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Retrofitting outdated lighting systems can help save on energy by reducing the lighting costs and energy consumption.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.

How to Overcome Your Leadership’s Objections to a Lighting Retrofit

Your facility’s need for a lighting retrofit is clear to you. Yet, your supervisor, the owner, or another leadership team member needs to be convinced it’s time to move forward. Objections to a commercial lighting retrofit frequently are based on misconceptions you can overcome with facts. Here are ways to advocate for your facility’s commercial lighting retrofit in the face of three common objections.

Objection: A lighting retrofit is costly. Our organization has other budget priorities.

Response: Many organizations realize a return on investment for their lighting retrofit in less than three years. Today’s highly energy-efficient lighting solutions decrease maintenance and energy costs. For example, an Oregon grocery distribution center saved $189,811 in annual energy costs and $47,000 in annual maintenance costs as a result of its lighting retrofit. Experienced lighting solution providers like Relumination offer free lighting consultations to determine the viability of a lighting upgrade.

Also, a lighting retrofit usually qualifies for significant utility company incentives. The professionals at Relumination know how to get the maximum utility rebate their clients are eligible for.

Objection: We did a lighting upgrade 12 years ago. We don’t need a lighting retrofit now.

Response: That upgrade was to T8 fluorescent lighting. Switching to energy-efficient LED lighting would reduce energy costs. Although we did see a measure of energy savings from going to T8 fluorescent lighting back then, a portion of those savings resulted from T8 fluorescent’s lower light levels. By choosing LED lighting, we could simultaneously increase light levels and lower costs.

Objection: There isn’t a business need for a lighting retrofit.

Response: Commercial lighting retrofits have benefits for all of our stakeholders. Since a retrofit can improve light levels, employees make fewer mistakes. In turn, quality control improves and the risk of injury decreases.

In addition, better lighting makes customers feel safer when they come to our facility. For management, the advantages of a commercial lighting retrofit are in the bottom line.

When you overcome your leadership’s objections to a commercial lighting retrofit, contact us at Relumination for a free lighting consultation.

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.

What to Consider When Comparing LED Products

A good LED system will last for years, deliver the right amount of light for the area and the people working in it, and will not generate unnecessary heat. A bad LED system will have a shorter effective working life, may not generate enough light for as long as expected, and may also cause other problems. So, knowing what to look for and how to spot a bad LED will pay dividends.

Warranty

LED lighting should last for many years. Most manufacturers offer a minimum 5-year warranty and many are beginning to offer a 10-year as the standard. Any fixture with less than a 5-year warranty suggests a higher potential for quality issues.

Illumination

Brightness is given in lumens, not wattage. Older technologies typically offer an omnidirectional output, while LED offers the ability to direct the light where it is needed using specially designed optics built into the fixture.

The LED Chip and Capacitor

The quality of the product depends to a critical extent on the chip. Traditionally, the best chips were manufactured in the USA and Japan, but now Korean and Chinese companies also make high quality chips. Chip quality depends on both the material used and its size. Smaller chips have a shorter life and provide less illumination. All LED fixtures will have a life expectancy, many quality manufacturers offer an L70 rating over 100,000 hours.

Color Temperature and Accuracy

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) is a gauge of how yellow (warm) or blue (cool) the color of light emitted from a light bulb appears. It’s measured in the Kelvin unit and is most commonly found between 2200 Kelvin degrees and 6500 Kelvin degrees. Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measure of a light source’s ability to show object an object’s “truest” color. Simply put, the metric is a number between 0 and 100 that is used to predict how well a product renders color. The closer to 100, the better – or truer – colors should look under its light. Color accuracy matters in many manufacturing plants where detail is key.

Summary Point

LED lighting is essential for a safe and efficient work environment. Choosing and installing the right type of lighting for each area is essential for both worker efficiency and product life. There are countless online retailers and fly by night manufacturers that can offer an LED fixture, although quality manufacturers offer quality materials, heat sink technology and design to provide a long lasting, energy efficient product. Contact us, to discuss your needs.

How to Overcome Your Leadership’s Objections to a Lighting Retrofit

Your facility’s need for a lighting retrofit is clear to you. Yet, your supervisor, the owner, or another leadership team member needs to be convinced it’s time to move forward. Objections to a commercial lighting retrofit frequently are based on misconceptions you can overcome with facts. Here are ways to advocate for your facility’s commercial lighting retrofit in the face of three common objections.

Objection: A lighting retrofit is costly. Our organization has other budget priorities.

