by Ralph Girondo | Aug 7, 2019 | LED Replacement Lamps, Lighting Upgrades
Source: WBUR News Date: 6.29.19
By: Francesca Paris produced this interview and edited it for broadcast with Kathleen McKenna. Serena McMahon adapted it for the web.
When you are purchasing lighting these days and you choose LED, the reasons might be energy savings, longer life, environmental, or even because that is what is on the shelf. It’s definitely caused a revolution; however, many are just starting to see the many benefits beyond the most obvious. The below article and interview summary have some good additional reasons ….
We are in the midst of a lighting revolution.
The past decade has seen LED light usage soar in the U.S. as traditional incandescent bulbs went into the trash bin.
In 2010, incandescents were 68% of the bulbs installed in U.S. homes. By 2016, that number had declined to 6%.
That change has shaken up the industry in a good way. Mark Rea, professor at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson that the benefits of LED lights “really make it kind of a slam dunk for a transformation in the way light sources are sold.”
He says those benefits include how many lumens per watt LED lights provide, long-lasting capabilities, ease of control, their glow and the ability to have multiple color options.
Interview Highlights
On the benefits of LED lights
“I think there are two touted benefits. One is how many lumens per watt you get out of it. So an incandescent lamp might be 12 to 15 lumens per watt, and depending on the LED you might get 100 lumens per watt. So that’s a big jump. And the other is longer life. That depends on the application, but generally speaking incandescent lamp might last, say, six months in your home. These can last up to 10 years. So those are really big differences but there are other benefits that people don’t talk so much about. They’re easy to control. So you can do some fancy stuff with them whether you put them on a bridge or you want to have a disco. There’s no filtering that you have to do. It will directly emit the wavelengths you want so you can have a red one or a blue one or a white one.”
On LED lights’ effects on the lighting industry
“People hate change. That’s the first thing. I don’t think anybody anticipated what a disruptive technology [this] was really going to be. For 100 years, we’ve had just a handful of major manufacturers and they pretty well set the standards [and] the policy. And the reason was it was very expensive to try to be in that business. It took a huge capital expense that no one wanted to commit to, to say produce fluorescent lamps or incandescent lamps. With LEDs, they’re cheap and anybody can be a lighting manufacturer now. So it’s really brought down … these major players that really set the tone for ….read more at https://www.wbur.org/npr/746293491/led-lights
by Ralph Girondo | Mar 20, 2019 | Lighting Upgrades
Source: The Seattle Times Date: March 19, 2019
By Stephanie Celt, Kerry Meade, and Nancy Hirsh
Helping property owners refurbish and upgrade the energy efficiency of their buildings would save money, generate jobs and reduce carbon pollution.
The Washington Legislature can act now to improve the environment, grow good-paying jobs and save money. Those triple bottom-line benefits are all possible if the Clean Buildings for Washington Act (Second Substitute HB 1257) becomes law. That’s why our organizations — the NW Energy Coalition, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council and the BlueGreen Alliance — enthusiastically support this effort.
In Washington, our buildings account for 27 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions. They are our fastest growing and second largest source of emissions — up 50 percent since 1990 — and commercial buildings make up approximately half of these emissions. Unlike cars, buildings last a long time and, without investment to address their energy use, they will continue to waste money and create unnecessary climate pollution.
This legislation would take decisive action by renewing and investing in large, older commercial buildings of greater than 50,000 square feet. This is a small portion — about 6 percent — of the commercial buildings in Washington, but they make an outsized contribution to our emissions.
Comments by RG: Favorable Acts, Legislation, and Rebates all can really help to improve lighting and energy projects. This pending Washington Act would be great for Property owners in that area. Contact me here on site for what is available in your area.
by Ralph Girondo | Feb 22, 2019 | Lighting Upgrades
Article Adapted or Condensed; see the full article link below
Architectural lighting design is both an art and a science. The technical and scientific side addresses codes, standards and regulations. The creative, artistic side addresses aesthetics and enhancing the human experience. A good lighting designer with multi-disciplinary knowledge can bridge the gap between these very different sides of the design process. Plus today’s lighting professionals need to know about the latest LED and controls technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), human-centric lighting, and so much more.
