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Retrofitting outdated lighting systems can help save on energy by reducing the lighting costs and energy consumption.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

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.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

 

How to Use Lights to Encourage Social Distancing

One of the challenges that facilities face during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to monitor the health and safety of their employees. One of the biggest prevention measures for combating COVID-19 is the act of social distancing and wearing proper protective equipment. An advanced network lighting control system can help you control and monitor social distancing for your employees. This can be done by using a variety of methods from setting up lighting schedules for specific zones to monitoring auxiliary spaces.

Encouraging social distancing

People generally want to do the right thing when it comes to social distancing but they also need a little guidance on how best to accomplish that. By using what you have on hand you can set guidelines and boundaries for employees to clearly follow. For example, you can set the lights in a pattern that sets employees apart. This way they know that as long as they’re in a lighted area, they are practicing proper social distancing.

This may also mean switching things around on the warehouse floor to accommodate but your employee’s health and wellness during these times are worth it.

Controls for Safety

Task Tuning – With the proper lighting system the ability to customize and manage precise lighting parameters on individual fixtures, or override entire groups quickly and easily through the mobile and web applications. The ability to set up schedules and zones can be used to identify areas that may be restricted during certain times throughout the day.

Event-Based Alerts – Configure value-based thresholds for any single variable (such as temperature, relative humidity, etc.), and receive alerts via email, push notification, or SMS. The potential to monitor temperatures throughout facility can be a valuable asset to maintain a safe environment.

Monitor Auxiliary Spaces – Gain insight into intervening spaces or unmonitored auxiliary areas to proactively identify high traffic areas. Keeping a close eye on where employees gather is vital in determining the appropriate processes to encourage social distancing.

Protect Product Quality – Monitor critical production or storage areas to ensure that optimal and/or required environmental conditions are met and maintained, and product quality isn’t compromised. During these times promoting safety and quality is more important than ever, having sensor based controls can enhance current processes and help to determine necessary improvements.

Conclusion

COVID-19 is forcing a lot of people to think outside the box when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus. The best thing to do is to encourage social distancing with what you have on hand. Using your localized lighting management system can be a great way to accomplish this. If you need more information or need a light system that accomplishes this task, then check us out here to get the process started.

How Advanced Network Lighting Controls Can Benefit Your Facility

Are you an office manager, or do you manage a warehouse or factory? If you do, then you know how good lighting is critical for productivity and keeping people safe.  More and more office, warehouse and factory managers are discovering the benefits of using advanced network lighting controls for their facilities. Here’s what you need to know about advanced network lighting controls and how it can help your facility. 

What Are Network Lighting Controls? 

Maybe you’ve heard of the term “network lighting controls” but aren’t quite sure what it means. Simply put, network lighting controls (NLC), allows a cloud-based software to maximize energy savings, improve productivity,
and maintain safe, comfortable light levels.means the ability to set lighting schedules throughout a facility at each lighting fixture rather than for an entire lighting circuit.

Basic Benefits of NLC Over Basic Lighting Controls

This lighting system is advanced or better than basic lighting controls for several reasons. For example:

  • Fixture integrated sensors that permit lighting control at each individual fixture instead of using an entire light circuit allowing for a more granular control.
  • It uses networked systems, allowing the ability to be controlled from any device.
  • Wireless technology makes the lighting system easy to install as well as reconfigure.
  • Each of the fixtures can be set, independently, for dimming and illumination.
  • By dimming or even eliminating unused lighting, your facility uses less energy, so you save money.
  • Daylight harvesting allows the lighting to adjust automatically to stay at a target level as a response to natural light levels.
  • Ability to expand to sensors to monitor non-lighting items, such as humidity, temperature, space optimization, power metering and much more.
  • It provides lighting that’s more attuned to workers within a space. As a result, employees are more likely to do a better job and produce more.

The Bottom Line:

By using advanced Network Lighting Controls, you can save time, be more productive and efficient, and save money. If you’re thinking about a lighting upgrade, contact us for a no-cost lighting anaylsis.