by the room. Employees and others wear tags for tracking purposes which are detected by smart sensors. You can also use these applications to replay data and see where people have been in the past, and whether they have broken any social distancing guidelines. Searches and alerts are also available.

Occupancy Tracking – Other IoT applications make use of location tracking to calculate the occupancy of a specific room or area in your facility. Sensor networks are able to track the movement of your employees and provide accurate views of occupancy in real-time, highlighting problem areas where social distancing isn’t (or cannot be) practiced. These IoT applications can also show where employees tend to congregate over time.

Facility Insight – The ability to sense the lighting levels and occupancy for an entire facility will reveal hidden problem areas and reduce human error. Real-time and historical data is made available in one central location. Monitoring the environment in your facility, or multiple facilities is vital to understanding worker behavior. HVAC failures and other equipment failures can cause workers to abandon social distancing and congregate in more comfortable areas, and alarms can be used to alert you to potential problems before this occurs.

Safety Controls

Advanced Lighting Controls – A wireless IoT system will allow you to easily adjust lighting levels by room and area not only to enhance worker comfort and safety but to encourage workers to practice social distancing in problem areas. Different lighting profiles, made by collecting data on employee movement and occupancy, can be configured by area throughout an entire Smart Building and adjusted accordingly throughout the day.

Fine Tuning – Other IoT apps can allow for occupancy sensing and adjust light levels automatically, and can be used to program the lighting system to dim a problem area progressively during high-occupancy times. These functions can be customized room by room for easy management of social distancing and can be done from virtually any mobile device.

Conclusion

The current health crisis is one that large facilities have never seen before and innovative solutions are needed to protect worker safety, health, and productivity. Using an IoT system with your LED lighting will make monitoring social distancing manageable and offer innovative solutions for enforcing worker safety. If you have questions or need more information on how an IoT system can help you, be sure to contact us.

Top 3 Reasons to Upgrade Your Lighting

Business owners and building managers alike have been waging a war against lower-efficiency facility lighting for generations. Now, with LED lighting more accessible and affordable than ever, facility managers are faced with the question not only of replacing their out-of-date lighting systems, but the question of why they haven’t pulled the trigger on the energy-saving solution yet. With cost-saving effects, lower rates of failure and therefore lower maintenance costs, and better working conditions, business owners are going to want to strongly consider upgrading to energy-efficient LED lighting sooner rather than later.

Save Money on Utility Bills

It’s a well-known fact that LED light bulbs use considerably less energy than their fluorescent counterparts. These energy savings, when spread over an entire facility’s lighting system, could save thousands of dollars over the course of a year. Not only do these lamps save on the utility bill, but utility companies offer rebates simply for switching to LED systems. Business owners would be wise to consider these utility rebates in addition to energy bill savings.

Lower Rate of Failure

Not only do LED lights offer the obvious energy-efficient savings on utility bills, but they also offer energy efficient savings in terms of lower maintenance costs and labor requirements. LED lights last on average, years longer than traditional lighting and therefore present fewer needs for maintenance, replacement, and quality-control measures.

High Quality Lighting Equals Good Working Conditions

Lighting conditions and quality of work go hand-in-hand when it comes to commercial facilities. Business owners and building managers are wise to consider the best and most energy-efficient lighting solutions possible in order to provide safe and productive working conditions for their team. LED lights provide quiet, consistent lighting solutions, allowing employees to focus on the task at hand.

Overall, the energy-efficient benefits of LED have long outweighed their traditional lighting predecessors. So, as a business owner or building manager, the next question isn’t whether to make the switch but rather when is the best time? Contact us to make the switch today!

Choosing Quality LED Fixtures for Your Business

As with many business decisions, selecting the best LED fixtures for your business requires a careful weighing of cost against quality, value, and functionality. The wealth of choices and options available can seem overwhelming, and the decision hard to make without expertise in lighting. Here are some suggestions for examining your options.

