Synergy Lighting is Florida’s #1 Lutron Shades Authorized Dealer. Proudly serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Clearwater, Tampa, Orlando, Naples and all surrounding areas. Lutron shades offer the highest levels of quality for commercial and residential clients. Automation of your roller shades is easy with Lutron Serena, Sivoia QS, Sivoia QS Triathalon and Savoia QS Wireless Shades. These shades provide exceptional style, functionality, and protection from both harmful UV and heat. With over 300 fabric choices, the Lutron Savoia Roller shades are sure to meet your needs!

Lutron Shades – Full Service Sales, Installation and Maintenance at Wholesale Prices!

Synergy Lighting offers free on-site estimates for residential and commercial projects. Our shading experts will help you select the best shading option for your home or business. As well we provide full installation and set up of your Lutron Shades. Want to integrate your shades, lighting and air conditioning to a single app on your phone or digital device? Synergy Lighting also offers complete in home integration of lighting and shading systems!

Lutron Roller and Honeycomb Shades For Residential

Sivoia QS Triathlon is the most fashionable, flexible and affordable motorized shading system available today. This battery-powered solution offers industry-leading battery life for easy installation and maintenance, perfect for retrofit applications. Available in new roller shade or insulating honeycomb styles, these shades have a wide variety of beautiful fabric colors and textures to meet the functional and aesthetic needs of any space. Able to work as a standalone or system solution, these shades can be controlled at the touch of a button.

Lutron Commercial Automated Roller Shades

Lutron’s new Contract Roller is a comprehensive, commercial grade roller shade line designed to meet the performance and budget requirements of any commercial application. Whether its providing solar shading in restaurants, hospitality or office environments to full black out light control for presentations, Lutron automated roller shades are an excellent choice. The Lutron roller shades may be individually controlled or controlled in sync with one another. New quite roller technology stays silent, and all shades can be controlled by wall switch, scene controller or remote control.

Call us today to have one of our shading experts help designt he shading system that best fits your needs! 1-877-220-5483

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Are you tired of the same old boring Fluorescent Troffers in the ceiling, and seeking a more modern up-to-date appearance combined with energy savings?  Than Synergy Lighting offers the best solution to fit your needs. No longer do you have to spend hundreds of dollars per fixture to have modern light fixtures installed. Synergy Lighting provides a simple, affordable retrofit that will turn you existing fluorescent fixtures into the modern design fixtures typically seen in new construction.

Direct-Indirect Retofit Kit Creates Modern Appeal

Our KIB Retrofit kit costs less than half of a new fixture. The only difference between a new fixture and our fantastic retrofit unit is the main fixture body. This is the steel part of the fixture above the ceiling grid that doesn’t go bad and no one ever sees. All the important components, such as door frames, lens, sockets, ballasts and wiring are replaced with new brand new components. With the KIB Retrofit Kit, your old 4 lamp fixture using 168 watts is reduced to only 108 watts using modern day T5 High Lumen Lamps.

The KIB Retrofit creates an energy savings of $32.00 per fixture per year, and pays for itself in less than 18 months! 

Simple, Fast Installation Saves On Labor

Labor costs are drastically reduced as the KIB Direct-Indirect Retrofit kit installs in less than 3 minutes. That’s right, you can retrofit an entire office in less than an hour! Just watch the video below to see how easy it is to have the modern appeal of a Direct-Indirect Troffer in minutes!

For More information on this product or other fluorescent retrofit kits, or to receive a quote for your business or energy saving project, call us today at 877-220-5483!

We realize that there have been numerous articles and stories trying to explain how rare earth metals are effecting fluorescent light bulbs prices. Most of these articles are very elaborate and tell you a lot of information you might not understand. So here is a very simple explanation we can give you.

The United States ceased production of rare earth metals in 1999 in an effort to protect our natural resources. When the United States made the decision, it forced manufacturers to purchase these rare earth elements from other countries such as China. China realized that the U.S. and Arabian countries have oil, but the shear size of the rare earth deposits in China could be China’s version of a natural resource super power. Currently China produces 97% of all rare earth metals in the world.

