Synergy Lighting is Florida’s #1 Provider of wholesale lighting, and the largest selection of Light Bulbs. However we find that most businesses are not aware of the recent ban of incandescent, halogen and many popular fluorescent tubes.

On July 1, 2009 Congress passed an amendment to the Energy Independence and Securities Act of 2007. This amendment called specifically for the ban of manufacturing any incandescent or halogen floods, all 13oV commercial grade light bulbs as well as most 2′, 4′ and 8′ models. This comes just after the July 1, 2010 ban of magnetic ballasts.

What does this mean for you business?

This means that 90% of all businesses will have to make significant changes to their lighting by 2012. The push is to achieve greater energy savings and efficiency. Synergy Lighting carries all the new lighting including CFL and LED Light Bulbs as well as High Lumen T8 and Natural White light bulbs. A business owner should be cognisant of these changes before purchasing any lighting or light bulbs that are discontinued under this new rule. Some companies may attempt to liquidate old stock or surplus inventories of these discontinued lamps, which we do not recommend anyone to purchase as it will increase the replacement costs in the future.

Synergy Lighitng Provides free delivery and great pricing on over 5000 of the most popular light bulbs to customer in Sarasota, bradenton, Clearwater, Tampa, Naples, and all surrounding areas. To learn more about the new DOE Law 2012 , 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

Metal Halide lighting systems are very popular in commercial buildings and retail stores as area lighting, and shopping centers, commonly as the most common form of parking lot lighting in today’s market. Yet anyone who has the responsibility of maintaining these lighting systems, knows that sometimes metal halide can be very expensive. Not only from electrical consumption, but the cost of light bulbs, ballasts, labor and often times lift fees can be very tolling to a businesses bottom line.

The number one reason Metal Halide or HID lighting can be costly is the lack of preventative maintenance.

Like any light bulb, Metal Halide lamps offer significant signs that it is time to replace a light bulb.  Unfortunately, most people do not take the time to notice the warning signs. First we must understand, that the only light bulbs that can be run to their hard fail point is incandescent and halogen light bulbs. These lamps have only a filament that breaks, thus breaking the circuit upon failure. But all other commercial lamps such as CFL, Fluorescent, and HID require ballasts. Any light bulbs or lighting system requiring ballasts, is NOT designed to run until a lamp burns out completely. Failure to replace a commercial light bulb before complete lamp failure will damage the ballast and cause a drastic increase in maintenance costs.

In the case of Metal Halide, most manufacturers rate these HID light bulbs with a life of approximately 20,000 hours. This rating traditionally means the point in which 50% of the lamps will fail, but in the case of maintenance, this is the DO NOT EXCEED time of all lamps. At this point, all lamps should be replaced.

Replacing lamps before they burn out saves money!

Signs that a Metal Halide light bulb or ballast needs replaced:

• The lamp appears to be a different color, or are turning pink

This is known as color shift, a natural effect of Metal Halide over long periods of operation. Usually the lamps will gain a pinkish hue when compared to other lamps in the same system. This is caused when metal vapors in the lamp are expired from heat or burning, and the lack of a particular mixture in the arc tube renders a different color. By this point, most lamps have lost at least 40% of their original light output. The lamp needs to be replaced as continued operation will damage the ballast.

• The lamp is cycling on an off, or takes a long time to come on

This is often misdiagnosed by electricians who do not have expert knowledge of HID lighting systems. The most common correction most find for this is to replace the light bulb. Once a new lamp is installed, the metal halide bulb will light and come up to full brightness.  However, this is not the correct repair. The ballast in an HID lighting system requires a capacitor, this is a current limiting device that prevents too much amperage to be delivered to the HID bulb. As a metal halide lamp ages, it will require a greater load to maintain illumination. Because of the extreme heat produced by the HID system, the liquid gel that fills the capacitor will crystallize and change the electrical characteristics of the capacitor. At this point the capacitor is providing a low power factor and delivering a higher current than designed. The metal halide lamp will receive an unrestricted current (amp draw) and become brighter until it cuts out again. Then the thermal switch will cool, reset and the cycle repeats. This will prematurely fail the new replacement lamp and result in heavy blackening of the arc tube. The ballast, capacitor and lamp need to be changed.