Response: Many organizations realize a return on investment for their lighting retrofit in less than three years. Today’s highly energy-efficient lighting solutions decrease maintenance and energy costs. For example, an Oregon grocery distribution center saved $189,811 in annual energy costs and $47,000 in annual maintenance costs as a result of its lighting retrofit. Experienced lighting solution providers like Relumination offer free lighting consultations to determine the viability of a lighting upgrade.

Also, a lighting retrofit usually qualifies for significant utility company incentives. The professionals at Relumination know how to get the maximum utility rebate their clients are eligible for.

Objection: We did a lighting upgrade 12 years ago. We don’t need a lighting retrofit now.

Response: That upgrade was to T8 fluorescent lighting. Switching to energy-efficient LED lighting would reduce energy costs. Although we did see a measure of energy savings from going to T8 fluorescent lighting back then, a portion of those savings resulted from T8 fluorescent’s lower light levels. By choosing LED lighting, we could simultaneously increase light levels and lower costs.

Objection: There isn’t a business need for a lighting retrofit.

Response: Commercial lighting retrofits have benefits for all of our stakeholders. Since a retrofit can improve light levels, employees make fewer mistakes. In turn, quality control improves and the risk of injury decreases.

In addition, better lighting makes customers feel safer when they come to our facility. For management, the advantages of a commercial lighting retrofit are in the bottom line.

When you overcome your leadership’s objections to a commercial lighting retrofit, contact us at Relumination for a free lighting consultation.

3 Ways to Improve Energy-Efficiency In Commercial Buildings

Lighting is the largest use of electricity in commercial facilities. With the current pandemic and unpredictable future, saving money is more important than ever. Relumination has helped our customers save more than 4 million dollars to date, and we can help your commercial business too. Here are 3 ways we can increase energy savings and provide a more efficient lighting system for your commercial facility.

1. LED Lights

LED lighting is up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting. LEDs are also longer lasting than traditional bulbs which will save you the time and energy of having to replace them often. LED lights are cheaper to run because they use significantly less electricity than traditional bulbs, which in return will cut out a large chunk of the electricity bill.

2. Use Sensors

Taking advantage of sensory can help cut down on costs. Using sensors in infrequently used spaces such as restrooms or storage spaces can save money by only running the lights when needed. By only running the lights when the room is occupied employees won’t have to worry about spreading germs through light switches or having to turn off and on the lights while carrying something, all while lowering the electricity bill.

3. Zoning

Most commercial buildings have the lights arranged in the original layout that they were when the building was built. Updating the layout of the lighting can help reduce costs. By rezoning your lighting layout you can take advantage of different types of lighting i.e low hanging and dimming in certain areas to help reduce costs and provide each area with the ideal lighting.

Relumination uses an effective 6 step approach to give each unique facility the best energy-efficient lighting solution. By determining your needs and creating a custom lighting plan, Relumination can increase your energy savings and provide you with a more efficient lighting system.

If you’re ready to trim a bit of your electricity and add to your savings contact Relumination today to get in touch with one of our professionals!

 

 

Dispelling 6 Myths About LED Lighting

Are you considering a lighting retrofit in your facility? LED lighting is a great upgrade, but it’s one that project managers are sometimes hesitant to make. The truth is, there are a lot of myths out there that should be dispelled. Let’s take a look at some of them so that you can understand why replacing your current lighting system with LED fixtures is the right move to make.

Myth 1: LED Lighting is Expensive

This is one of the more common myths, that LED light fixtures cost much more than fixtures of other types. These days, this simply isn’t true. Modern manufacturing processes have driven the cost of LED fixtures down—and operational costs are much lower, too. LEDs last longer, which reduces replacement costs, and they use up to 80% less energy than other types of lighting.

Myth 2: LEDs Produce Harsh White Lighting

While it may have been true many years ago that LED lighting systems typically produced bright white light, again, modern innovation has come to the rescue. Today, LED lighting systems come in a wide variety of color temperatures, which means that your new lighting system can be designed to produce light in whatever shade you need.

Myth 3: LEDs Won’t Work in Cold Environments

This pervasive myth has led many to assume LED lighting systems are unsuitable for outdoor applications or in production facilities where the temperature is kept low. However, the reverse is true: LED lights actually become more efficient in cold environments. This is because higher temperatures shorten the lifespan of electrical components—and that’s why incandescent bulbs burn out so quickly. LEDs work just fine in cold environments and may even last longer!