How to Evaluate LED Fixtures

What should you look for when selecting LED fixtures? Keeping the lights on is, of course, essential, and is a significant cost of running your business, so you’ll want to know how to evaluate available options. Some aspects of LED fixtures to consider include:

  • Maintenance – LED fixtures have a dramatically longer lifespan than traditional incandescent or fluorescent lighting, at up to 250,000 hours. They also do not require ballasts, so you will see savings in the frequency of replacing bulbs as well as in not having to replace worn out ballasts. In addition, because LED lighting doesn’t “burn out” in the traditional sense, you won’t see sudden outages, but can schedule bulb replacement more flexibly.
  • Energy Consumption & Efficiency – It’s no secret that LED fixtures consume far less energy than traditional lighting. Understanding comparative energy consumption of traditional versus LED lighting can clarify potential savings.
  • Lighting Controls – Integrated lighting controls can be a key driver in lowering lighting expenses with features such as automated dimming and daylight and activity sensors. Lighting controls can provide substantial additional value in safety, ambience, and in employee and customer satisfaction.
  • Environmental Considerations – Do you have special environmental considerations for LED lighting? These could include high- or low-temperature spaces, indoor or outdoor settings, or moisture exposure. LED lighting, for example, is not cold-sensitive as fluorescent lighting can be.

What to Look for in Quality LED Fixtures

When you’re evaluating LED lighting solutions, here are some important specifications to note.

  • Lumens per Watt – Lumens measure how bright a bulb is, while watts show the power consumption of a bulb.  The measure of lumens per watt, indicates how efficient a bulb is.    Lumens per watt will vary depending on how a bulb makes light (incandescent, fluorescent, LED, etc.), the quality of materials used to make it, and how much energy is wasted as heat rather than light output. With traditional lighting, more watts = brighter light, so more electricity is needed to create brighter light. With LED lighting, the correlation is less direct. As an example, a 100w incandescent bulb has an efficiency of 16 lumens per watt, a 26w CFL bulb rates 61 lumens per watt, and a 22w LED bulb is most efficient at 73 lumens per watt.
  • Warranty – As with any smart business decision, be sure to consider warranties on parts and labor so you’re not left in the lurch if a problem arises.
  • L70 (LED Lifetime) Ratings – With traditional lighting, bulbs either emit light or don’t (they burn out). LED lighting will very slowly decrease in brightness over time. In general, it’s best to replace LED lighting when it has lost 30% of its brightness — that is, when it’s producing 70% of its original lumens. That 70% level is the L70 rating of an LED bulb.  For example, an LED bulb with an L70 or LED Lifetime rating of 50,000 hours means that it can be on for a minimum of 50,000 hours before it will have lost 30% of its brightness.
  • Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) – The visual temperature of lighting, measured in Kelvins,  indicates where the color of the light falls between cool, bluish-white and warm, golden light. Bright, cool light will generally be better suited to a warehouse or outdoor situation while warmer light will usually work best in a restaurant, hotel, or office.  Areas within a facility may also require different temperatures of light.
  • Motion Sensors – Motion sensors allow you to automate whether lights are on, and even how bright they are, depending on activity. You may want to have lighting that comes on automatically when someone enters a conference room or a particular warehouse area, for example. Because LED lighting doesn’t require warm-up time to come to full brightness, lights can come on quickly, as needed.
  • Dimming – Dimmable fixtures can be very useful in situations where constant light is needed but only active areas require the brightest light. Automatic and even manual dimming can dramatically reduce lighting costs by lowering usage in unneeded spaces.
  • Advanced Controls – various capabilities of a lighting control systems including, but not limited to, daylight harvesting, scheduling, task tuning, energy usage reporting, humidity/temperature monitoring. Advanced controls allow a broad or granular bird’s eye view allowing more specific controls for needs of the space.
  • Type of Fixture – The types of LED lighting fixtures available are nearly endless, and can be chosen and mounted to suit any need and environmental considerations. High bay lights can illuminate large warehouse areas, linear lighting can work well in aisles, troffer lights are common in offices and schools.

How to Compare Competitor Products

With so many options to consider when evaluating LED lighting choices, you will need to compare options carefully.

  • Credibility and Experience – Are the fixtures produced by a company with experience in the field and a solid reputation?
  • Value – The upfront cost should not be your only consideration. Cheaper LED lighting will often fail to achieve its stated L70 rating.
  • Up to Date – If you want to take advantage of the latest advances in integrated lighting control and automation, you’ll need to select compatible products.
  • Compliance – The Federal Energy Management Program has efficiency requirements for some commercial and industrial LED lighting. Other regulations may also be applicable. Ensure your lighting and contractor are knowledgeable and in compliance with such requirements.