• The fixture makes a humming noise

When a metal halide lamp receives a higher amp load than it was designed for due to the capacitor characteristics changing, the operating temperature of the ballast will rise tremendously. When the ballast overheats, the varnish coating of the coil will begin to melt away from the copper winding of the coil. This coating is what prevents the windings from vibrating against each other. At the point in which the ballast is buzzing, the windings are now beginning to touch, and vibrate resulting in sound. Eventually the varnish will melt enough to allow winding to short across each other, thus resulting in complete failure of the ballasts, and usually will trip a circuit breaker, downing the entire circuit.

• The light bulbs appears to turn green or blue

Mostly we find that the lamps turn a greenish color, either light to heavy green. This is caused by a capacitor becoming weak with age.  It is delivering a high power factor, enough to maintain illumination of the lamp, but a low current, not enough to illuminate the lamp completely. The gases in the arc tube are not reaching their peak operating temperature, and the lamp glows green. Sometimes the capacitor itself can be replaced and the system will recover. However if the fixture is part of a parking lot lighting system, this is a good sign that the components are very old, and the ballast itself may not last long, as it will be the weak link of the system. It is a good idea to change the ballast and capacitor at this point.  A return trip with labor and lift in as short as a month would cost more than the ballast at the time.

• A new Metal Halide bulb isn’t as bright or white as the old bulbs

This is a common compliant for businesses replacing a small portion of metal halide lamps, and mostly is the complaint we receive when the customer or electrician replaced a burnt out lamp. Manufacturers make most metal halide lamps in two color temperatures, 3000K which appears slightly yellowish, and 4000k which appears brighter white. Sometimes this can be caused by using different color lamps, or one brand to another may have varying degrees of color. Acceptable limits of color are 300 degrees of variance. However, if the lamps have been burning for a long period of time, you may never match the existing lamp.

As the metal halide lamp becomes older, it will require a higher load (amp load), and when burning on the same capacitor, the system in whole is becoming out of spec by the bulb and capacitor both requiring and delivering this higher amp load simultaneously. When the metal halide lamp requires and is delivered the higher amp load, the color of the lamp will become whiter and seemingly brighter.

We can replicate this by removing a capacitor form the system. The HID system will work without a capacitor as its only job is to limit current. When we completely remove the capacitor, a metal halide lamp will rapidly draw more amps, gain extreme brightness, and become drastically whiter until the ballast overheats and fails.

When installing the new lamp with the right color temperature on a system with this age, the new lamp does not require as high of a current as the old lamps, and it will never appear to have the same level of  “whiteness” as the old lamps. The only cure is to replace all the lamps in the system. This is a good idea, because again running the old lamps until they fail will damage the ballast. The ballast itself continues to operate even with a bad lamp and will over work itself continually trying to ignite a bad lamp.

The most affordable way to maintain an HID Lighting System is to divide your operating hours per year into the lamp life and determine the length of time before completely re-lamping the system will be required. At that time, re-lamp the system which will prolong ballast and capacitor life, and you will see a significant savings in both ballast costs, and labor repairs.

For more information on HID Lighting Systems,  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

Synergy Lighting has expanded its line of innovative LED Light Bulbsto over 12 brands from top manufacturers. With a growing movement towards energy savings are reducing our overall carbon emissions, LED Light Bulbs are fast becoming the wave of the future. LED lighting is accredited for achieving energy savings of up to 90% while extending useful life to that of 20 times traditional lighting sources. LED Light Bulbs not only save the consumer by drastically reducing the electrical consumption, but create tremendous savings through labor reduction. An average commercial building can reduce labor costs by up to $113.00 per bulb over the life of the LED lamp.

All of LED Light bulbs from Synergy Lighting are available at wholesale prices with Free Delivery to Sarasota, Tampa, Naples, Clearwater, Orlando and Miami, Florida and surrounding areas. For more information or to see if your business can switch to LED lighting, from Top Brands such as TCP, Sylvania, Eco Story, ProLED or many more, 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

In today’s world, going green and energy savings seem to be synonymous, and with the latest in LED Lighting, many consumers have felt a heavy financial toll on their pocket books in order to “go green” with this technology.  LED is considered as Solid State Lighting, and just like the original days of LCD and Plasma Televisions that were once considered to be solid state, the initial price is high and eventually comes down with time.  The current leading US Manufacturer of LED technology is CREE brand LED’s.   CREE is a publicly traded company and holds over 1000 U.S. Patents for Solid State Lighting.