Measuring the Value of a Lighting Designer
Commercial lighting design starts with a simple question: What is the intent? There are many ways a lighting designer can enhance a commercial project and/or reduce costs including… Read the full article…
#LEDLighting #IOT #LightingDesign
Comments by RG: A new construction project or a turnkey lighting solution can go good or bad by nature of the objectives and lighting design. Investing time upfront and using a lighting designer can make all the difference in the world to consider all the above. If you need a lighting design or help with planning a lighting upgrade project, contact me for assistance here on my site as we may have the resources you need.
by Ralph Girondo | Feb 12, 2019 | Lighting Upgrades
Source: Industry Today 1.24.19 By Luis Ramirez of Dialight
Comments: Article adapted and condensed. Good article covering how LED fixtures are the perfect IOT backbone to reap not only savings but many other features to enhance productivity. Read more and full article link is below.
Industrial LED lighting has already proven to be a more energy efficient, low-maintenance lighting solution that out-performs and outlasts conventional lighting, especially in harsh industrial environments. By lowering energy use as much as 90 percent compared to legacy systems[1], LED systems help companies save thousands of dollars each year in electricity costs alone. And, with some of the most advanced models warranted to last a full 10 years, the reduced maintenance demand adds thousands more to the return on investment.
In addition to these bottom-line savings, smart industrial LEDs also have tremendous potential to offer broader benefits that impact production efficiency, sustainability and other metrics that can optimize overall facility performance both today and in the future. Here are just a few ways these fixtures of the future will enhance industrial performance.
- Industrial LED fixtures provide a backbone for IIoT. Adoption of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology is steadily growing across virtually every sector.
- Industrial LEDs enhance sustainability. As the energy efficiency of industrial LED lighting systems improves, the impact of reduced pollution output contributes directly toward more sustainable operations.
- Industrial LED fixtures will get better and cheaper. Conventional lighting systems haven’t seen a substantial technological improvement in a generation. The market has essentially stagnated when it comes to innovation, in large part because conventional HID systems like high-pressure sodium are plagued by delicate components and high heat output that cause frequent failures. As these performance enhancements evolve and LED lighting becomes more entrenched in industrial settings, the technology will become more affordable, making it accessible to a wider range of companies. You can read the full article at https://industrytoday.com/article/the-future-of-smart-led-lighting/.
If you want more information or if you want assistance for a lighting upgrade at your facility, please contact me here on this site.
by Ralph Girondo | Jan 22, 2019 | General, Lighting Upgrades
In simple terms, although raw electricity supply costs have dropped, the costs of getting it to you keeps rising. Other associated costs are rising as well so customers are and will keep paying more on their power bills. These other costs can make up more than 50% of your total bill. So what can you do? The proven best ways to reduce you total bill is to limit your consumption. When you limit your consumption, your electricity as well as your peak demand charges will drop. For more information, and how to best truly lower your power bill, contact me for a free consultation…reach out at www.girondolighting.com
by Ralph Girondo | Jan 10, 2019 | Lighting Upgrades
Source: Manufacturing.net 1.10.19 Article by Luis Ramirez, COO of Dialight
In honor of National Cut Your Energy Costs Day on Jan. 10, many consumers will add to their New Year’s Resolution list with a plan to reduce energy consumption and cost. While even small steps like lowering home thermostat temperature by one degree or covering drafty windows with plastic sheeting in the winter can make a big difference for individuals, these savings are pocket change in comparison to the massive energy savings potential that industrial facilities can see by taking their own relatively small step toward efficiency.
By simply modernizing their lighting fixtures with high-efficiency industrial LED lighting, companies can potentially cut their lighting energy consumption by as much as 80 to 90 percent over legacy systems like high-pressure sodium (HPS) and other high-intensity diode (HID) sources. With industrial lighting alone consuming some 58 terawatt hours of energy in the U.S. alone, switching to industrial LED lighting could cut that usage by 52 terawatt hours, saving enough energy to light 37 million homes.