Myth 4: LED Lights Contain Hazardous Chemicals

This is a myth that carries over from compact florescent bulbs, which contain mercury.  Because of that, florescent bulbs must be disposed of very carefully. No such thing is true of LEDs. These lights contain no mercury or other hazardous chemicals. What’s more, they’re easily recycled just like any electronic device.

Myth 5: LEDs Can Cause Eye Damage

While it’s true that bright white lighting can be a strain on the eyes, LEDs are no more dangerous than any other type of lighting system. In a commercial facility, the key is to design a lighting system that provides proper illumination in color temperatures that are easy on the eyes. Because LEDs are now available in a variety of brightnesses and shades, designing lighting that is easy on the eyes is a simple task.

Myth 6: Dimmers Won’t Work with LEDs

Perhaps this was true in the very earliest days of LED lighting, but today, it’s very possible to dim these lights. It is true that dimming requires a different technology than what is used for incandescent or florescent lighting. However, forward-phase and reverse-phase dimmers are available to provide with the dimming effect you’re looking for.

Want to learn more about how making the upgrade to LED lighting can benefit your facility? Contact us so that we can discuss your lighting needs.

Why a LED Lighting Retrofit is so Beneficial to Commercial Industries

What is a Lighting Retrofit?

A lighting retrofit is the installation of new light fixtures that weren’t there before. In this article, I will be going over all the benefits you can expect to see with your lighting retrofit.

What Exactly are the Benefits?

One of the most apparent benefits comes from the fact that you save energy and bulbs with LED.  Customers have seen upwards of a 90% reduction in energy consumption. When replacing old technology with LED, a facility can extend the lamp life, reduce maintenance costs and provide superior lighting compared to all other lighting systems. You won’t have to worry about dimly lit rooms ever again. One little known benefit is the heat given off by LED is far lower than other lights. The build-up of heat from older lights can set off your HVAC system and give you unnecessary expenses.

Secondly, potential tax breaks and utility incentives. Depending on your residency and the kinds of lights you wish to get installed, retrofitting could make you qualified for an assortment of tax breaks, incentives and grants. These are offered through government and utility programs to encourage companies to be more green.

Thirdly, safety reasons. An adequately lit office is free from dark areas, flickering, and even poor color of light. Luckily, LED provides a clean and crisp view. The quality of the light makes it appear more natural, especially when compared to older lighting systems. Consequently, this results in far fewer workplace incidents, allowing Business owners to breathe easier. Employees will also have a much easier time getting their work done in a well-illuminated workspace, increasing productivity.  The brightness from the lights also deters criminals who may want to break in and take advantage of poor lighting.

Lighting Retrofits can drastically improve the work environment, while simultaneously saving you BIG. You can make your money back off of your savings, tax cuts, utility incentives or grants you get access to after making the switch.

Why Upgrade?

The bottom line of most businesses is to save as much money as possible. With a lighting retrofit, you can know you’re making the right call. With LED’s money-saving potential, it would not be very reasonable to stick to older lights, especially when there are potential government programs that can profoundly assist with the cost of installation. Over time, using older, inefficient lights will cost you more than if you spent the money to have an LED lighting retrofit. Overall if you’re interested in saving money while improving the safety of the work environment, contact us.

5 Simple Tips to Improve Energy-Efficiency in Your Business

As a business owner, you want to do everything you can to save money while ensuring your employees and customers have what they need. One of the ways that you can do this is by switching to energy-efficient lighting. Below are five tips that you can use to do this.

Switch to LED

LED bulbs are a lot more energy efficient than regular light bulbs. They use 50% less energy than typical light bulbs, and they last a lot longer, which is also much better for the environment. In addition, they give off a lot less heat, so this means you don’t have to run the air conditioning as much.

Take Advantage of Natural Light

If your business has large windows or skylights, take advantage of sunny days and you will see that your electricity bills are going down. When you are using the sunshine rather than lights, you are using a lot less energy.

Add Sensors & Controls

Lighting sensors and controls will help you save money by turning the lights off automatically when you are not using them. Advanced controls offer daylight harvesting, zone control, task tuning, dimming, temperature/humidity and energy monitoring.

Choose the Right Light for the Task

Match your lights to your tasks. LED is available in a lot of styles and you can use them anywhere. Simply find the right type of lighting for the area and you’ll save money.

These are just five quick and easy ways that you can save money with your lighting solutions in your business. Making your business energy efficient with lighting is a simple and quick way that you can cut costs without affecting your customers’ experience or your employees’ work. Want to know more? Contact us today and let us tell you how we can help.

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.