China Reduces Export Of Rate Earth Metals

China has reached a point in their economic growth where the needs of China for rare earth metals are becoming much greater. Given the economic growth needs of China, the Chinese government has drastically reduced the export of these metals to other countries. This is a move on their part to protect their own growth, but also force more manufacturing to come to china.

Rare Earth Metals In Fluorescent Lamps

Of the rare earth metals mined in China are Yttrium (Y), Europium (Eu), and Terbium (Tb). These rare earth metals are phosphors, and are refined and processed into blended phosphors used to produce fluorescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. This is what is know as Tri-Phosphor Technology. In the reduction of export of these metals to the U.S. and for fluorescent lamps being made in China for export to the U.S., the costs have risen exorbitantly on the simple basis of supply and demand.

Every light bulb manufacturer has been victim of this situation now referred to as the “Phosphor Crisis” or “Rare Earth Mineral Crisis”, and the costs are rising rapidly. The white powder inside each fluorescent lamp is made from the processed rare earth minerals. Manufacturers such as Sylvania, Philips, General Electric and other major manufacturers of fluorescent bulbs can’t buy the amounts of phosphors needed to meet U.S. production requirements.  As the cost of these rare earth minerals rises, and the supply is reduced, the cost of fluorescent and CFL light bulbs is rising on a daily basis.

Will Fluorescent Price Increase Level Off?

It is very hard to predict where the end of this crisis will be without Government interference. Many U.S. mines that were previously mothballed are recommencing mining of the U.S. supply. Not only are these elements rare, but they are also used in the production of hybrid cars, defense navigation and weapons technology, and electronic devices. The United States Congress is more than aware of the problem and claims that this situation will not only effect Americans economically, but it also poses a risk to our national security. The U.S. mines will not be completely up and running, nor at a level of price competitiveness for several years to come. For now and the foreseeable future, these costs affecting several industries and the lighting industry will continue to rise incrementally.

Learn more about Rare Earth Metals with the video below from CNN.

Over the years we have often heard customers complain that fluorescent light bulbs cause them to suffer from headaches. But was it really the bulbs?  Or, was it simply the slight flickering of older ballasts going bad causing brief subtleties in the eye that was causing headaches, or could it be more than that? The magnetic ballast for T12 uses coiled wire and creates magnetic fields to transform voltage, and in the United States operates at 60 Hz. This means that for intensive purposes, the light bulbs are actually being turned on an off 60 times per second.  Surely some eyes would be bothered if the flickering became more noticeable. So when our customers changed from magnetic ballasts to the new electronic ballasts that operates at over 20,000hz, many of these complaints of headaches went away.

Scientists Claim CFL’s Pose A Health Risk

Lately, with the banning of incandescent light bulbs, the compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) have grown exponentially as the common place light bulb of today. Operating with self contained electronic ballasts, we would initially believe that surely no one would suffer headaches from these energy saving light bulbs.  However, scientists have recently started talking publicly about CFL’s and Dirty Energy and claims that CFL’s actually pose a health risk. We must wonder if health could really be affected by CFL’s and what about the lamps would cause this issue?

What is Dirty Energy?

Dirty Energy is defined as any negative result from an energy product. This could be harmful gases created from coal burning, to ultra violet emissions to electromagnetic energy. 

Basically if the energy produced or any portion of the process to make the energy can be harmful to anyone or the environment than it would be considered dirty energy. So then we must ask, do CFL’s cause dirty energy? 16:9 a Canadian reporting television show leads us to believe that they do in a 2009 story that never aired in the U.S. Their research yields an interest to the ideal that CFL’s produce electromagnetic emissions that cause serious health risks and headaches. We know T12 linear fluorescent ballasts use and electromagnetic field to generate light from a fluorescent bulb, so could that have been what was causing customers headaches at work? Is the energy saving created by CFL’s worth health problems?

