In retail most business owners take careful planning into the walls, the floors, and how products are displayed. But often we find that smaller business neglect to recognize the need for good lighting. Often times business owners tell us that by the time they get the store up and running that a good lighting system is not in the budget. Great lighting doesn’t have to come from any large expense. This is a misconception and due to lack of knowledge.

Great Lighting Is Not Expensive

Great lighting can be created by simply selecting a fairly inexpensive light bulb that is appropriate for the type of products being displayed, or sold. Factors to consider are the primary colors of merchandise, reflectance of walls and floors as well as natural day lighting coming in through windows. When we look at a situation such as a Mattress Store, the primary color is white. Therefore having light bulbs that give the truest tone of white coloring, the mattresses will look whiter and brighter.

There Is No Excuse For Bad Lighting

On a visit to another local mattress store, the sales person informed us that they did not want bright white light bulbs in their ceiling because they did not want customers to lay down and stare into a bright light. However retail logic tells us that customers are not concerned with what is in the ceiling, just how great the product they are interested in buying appears. So when Land Of Sleep decided to purchase natural White Light Bulbs from Synergy Lighting, they did exactly what any great mattress store should do. Make their product look amazing!

Making The Change Is Easy

The change over to Natural White Lighting for this mattress retailer was inexpensive and resulted in a 40% energy savings over traditional 4 lamp fluorescent fixtures. No new fixtures or large expenses was needed, just a simple change of light bulbs to do the trick!  Not only was the change a dramatic effect, but it paid for itself from the energy savings. Now when customers come in to view a mattress, the product looks stunning, sales are increased and when laying down to try the matress out, customers can close their eyes and picture themselves in mattress heaven!

For more information on Natural White Light Bulbs, view our website and call Synergy Lighting for a free consultation.

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com

One of the biggest problems with Fluorescent Lighting and light fixtures is and has always been a lack of public awareness as to the products being used. Typically a consumer or facility maintenance department know what kind of bulbs they need for a fixture, and when it comes time for a ballast, they seek “A Ballast” that would appropriately run the number and type of lamps being used.

There Are Many Types of Fluorescent Ballasts

Manufacturers such as Sylvania, Advance, GE and Prolume, (Many others), all make fluorescent T8 ballasts. What most people do not know is they make many different kinds all for the same lamp combination.  These include:

• Residential Grade Ballasts
• Standard General Ballast
• CEE Rated High Efficiency Ballasts

Each of these varying grades of fluorescent electronic ballasts are available in 120 Volt, 277 Volt and Universal Voltage. Not only are they available in varying voltages, but they as well have a great variance as to the characteristics, energy consumption, light output and bottom line price.

The Benefits of Ballast Types & Pricing

Residential Grade Ballasts

Electronic Fluorescent Ballasts made for residential use are very common and typically found pre-installed in fluorescent fixtures available at stores like Home Depot and Lowes. The fixtures from these sources often carry a lower price than those available from commercial electric or lighting companies with the only difference being the ballast installed. The Residential or (GEB) Generic Electronic Ballast, are made with lower usage requirements such as 3 hours use per day. They have a smaller and less expensive electrolytic capacitor that when used for extended periods of time, crystallizes internally and fails. These ballasts when used in a commercial application rather than as a “Garage Light” usually fail with a year or two. Ballast cost @ $12.00 each.

See: Advance Residential Ballast Brochure

Standard General Ballasts

Standard  ballasts are designed for use in retail and offices with run times averaging 8-10 hours per use daily. Typically this is the “Normal” ballast you will receive when asking a supplier for a ballast.   These are readily available, and often come with very competitive pricing from distributors @ $15.50 to $21.oo per ballast. The quality of these ballasts are average, however they last @ 3 -5 years maximum life and only carry a warranty longer than 3 years if installed with the same brand lamps as the ballast manufacturer.  There is no energy benefits when using standard general ballasts, other than understanding that they operate with a ballast factor of 88%, which means the lamps are putting out 12% less light.  Examples of a stadard use ballast: Sylvania Quicktronic (QTP4x32T8 ISN-SC)

CEE Rated High Efficiency Ballasts

High Efficiency Ballasts are considered to be the “Best Quality, Most Efficient” ballasts available in today’s market. These ballasts which meet the efficiency standards of Energy Star and (CEE) Consortium For Energy Efficiency provide maximum light output of 95% of the design lumen output and producing up to 99.8 lumen’s per watt.  These are excellent choices for office, warehouse such as Fluorescent High Bay fixtures as well as retail store lighting.

This means brighter light, greater energy savings and a complete 5 year factory warranty no matter how many hours of use in any application.

See: Halco High Efficiency Brochure

For more information view our website or call Synergy Lighting for a free consultation.  Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com

The transformation of the lighting industry to LED (Light emitting Diodes) is growing more and more popular. Customers often ask if there are fluorescent light bulb replacements with LED. In years past the answer was yes, and followed by pure disappointment for those who purchased these lamps. However with the Superior Life T8 LED lamp, disappointment is far from our professional vocabulary.

The Superior Life LED T8 lamp is an efficient way to light sockets once traditionally reserved for linear fluorescent tubes. They consume up to 80% less energy, thereby significantly reducing operating costs. The superior life hours of this lamp makes it ideal for hard to reach places, reducing maintenance.

• 50,000 hour operation
• No ballasts required
• Warm or Natural White
• Mercury Free
• No UV
• No Projected Heat

Recently one of our customers retrofitted their entire operation to LED Superior Life T8 Lamps, you can decide for yourself if these new LED’s do the job with pure satisfaction!

For more information on LED Lighitng or LED Light Bulbs, view our website or call Synergy Lighting for a free consultation.

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com