Benefits of LED Lighting

LED light bulbs and fixtures provide extreme energy savings compared to incandescent and halogen light bulbs.  The LED Light bulb is manufactured to closely resemble the shape and style of their incandescent predecessors and reduces electrical consumption by up to 90%.  Basic benefits of LED Light Bulbs and Fixtures are:

• 90% Reduction of electricity costs
• 10 times longer life than incandescent
• 85% reduction of labor costs
• 30% reduction in total air conditioning costs
• 24 Year Residentaial Life
• 12 Year Commercial Life
• Increased light quality
• Improved color management

LED Light Bulbs Are So Affordable, You Can’t Afford Not To Use Them

For those consumers who have priced LED light bulbs, many will find the initial up-front costs to be too expensive, although they love the benefits and long life.   Due to the type of technology and exchange rates with foreign manufacturers, it is likely that by the time a customer waits for the price to drop, they would have wasted more money on electricity than the price of the LED lighting to begin with, but we do understand you have to be able to afford LED to begin with.   Because of this, Synergy Lighting of Sarasota, FL has the most affordable plan to allow a commercial business to retrofit with LED lighting.   The plan is simple.  It is FREE!   

Yes,  You did read that correctly, FREE!   Synergy can retrofit most commercial business to the latest in CREE LED light bulbs or fixtures with no money out of pocket to the business.   Synergy Lighting specializes in bringing the highest levels of quality to customers in surprisingly affordable terms.  

For more information oor to see if your business can switch to LED lighting, without spending a single dime out of pocket,  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

* FREE represents the total cost out of pocket to the business for switching to LED lighting.  Business must obligate to use LED lighting for a minimum of 5 years, and subject to finaincial approvals.  Applications for program are required.  Call for more details.

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

For years now environmentalists have been calling for the reduction of carbon footprints. Originally under political pressure from Al Gore, California passed aggressive energy laws, and now with the BP Gulf Crisis, these environmental changes are moving full speed ahead. In July of 2009, Congress Passed an amendment to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Under this amendment, commercial business among many other energy sectors were given a hard blow. This bill called for the elimination of many of the most commonly used light bulbs in commercial business, forcing business owners to convert or make significant change by 2012. Now as we again approach July 2010, President Obama is to meet with Senior Senate Staff from both parties to discuss new legislature currently stalled in the Senate.

The current administration has demonstrated a strong drive for climate changes and futures in clean energy despite it’s immediate impact to business owners. In general these new legislations are for the good for the much debated global warming and our countries economy, but they will not come without a financial toll to large corporations and small business owners.

Under the proposed Carbon Tax by Rep. Larson, a member of the powerful, tax-writing Ways & Means Committee, appears to have crafted his new bill to counter most if not all salient objections to carbon taxing, and at the same time Kerry and Leiberman are pushing for the new energy bill to pass as it may damage our ability to compete in the alternative energy sector.

What the Carbon Tax will mean for business:

• The first-year tax rate is $15 per ton of carbon dioxide, then the rate rises by $10/ton per year.
• After five years, that increase rate is automatically bumped up to $15/ton if U.S. emissions stray from an EPA-certified glide path to cut emissions by 80% from 2005 levels in 2050.
• To protect domestic manufacturers, the bill authorizes the Treasury Department to impose a “carbon equivalency fee” on carbon-intensive products imported from non-carbon-taxing nations.

How can a business prepare for the passing of a Carbon Tax?

Kerry and Lieberman unveiled the Senate bill last month which would require U.S. industries and utilities to cut their output of carbon dioxide pollution, which many scientists blame for global warming. Currently the majority of usage from a business is the consumption of electricity by lighting. Whether the proposed tax is placed on producers or consumers, American business will feel the pinch either way because of our usage of electricity from coal producing power plants.

If a business large or small follows the existing amendment to the Energy Independence & Security Act, that business can successfully reduce its carbon consumption by several tons depending on the type of lighting being used. In light of the potential carbon tax, a business must provide documentation that it has reduced its carbon footprint to avoid these financial burdens that will follow.

