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The Swedish-based furniture chain recently announced a new green initiative  Ikea is phasing out sales of all lighting that is not LED-based by 2016 “in an effort to help customers save energy, reduce electricity bills, and cut carbon emissions.” Ikea is the first major home furnishing retailer with a U.S. presence to entirely banish less efficient […]

Google’s data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma will be running more efficiently soon. The search engine giant announced last week that it would buy wind energy from the Grand River Dam Authority to purchase energy. This will be the first time Google has partnered with a utility to buy renewable energy. The GRDA will provide […]

Color rendering index (CRI) is a light’s ability to produce all the colors of the spectrum. This quantitative measure is used for lighting fixtures to determine how closely the light can produce the colors and a bright white light. T8 lamps, the efficient counterpart to the obsolete T12 lights, have four types of CRI: 835, […]

Thinking about solar energy?  Here are some quick facts about this renewable power source that's taking Kansas City by storm. Every minute, enough sunlight reaches the Earth’s surface to meet the world’s energy demand for an entire year Using electricity from photovoltaic panels will replace power produced by coal, oil, and nuclear power plants, plus […]

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are more prevalent in lighting retrofits, especially as many companies are looking to their utilities to provide rebates. The rebates offer a large energy savings that takes reduces upfront costs. “Utilities across the country show limited prescriptive rebate support for LED lighting,” found a report by Groom Energy and GTM research. […]

Solar offers a limitless supply of clean, safe, and renewable energy. Here are some common questions you should consider about solar energy. How do solar panels work?   Solar technology involves using sunlight to create a chemical reaction. A collection of panels is called a solar array. As sunlight reaches the squares, it triggers the release […]

A growing number of businesses are beginning to use renewable energy sources exclusively, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) and Vestas. The 2012 Corporate Renewable Energy Index “ranked 300 global companies based on their voluntary sourcing of renewable energy, and the reasons why they do it.” Researchers found that nearly […]

The more you know about your building and its energy efficiency potential, the more you will begin to recognize opportunities to control energy consumption and costs. Have an energy professional perform an audit of your facility to determine your energy-efficiency priorities Lighting retrofits are quick, easy and have short paybacks Install occupancy sensors & task […]

While induction lighting technology has been around for quite some time, it is now enjoying renewed popularity for its energy efficiency. Induction is a form of fluorescent technology that uses magnets instead of electrodes. The benefits offered make it an ideal solution for interior applications such as high-ceiling warehouses, industrial buildings, cafeterias, gymnasiums, and cold […]