You be the judge!

To learn more or find New energy saving lighting products that do not emit Dirty Energy, visit us online at www.synergylightingusa.com or call us toll free at 1-877-220-5483.

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com

Consumers will soon no longer have to travel to the car dealership to find a Hybrid. Starting in 2011, GE Lighting brings hybrid technology to the lighting world in the form of a unique, new incandescent-shaped light bulb that combines the instant brightness of halogen technology with the energy efficiency and longer rated life of compact fluorescent (CFL) technology.

One of the biggest complaints with CFL light bulbs is the 2 minute delay for lamps to reach peek brightness. GE Lighting feels that this new Hybrid Halogen-CFL is the futures cure. The halogen capsule inside GE’s new hybrid halogen-CFL bulb comes on instantly, allowing the bulb to operate noticeably brighter in less than a half a second. The capsule shuts off once the CFL comes to full brightness. The initial product launch will bring U.S. and Canadian consumers GE Reveal® and GE Energy Smart® Soft White varieties that offer significantly greater instant brightness than current covered CFLs, while preserving the energy efficiency and long life attributes that have elevated CFLs as a lighting staple in many households.

GE scientists engineered the bulb to operate with an exceptionally low level of mercury: 1 mg. Currently available CFLs range from 1.5 mg to 3.5 mg. The hybrid halogen-CFL bulbs will be RoHS compliant and offer eight times the life of incandescent bulbs (8,000 hours vs. 1,000 hours). Less frequent replacement due to longer light bulb life can reduce landfill waste.

First to launch will be 15-watt and 20-watt hybrid halogen-CFL bulbs that are considered viable replacements for 60-watt and 75-watt incandescent bulbs, respectively. Retail pricing and specific distribution availability will be announced in the coming months.

For more information on switching to Energy Saving Lighting, 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

For years Synergy Lighting has proposed and sold energy saving lighting to commercial businesses. However, from time to time, we have ran into situations where an Electrician or Amateur Lighting Sales Person walks into a customers door and tells them that they don’t have energy saving lighting. For a business owner who has invested into energy saving products or systems, these statements can often leave a business owner feeling uneasy about their previous purchase. This results in a clearly defined need for a customer of any kind to understand a few basic principles about energy savings and a basic understanding of electrician knowledge.

Electricians vs. Lighting Professionals

Electrician’s are usually masters of their trade, however, when it comes to commercial lighting, electricians depend on the expertise of a Lighting Professional to perform the specification of products, application, layout and design. Being a master electrician does not mean that the electrician knows much about lighting, that is not their job.  The product knowledge and expertise comes from the Lighting Professionals. Surely the electrician has the knowledge, skills and ability to ensure that proper wiring is pulled and the specified voltage is used to power a lighting fixture, but electricians always count on the Lighting Professional to know what products are to be used. This knowledge only comes from years of of professional, specialty training in commercial lighting products. A lighting profesisonal possess an acute ability to determine the proper products, lumens, color, and placement that an electrician must contend with when installing the lighting system.

There Are Two Basic Forms Of Energy Savings:

The Energy Saving System

Energy saving systems are designed to implement energy savings throughout a commercial building or area based on the existing types of lighting being used. This system can be established by using dedicated “Energy Saving” Products, or by using alternate products that manipulate the use of lumen’s/per watt such as Scotopically Richor High Lumen products. An example of this is replacing (4) Cool White Lamps with (2) High Lumen, High Scotopically Rich Lamps. In cases such as this, the older cool white produce much less light than 2 of the newer high lumen lamps. Though the High Lumen Natural White Lamps are not independently rated as an energy saving product, they are however an integral part of an energy saving system, thus causing an 86 Watts Per Fixture savings.

In the use of an energy saving system, an Electrician or Ameteur Lighting Salesmen may state to a customer that they did not buy energy saving products, and mislead a customer into an alternate purchase they do not need. This is because in an Energy Saving System, they can not see the “Before” to understand the impact of the “After” system installed.