Synergy Lighting which has been a leader in South Florida, and held a dedication to reducing energy costs and the environmental impacts from lighting usage, is prepared to face this challenge for its clients. Synergy Lighting provides a full facility Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Study as part of its energy reduction campaign. In this study, which meets Energy Star and ASHREA Standards, our clients are provided full documentation to provide to the US Government their efforts to reduce the overall carbon foot print of that business which provides the required documentation for a Carbon Tax under proposed law.

The Feasibility and Environmental Impact Study is provided to current and potential clients of Synergy Lighting at no charge as part of our commitment to energy efficiency and our dedication to a cleaner environment.

For more information on a No Charge Feasibility Study, 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

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Synergy Lighting for years now has attempted to educate its customers on the value of quality light bulbs. In hard economic times, businesses often look for ways to cut expenses and save money. We see these businesses often perform layoffs or reduce their inventories in order to keep a positive cash flow. However most businesses do not realize their savings potential just by switching to quality light bulbs which can result in huge savings.

First we must identify the difference between price and cost. A .39 cent light bulb does not have a cost of .39 cents. That is the price of the bulb. The cost is measured by how much electricity is paid for to illuminate the bulb, and how much labor is paid to change the bulb time and again. For most businesses, a .39 cent light bulb has an annual cost of $42.65 when you calculate electricity and an employee changing the bulb twice a year at a pay rate of $10.00 per hour. Remember, a $10.00 an hour employ also has taxes to the business owner above and beyond their normal pay rate.

Three Things That Kill Light Bulbs:

Heat

Any illuminated light bulb has heat. Even cooler burning lamps such as CFL’s and Fluorescent produce some form of heating.  This heat or burning of the filament or cathode, over time dissipates the tungsten and the filament becomes thinner and weaker till it eventual breaks.

Vibration

Often customers grin when we tell them about vibrations damaging the tungsten filaments or cathodes. The standard feedback is that their light bulbs are firmly mounted and do not have vibration. Air Conditioning, doors opening and closing and wind load forces on a building cause subtle vibrations undetectable to humans, but can be passed on to the filament of a lamp even if so subtle we can not feel them. As you will see in the video below, the filaments or cathodes have their own vibrations from molecule collisions while under a heat load.

Power Surge

Every time we turn a light on there is a power surge to the filament or cathodes. Many other power surges happen daily that we do not recognize, such as every time an Air Conditioner turns on or off, a large motor operates, or even a power surge from a laser printer spooling up. By design, the utility company redirects power to grids several times a day which causes a series of small power surges that are only sensitive to light bulb filaments.

It is only when we combine all three of these actions together that it kills a light bulb. Over time naturally the repetitiveness of these actions will kill the lamp, or if any one of the three has a drastic increase over the other we will realize this with a premature failure of the lamp.

Sylvania, Philips, GE and many other manufacturers use a Standard Tungsten-Alloy Filament stretched between two filament supports. Unlike the Pure Tungsten Filaments invented by Thomas Edison, and used in most Industrial Grade Bulbs, the tungsten-alloy filament is weaker and does not hold up as long. This may be part of planned obsolescence, or a way to get a consumer to buy more bulbs.  Industrial Grade lamps such as Halco, Superior Life Lamps use Pure Tungsten filaments with additional filament supports. This increase lamp life and stability when subjected to Heat, Vibration and Power Surge.

As previously stated above, the typical Philips, Sylvania, GE bulb with a price of .39 cents has a cost annually of $42.65. If we change to an Industrial Lamp with a price of .59 cents, the price is higher, but the resulting cost would be lowered to $33.92 per year because of it’s life that is 4 times longer. This has an additional Price of .20 cents that results in a cost savings of $17.46.

50 Bulbs saving $17.46 over 24 months would save a business approximately $873.00! That’s cutting costs!

Conclusion: Spending a few cents extra on a quality light bulb can result in tremendous savings and increased cash flow over time.

For more information on quality 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

Due to soaring energy costs many companies are aggressively exploring ways to reduce their energy consumption and improve efficiencies. Replacing or retrofitting obsolete lighting systems can often provide significant savings and many local utilities are offering rebates to customers that upgrade their lighting with new, more energy efficient products.

With today’s credit crunch, leasing these projects provides an attractive alternative to a capital outlay and often makes the purchase of a lighting project more feasible. Payments can often be structured so they are less than the monthly savings and can generate immediate positive cash flow for the customer.