With some 144 million industrial fixtures in use at 455,000 facilities in the U.S., switching to industrial LED fixtures could save American companies a combined total of $3.6 billion in energy cost each year. That’s in addition to the substantial savings reduced maintenance costs thanks to LED’s much longer useful life, which eliminates the frequent bulb changes common with HPS and other conventional lights for up to a decade or more.
How can switching to industrial LED fixtures have such a tremendous energy saving advantage? Here are five ways industrial LED lighting can cut energy costs today and for years down the road.
- Up to 90 percent greater efficiency per fixture. Compared to electricity-hogging conventional HID systems, industrial LED fixtures sip energy. With some of the highest-efficiency LED systems now up to 90 percent more efficient1 than equivalent output HPS lights, this dramatic reduction in energy use adds up fast when you consider that a single facility might have thousands of lights burning 24/7. Industrial lighting uses enough power to light a third of all homes in the U.S.2, which means any reduction here can have a substantial impact on overall energy use.
- Twice the light at half the energy. Because industrial LED fixtures deliver up to 60 percent more light output at the source, facilities get more lumens per watt with LEDs compared to HPS and other HID lighting. And, because LEDs can be configured to direct the light exactly where it’s needed—on the ground and other critical areas—this results in less wasted light on the walls, ceiling and other unnecessary areas, resulting in over 30 percent more delivered light. That means companies get more light where they need it, often with fewer fixtures, and more bang for their buck.
- Smart controls add 50 percent more savings. Unlike HPS fixtures, which require an extended warmup period to come up to full output, LED fixtures are instant-on, delivering full output the moment the switch is flipped. This enables industrial LED fixtures to be equipped with smart controls, such as occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors, as well as programmed dimming and other configurable lighting schematics. This dramatically reduces burn time compared to HPS lights, which are often left burning 24/7 to avoid the warmup and can further cut energy use and cost by up to 50 percent per day.
- Lower maintenance energy cost. Conventional HPS bulbs fail as often as every 24,000 hours and more frequently in high-vibration and other harsh environments, resulting in frequent change-out. This routine maintenance often requires the use of mechanical lifts, supplemental lighting and production shutdowns that can add to a facility’s energy costs. Because high-performance industrial LED fixtures can last more than 100,000 hours9, virtually eliminating lighting maintenance for up to 10 years or more, companies can avoid wasting the energy (and time and money) it takes to replace lamps.
- Reducing pollution saves more money (and the planet). The cost savings associated with switching from HPS to LED lighting extend beyond the direct energy expenses. As more companies aim to reduce their carbon footprint, lowering energy consumption can also reduce the need to purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions. Meanwhile, disposal of conventional HPS bulbs (one of which contains enough mercury to poison an entire classroom of children) requires additional hazmat handling costs, which are eliminated by converting to LEDs. On the upside of the equation, sustainable operations are also good for business, with an estimated $1.2 trillion opportunity for brands that publicize their sustainable efforts.
With hundreds of millions of industrial fixtures in place, fewer than 90 percent of which are LED system, there is a tremendous opportunity for businesses to cut their energy costs by converting to industrial LED technology. Making the switch not only delivers an immediate drop in electricity use that generates a quick payback, but because of their long-life performance, the cost-saving benefits of LED fixtures continues to add up over time.
With a wider variety of fixtures now available at a cost that’s declined 80 percent in the last five years as the technology has matured, investing in high-performance, high-efficiency industrial LED fixtures can be one of the most effective ways for companies to cut energy costs as well as improve overall plant efficiency and sustainability.
Comments by Ralph: Good article and points as the benefits to LED are many and now for all types of environments. What savings are you sitting on and how can we help you find out and capture them? Whether Interior or Exterior, local or all over the USA, I can help with Dialight and many other quality lines. FSG covers Product, Installation, Rebates, Recycling and more. If interested, you can reach me here on this site or at (267)370-1442.