Energy Saving Products

The products on the market that are label as “energy saving” are typically measured by lumen’s/per watt and independently marketed as energy saving. However this again may be a misrepresentation as it may be referring to “when used as a system.” Typically true energy saving products, such as an F32T8 Lamp compared to an F34T12 Cool White lamp are in fact a true energy saving product, and usually these products require the use of an equipment change such as a ballast replacement, or in the case of Compact Fluorescent Lamps, merely the removal of an incandescent lamp and the placement of the CFL in the lamp socket.

What Are The Important Factors To Consider

A strong focus on “Energy Saving Products” is not the most important or significant factor in determining true energy savings. The greatest real Energy Savings, comes from the implementation of an Energy Saving Lighting System which may or may not use specifically marketed products that claim to be energy savings or long lasting.  An example of this is the replacement of T12 Lamps to T8 Lamps. A typical 2×4 Fluorescent Troffer converted from T12 to T8 (Labeled Energy Saving Product) has an average cost of $64.00 and yields a 68.5 watt reduction, where as the same T12 fixture delamped to High Lumen / Scotopically Rich Lamps (Not Independantly Label As Energy Saving) has an average cost of $24.00 and yields a 87.5 watt reduction.

For more information on energy savings consult a lighting professional, or 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

One of the most common forms of industrial warehouse and large commercial lighting is Metal Halide High Bays. These fixtures which are often selected initially because of their high lumens per watt and relatively low price are found virtually every where you look. They can be found in Grocery Stores such as Publix, and Retail Stores Like Sports Authority and HHGregg as well as 90% of all warehouses. We like to refer to these fixtures as the “Engineers Choice” when a new construction project is being developed. They are easy to specify, very bright and can be laid out using a relatively low amount of fixtures.

Metal Halide High Bays Are Really Not Efficient

It is highly likely that the era of the Metal Halide High Bay still being used today is not out of necessity or efficiency but merely that of imitating others. “Well, Best Buy has those lights, we should too”. The unfortunate situation is that nobody upfront considers the true reality of metal halide lighting. This reality is:

• Color shift, lights turning green and pink
• Enormous electricity cost of operation
• High priced replacements of ballasts and bulbs
• High heat loads emiting from the light fixture
• Possible harm from explosion and uv radiation
• Long start up and restrike time

T8 Fluorescent High Bay Fixtures Can Do The Job

T8 Fluorescent has been around for years, in fact you may have them above your head right now in an office! Most people do not realize that those lights used in the office can also be used to provide the high levels of light required where Metal Halide High Bay fixtures may exist. T8 Fluorescent has improved so dramatically just in the past 12 months, that these lamps can now be used for the same purpose. Using specially designed 6 lamp T8 High Bay fixtures such as those available through Synergy Lighting can reduce the electrical consumption by 54% compared to 400 Watt Metal halide Fixtures. Warm up and Restrike times from power outages is elliminated with Instant On/Off illumination. Additionally, there are large tax deductions available to those who makes this change.

Benefits achieved are:

• No color shift with aging lamps
• Improved light quality without hot-spots
• 54% energy savings
• 210% reduction in heat output from the light fixture
• 70% reduction of maintenance costs
• Ellimination of safety hazards
• Instant On / Off

The above retail store converted from MH400 Highbays using 468 watts per fixture to T8 Highbays supplied by Synergy Lighting using only 221 watts per fixture.

Installation of this Project was Performed by WES Inc. FL-EC0001689

A Metal Halide lamp has a rated life of 20,000 hours compared to 36,000 hours of a ECO Friendly Super T8 Fluorescent. For more information view our MH to T5/T8 Retrofit Flyer, 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

San Marco Plaza located in Lakewood Ranch Florida was constructed just over 3 years ago. This charming plaza designed around a tall welcoming clock tower in the center of the shopping area is home to several new businesses including shopping, dining, salons, banking and events. However due to its erection in the middle of a hard economy and Real Estate crunch, the businesses in this center have had more than their fair share of burdens in maintaining the beauty of the center. The center itself is illuminated with a large selection of modern lighting fixtures from Hubbell Lighting. Not only is the center architecturally stunning in it design, but the lighting itself is amazing. The fixture selection is comprised of beautiful, ornate acorn style post tops and wall mounted fixtures. Unfortunately because of timing, the lighting selected for this construction project was performed just before major industry changes in Energy Savings and Green Energy Initiatives.