Synergy Lighting has the knowledge, resources and expertise to deliver the leasing options that energy management professional’s demand.  To better serve our clients we now offer leasing of your lighting system on our Green Energy Leasing Plan, which offers the following benefits:

Manage Cash Flow

Payments can be matched to the energy savings generated by the project and this can provide you with positive cash flow.

Overcome Budget Constraints

We can provide you with a variety of financing structures specifically designed to work with your budget. Here are a few examples:

• Step Payments
• Monthly or Quarterly Payments
• Deferred Payments

100% Project Financing

Bundle charges related to lamps, ballast, fixtures, installation and disposal into a single monthly payment. We’ll even issue purchase orders to your vendors to reduce your administrative burden.

Preserve Working Capital

Avoid large capital outlays and preserve your working capital for other important projects

Dedicated Sales and Service Support

With Synergy Leasing, you will always talk to a live person so that you can get the support you need, when you need it. Synergy can provide state and local government customers with tax exempt pricing and structures unique to their market.

For more information on leasing, call for a free consultation.

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com

Energy conservation is rapidly being realized as a viable way to cut expenses and add positive cash flow to any business or home budget. In the growing popularity of Compact Fluorescent Lamps and LED Light bulbs, one other great investment is Occupancy Sensors. Lighting is typically the single largest users of electricity in a commercial building. Occupancy Sensors, commonly referred to as an “Occ Sensor” are installed to turn lighting on when a person approaches or enters a room, and have a built in, programmable time delay to turn the lighting circuit off after a brief period of time. Over the past few years, this technology has changed to incorporate a wide variety of sensors for use in many residential and commercial applications.

One of the biggest drawbacks in years past was the use in commercial bathrooms. If a bathroom stall was in use, the partitions would block the sensor from detecting that there was an occupant in the restroom, and the lights may turn out while the bathroom is still in use. Often perople would find themselves waving a hand over the stall door to try and activate the sensor again. This problem has been rectified with the creation of a “Nocc Sensor”, or Noise and Heat Activated Switch. The Nocc Sensor has a decibel rated noise sensor capable of detecting so much as a murmur or footstep, preventing it from turning off even if direct view of an occupant is blocked.

Where should you use an Occupancy Sensor?

Residential: Occupancy sensors should be used in areas that are not normally occupied for extended periods of time. Use of an occupancy sensor in a Bathroom, Closet, Garage, Laundry Room and other low use areas can provide added sensor of luxury with hands free switching as well as ensuring non priority lights do not remain on when not in use.  Children often leave these lights on, so the use of the occupancy sensor corrects bad habits affordably.

Commercial: We recommend a (2) Visit Rule. Besides Bathrooms which are an almost given in a commercial building, the two visit rule is the best way to judge Occ Sensor usage. How this rule works is simple. Perform a walk through inspection of your facility. If you enter a space, room or area that lights are on and no one is occupying that space at any two given times during your walk through, it is likely a great place to install an occupancy sensor. Primary considerations should be placed in:

• Independent Offices where the user works in and out regularly
• Warehouse Isles and Back Room Areas
• Conference, Meeting Rooms
• Storage or Supply Areas
• Bathrooms
• Stair Wells and Corridors

How much electricity is saved by an occupancy sensor?

Saving electricity by use of an occupancy sensor is very hard to calculate precisely, but should result in a 50%-90% reduction in usage. The following example should help you understand the principle. If a bathroom uses (3) 2×4 fluorescent fixtures is left on during an 8 hour day, the cost of electricity is approximately $112.93 per year. By installing an Occupancy Sensor (Average cost $30.00) the lights in the bathroom may be cut down to as low as 1.5 hours per day. The resulting savings would be $91.76 per year. Times an average switch life of 10 years is equal to a positive cash flow of $917.60. Return on investment is an average of 4.2 months. By using Occupancy sensors in multiple areas, a business can reduce its electricity expenses measurably.

For more information on using Occupancy Sensors  view our website  or call Synergy Lighting for a free consultation and walk through.

Phone: (941)-756-4844

Toll Free: (877) 220-5483

e-mail: sales@synergylightingusa.com

 NEMA Case Study – Occupancy Sensors