Switching to LED lighting is something most people are seemingly interested in.  However, when the typical cost of an LED light bulb is learned, that urgency begins to take a back seat to the urgency to hold tight on spending. The initial cost of most LED light bulbs is very high compared to the cost of an incandescent bulb. In the LED light bulb world, all things must be treated equally. This means you spend a little, you save a little, spend a lot and save a lot.  Sometimes in switching to LED lighting, we recommend that customers start with spending a little and saving a little to get used to the benefits of LED’s in commercial and residential use.

One of the most common types of incandescent light bulb used in both residential and commercial lighting is chandelier (B-Type) lamps. These type lamps are typically found in the 25 Watt and 40 Watt lamps and rarely found without multiple lamps per fixture such as a multi-point chandelier. Although we individually don’t look at these lamps as using much electricity, when you add up all the bulbs on an 8 point chandelier, it can add up to 500 Watts which in itself is very significant. Let’s look at a new product that can drastically reduce this consumption.

The new LDCT3WH30K is a 3 Watt LED Chandelier Torpedo style lamp made by TCP. The lamp offers one of the smallest packages that most closely resembles the size and shape of an incandescent B-Type lamp while delivering maximum light output from a tower of SMD LED’scentered in the envelope. The tower array allows for 360° illumination while a circle of SMD LED’s on the top of the tower array direct light upwards as well. This arrangement of LED’s allow the lamp to perfectly illuminate chandelier lamp shades that can easily clip on to the lamps outer housing.  If used bare in a chandelier, the lamp closely replicates the light output of an incandescent, and would hardly be noticeable to anyone who wasn’t looking for it to be different.  Because of the very small Solid State electronics placed within the base of the LCDT3WH30K, dimming is no problem for this LED bulb. Heat output is also drastically reduced by the LDCT3WH30K LED light bulb.

The TCP LED lamp delivery a consistant 3000K which is the color that most correctly resembles a halogen bulb, so incandescent users may see a slightly whiter output from the lamp, but seems to not be so different as to pull a negative review from customers. This difference in color creates a cleaner and just as bright feel for any chandelier, pendant or wall sconce. Now the biggest benefit of the 3 Watt LED lamp is that it can replace up to a 40 Watt Incandescent without any noticeable light loss. In an example of an 8 pt. chandelier, energy waste is reduced from 500 Watts per fixture to only 24 Watts,  for a total savings of 476 Watts.

Here is how that breaks down into savings:

Total Savings for switching 1 bulb to LED: $177.22!

The TCP LED chandelier bulb is available in with both candelabra and medium base, as well as Clear and Frosted versions as well as a Crystal Cut Clear and Frosted for a more decorative design. 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

There is no feeling like that of sitting down to eat at a good restaurant with good service. From the time we walk in the door capturing a sweet aroma of fresh grilled entrees, to the time we are seated by a pleasant and smiling hostess, we are in store for a treat. One would only assume that the decor has been well designed, the menu carefully selected and the service well performed. This is what we all expect of a restaurant.

The Importance Of Lighting

With the high risk associated with restaurants, it is absolutely vital to provide not only good food and service to clientele, but it is crucial that the clients leave feeling good about the decision to eat in a particular establishment. This goes to every last detail from plate garnishment to easy to understand menus. However the most often overlooked item is lighting. Restaurants often have multiple types of lighting fixtures to help create the overall atmosphere and design image. According to the American Lighting Association restaurants should have no less than (2) levels of light consisting of task and accent lighting, with a high recommendation of dimmable light bulbs and systems. By using multiple lighting fixture types a design image can create brilliant displays of decor, and architecture while providing a primary focus on the dining table. The dining table is where light balance becomes crucial for a restaurant. If a table is poorly lit, food can appear dull and unappealing despite flavor and presentation. Meanwhile over illuminated tables can be too bright and distract from a pleasant dining experience.

Well Balanced Lighting Affects Return Visits

All to often in restaurants we find that there is a difference in lighting over tables versus booth seating areas. This may consist of recessed cans or track over table tops and pendant lighting over booths and bar areas. When serving customers in a restaurant, you must ensure that every customer has the ability to receive the same levels of service, and pleasant experience no matter the seating area.  Because different seating areas have different styles of fixtures, a restaurateur must ensure that the light delivered to the table is well balanced and equal from either fixture type.  Recently while dining in an Applebees restaurant I was seated at a table top which sat under track lighting.  Installed in the track was a 50 Watt Halogen Spot Light.  The light was so focused on the table that it created glare and a hot spot on the table, while across the isle were booths that had pendant lights with bottom globes. The booths had only a fraction of the light provided to our table, and no relative hot spots. In this scenario, my dining experience was in the hot seat while diners seated in booths could barely see the food on their plates.

Balancing light levels to ensure a consistent and pleasing dining experience is crucial to the subconscious emotions that a customer will experience. In the case of Applebees, a lower wattage narrow flood should have been installed over tables, while a higher wattage lamp should have been installed over booths. In the photo above you will notice a hot spot in the bar area to the lower right of the image. This is a hot spot created by poor lamp selection. The result of this “seat yourself” restaurant was that the table with the hot spot remained empty throughout the course of our meal, where other tables with well balanced lighting sat to capacity.

For more information on Light Balance, 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

7-11 Stores, as the most popular chain of convient stores in the united states launched a National Campaign to covert nearly 5900 stores to LED Lighting. This massive campaign began early in 2010 and is nearing completion in the next week.

Synergy Lighting and our network of Electrical Installers have retrofitted many of these stores from Exterior Fluorescent and HID Lighting from Tampa to Miami. Each of the locations posed its own challenges but over all went very smoothly. The LED Lighting installed was manufacturered by LSI Industries, one of the top producers of LED lighting Fixtures with all products manufacturered in the United States. Though we don’t really know the total range of energy savings created nationally, we can only assume that it far exceeds the project total for the State Of Florida at $25 Million dollars.

The range of LED Lighting was everything from LED Parking Lot Lighting, Soffit LED Lighting, Wall Wash LED, Sign Retrofit to LED, to even replacing the fluorescent bulbs in the ATM Sign and converting it to LED. This means that there is not a single product used outdoors other than LED Lighting. Customers and employees alike were awe struck at the phenominal light out put of the LED lighting and the great improvement in light quality outdoors.

Here are a few photos of some of the LED retrofits performed at these 7-11 Stores.

The Final Result at night looks great at this Miami Florida 7-11 Location completed on July 1, 2010

For more information on LED 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