The experienced team at Relumination is ready to help you choose the best LED lighting for your business, and apply our years of expertise and high standard of service from needs analysis through project completion, service, and support. Contact us today to see how we can work together for a brighter future for your business.

Reasons to Upgrade Facility Lighting

As a decision maker, you know that every decision you make for your business requires a thoughtful consideration of the costs and benefits involved. Here we will show that not only is a retrofit eco-friendly, safe, and cost effective in the long term, it is a great way to present a bright, clean, and contemporary look to everyone who enters your space.

Retrofitting will Save You Money

While the upfront cost of a retrofit may seem overwhelming, in the long term you will keep more of the profits you make because your overhead (lighting) will cost less. A cost benefit analysis of switching from fluorescent lighting to LED was done at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. They found that switching to LED would save them over $930,000 cumulatively over the course of 10 years.  The analysis shows that the savings in energy costs far outweighs the higher expense of the fixtures themselves. They also note that because LED generates far less heat, during warmer months and in warmer climates the cost of cooling is lowered.

Retrofitting Makes Your Space Safer

LED is solid state, which means there are no harmful gases to worry about. And because they are constructed from plastic, they won’t shatter into sharp shards of glass. And as previously stated they produce very little heat, so handling them after use will not burn bare skin. In addition, the light produced by LED is easier on the eyes and creates less lighting fatigue than fluorescent lights. As noted in the SWOSU analysis, this is due to their low emission of infrared light and zero emission of ultraviolet light.  All this adds up to a safer environment for your employees and customers.

Retrofitting is Better for the Environment

Less electricity used means less fossil fuels burned which means less carbon emissions. We all want to lower our carbon footprint and slow the rate of global climate change. While retrofitting your lighting may not be the most drastic green action you can make, it is among the lowest cost-of-entry steps you can take into a more carbon-neutral footprint.

Modern Fixtures for a Modern World

LEDs are bright, rich in color variety and send a message that your business is forward-thinking and environmentally conscious. When someone steps into your space, they should feel welcomed and safe. Bright, warm lighting is an excellent way to make your business more inviting. Cooler lights show a product’s true colors when on display. There are attractive solutions available for every need and purpose your business has.  And a well lit space makes people feel safer; they can see who they are with, what they are doing, and where they are more clearly.

In short, LED lighting technology is an easy win for everyone.

For more information on how to retrofit the lighting in your business contact us.

 

Benefits of Manufacturing Facility Lighting Retrofits

Retrofitting Lighting Systems

Retrofitting a production facility’s lighting has many benefits. So many manufacturing facilities use metal halide high bay fixtures or other fluorescent lighting. While these have advantages over some other systems, LED lighting offers many benefits making a retrofit a sound business decision. Every business wants to lower its operating costs, maximize productivity, and increase employee morale. Installing the latest lighting systems can achieve all three.

Cost-Effective

Cost savings are the obvious benefit. Utility costs can be reduced by as much as 70%, but even a 30 – 50% saving can make a lot of sense when taken over three or four years. This sort of saving not only delivers a quick ROI, but in future years it continues to deliver lower costs. Motion sensors mean that local area lighting can be dimmed when that area is free of activity and instantly fully illuminated when the sensors detect activity.

In many states, there are rebates and incentives to companies which install new lighting and reduce energy use. We are experts in navigating how you can qualify for the rebates and incentives and will handle it on your behalf. Those incentives deliver even faster ROI.

Another potential saving from an LED lighting system is that the heat generated by older systems disappears. That can have a direct impact on cooling needs and A/C costs.

Higher Productivity, Safety, and Morale

Employees working in a well-lit area are less likely to make simple mistakes, for no other reason than they can see exactly what they are doing. Better lighting also improves safety levels. When employees see well, they automatically avoid potential mishaps and accidents. Nothing disrupts productivity and lowers morale like a serious accident.

On a minor note, LEDs do not buzz, so that little irritation disappears, which can also improve morale and productivity.

No Productivity Disruption

We will work around your systems and schedules to ensure your productivity is not disrupted. Many manufacturing facilities have regular preventive maintenance, repair, and new equipment installation events. We can work with your teams to do our work while projects like these are in hand.

The Takeaway

There are many benefits, both immediate and long-term, to retrofit your manufacturing plant’s lighting system. The decision is based on knowledge, so if you would like to learn more and arrange an initial consultation, please just click here to contact us.