Blog

In October 1962, scientist Dr. Nick Holonyak invented the first light emitting diode (LED). The light, unlike infrared lasers, is visible to the human eye, and has a higher efficiency compared to other lighting technologies. Fifty years later and LED is fast becoming popular among businesses for its low energy and maintenance costs. Holonyak, now […]

So you know you need new lights, but how do you determine what’s the best investment for your facility? Energy efficient lighting projects can include relights, retrofits, or 1-for-1 bulb replacements. But what’s the difference, and why should it matter to your building? What is a lighting retrofit? A lighting retrofit typically means a replacement […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

A recent survey found that 80 percent of real estate investors and managers have sustainability strategies and dedicated resources to implement it. What’s more is that 60 percent have been collecting and reporting energy consumption data this year. The 2012 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Report  included data from 450 property companies that provides […]

Electricity for lighting is one of the biggest business expenses, so why aren’t more businesses using motion sensors? Using motion sensors can reduce your energy load while saving costs on your monthly electricity bill. Motion sensors can give you stress-free control of your interior and exterior lighting. These devices can also increase bulb life hour expectancy, because each time […]

Any building or office manager who is looking to cut costs (and who isn’t these days) will find these quick facts beneficial: Lighting accounts for the largest portion of a commercial building’s electricity bill It is a significant portion of the total energy bill It consumes about 35 percent of the electricity used in commercial […]