The massive amount of decorative lighting at San Marco Plaza requires a tremendous amount of maintenance compared to other shopping centers. With over 350 outdoor lighting fixtures, on 2 levels of building space, and 67 Parking Lot Lighting Poles, one can only imagine how often light bulbs have to be changed. By June 2010, nearly three years after original construction, nearly all of the 67 Parking Lot Lighting Fixtures had burnt out lamps and was in need of some serious repairs and maintenance. That is when the Board of Directors consulted with Synergy Lighting of Bradenton, Florida to find some alternatives.

The Parking Lot Lighting System

San Marco Plaza was designed with 67 Acorn Style Post Tops mounted on 25 foot fiberglass poles. These single and double headed poles were originally Metal Halide. Standard metal halide was banned from production in 2009 and replaced with Pulse Start Metal Halide which has some great benefits as to warm up time and product life. However the cost operation of Standard Metal Halide or Pulse Start Metal Halide remain high. Synergy Lighting recommended a Retrofit of the existing lighting system to Induction Lighting. Induction Lighting provides the same scotopic levels of light as metal halide while reducing energy waste by over 50%. Unlike the Metal Halide which needed complete replacement within 3 years, the Induction Lighting selected and supplied to San Marco Plaza by Synergy Lighting offers 20 Year Maintenance Free Operation and Resulted in an energy savings for the plaza in excess of $290.00. The light levels of 250 watt Metal Halide in this instance was more than necessary, so the system was reduced to the 85 Watt Induction System with use of Retrofit Kits designed by Synergy Lighting.

Induction Lighting to Metal Halide Comparison

The final result for San Marco Plaza is a maintenance free Parking Lot Lighting system that will pay for itself in less than 24 months and yields a 432% return on investment within 5 years. Labor and Maintenance costs have been reduced by thousands of dollars and lift fees over the next 20 years. The light levels of the induction lighting provide above adequate foot candles throughout the shopping centers 5 acres of parking space. The retrofit kits designed by Synergy Lighting come with a complete 10 year warranty against premature failure or defect.

For more information on Induction Lighting, 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

Restaurants have always seemed to get the raw end of the stick when it comes to energy saving light bulbs. Nearly 97% of all Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are not dimmable, leaving restaurants to either be overly illuminated with CFL’s, or sticking with incandescent and halogen bulbs. Most restaurants need to dim their lighting in order to create a subtle and enjoyable accent level for dinning.

Dimmable Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs in the past would flicker when dimmed, or cut out at low levels. Because of this poor dimming, the practical applications were extremely limited. With time comes technology, and a new wave of dimmable CFL light bulbs. The new dimmable CFL light bulbs from Halco Lighting  and TCP have a greater dimming range and when paired with the Leviton CFL Dimmer, these lamps perform extremely well with no flickering or cutting out prematurely.

For restraunts that require greater dimming levels than standard Pro series CFL Dimmable are capable of, a special line of Cold Cathode Dimmable CFL’s are available. Cold Cathode lamps in simple terms is a NEON light bulb, resembling the shape of a CFL. These bulbs are fully dimmable and result in an extremely long life averaging 25,000 hours. Due to the cold cathode technology, these lamps can be dimmed as low as 1 watt, and are not subject to premature failure from rapid switching on and off.    Cold Cathode lamps are also available in a Soft Pink version commonly used in higher end restaurants to create rose hues to enhance the color of meats and pastas.

For more information on Cold Cathode Lamps, view our website  or call Synergy Lighting for a free consultation. Some CFL Cold Cathode Lamps qualify for Incentives

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com