In the growth of energy efficient lighting and energy savings, Venture Lighting Brand Uniform Pulse Start Natural White® Metal Halides are setting new trends. Shopping Centers, Car Dealerships and general area lighting waste massive amounts of energy, however its need is crucial to these businesses. Having suffiecient parking lot lighting attracts customers to the businesses as well it provides safety and security for potential customers. Dark parking lots inherently attract higher levels of crime. It has become a proven that the better the quality of light at night, the more customers feel safe and attracted to shop. The brighter and more visible the transit area is the likely hood for crime and property liability is reduced. This often times is the reason for the massive amounts of parking lot lighting fixtures, extremely high wattage and huge power bills. Better Lighting Provides Superior Benefits Venture Lighting has introduced its line of Pulse Start Metal Halide Lamps and Ballasts in 575 Watt and 775 watt versions to replace 1000 Watt Metal Halides. These lamps provide Pure Natural White Light (5000K) that provides superior visual acuity enhancing the see-ability for employees and customers at night. Uni-Form Pulse Start technology offers quicker strike (warm-up) times and well as superior lumen maintenance (stays brighter longer) than traditional probe start metal halide. This makes the Natural White Series ideal for when superior performance and energy savings are the main concerns.

Winter park Village is one of Orlando Florida’s most prestigious retail properties. This shopping village is home to high end retail stores, a grocery, movie theatre and lifestyle villas. With such a diverse base of retailers and residents, safety and security at night are of the highest concern. Strategically placed around the property is 155 parking lot lighting fixtures using 1000 watt metal halides (1040 watts per fixture per hour) running 13 hours a night. Synergy Lighting supplied 155 Venture Brand 775 Watt Uni-form Pulse Start Natural White conversion kits which include lamp, ballast and sockets. The difference in light quality for Winter Park Village was an amazing transformation. The village appeared brighter, cleaner and the words High Definition ring true for shoppers and residents. Winter Park Village increased the level of safety and security for its patrons and achieved an estimated energy and labor savings of $42,531.00 annually. Venture 575 watt option is an excellent choice for lesser traveled parking lots and car dealerships.

Synergy Lighting facilitates a “One Call Warranty” for these lighting systems offering 5 year ballast warranty and 2 year lamp warranty from the initial installation. This warranty is 2.5 longer than any other warranty in the industry. Parking Lots are brighter and safer for customers and brighter light attracts new customers. Visual acuity is sharp as colors and objects are brighter and more vibrant at night.

Synergy Lighting is Florida’s #1 trusted source for genuine Venture Lighting Products, Lamps and Ballasts as well as many other energy saving products. We offer the best service and free delivery, and go even further to offer the lowest price against any competitor!

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

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

Everyone these days is a consumer of gasoline, and in the United States there are nearly 280,000 Gas Stations and Convenient Stores offering customers a seemingly unlimited supply of petroleum, fast food, quick service and easy access. Despite prices at the pump, or the somewhat higher prices of convenience, these stores operate on extremely tight margins and depend highly on volume based sales.

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of Gas Station and Convenient Stores which often operate well into the late night hours. Owners and Operators need to be highly aware of subconscious reactions from customers that may shy away to an adjacent competitor based upon the appearance of the business at night. Naturally, people are drawn to businesses that give a stronger sense of cleanliness, friendly service and an environment that feels safe and secure. Well lighted spaces both indoors and outdoors sends a clear message to customers that you are open and ready to conduct business.

Gas Station Lighting Systems

Typically a Gas Station or Convenience Store has outdoor lighting that consists of 3 different types of lighting. These are Canopy Lighting over pumps and portico’s, Wall Packs mounted to the building structure and Parking Lot Lighting. These fixture types are usually Metal Halide – High Intensity Discharge Systems which provide high levels of illumination along with extreme amounts of glare. With the ever growing size of the stores offering more and more products and services to clientele, the lighting systems can become quite extensive with massive amounts of fixtures to draw in customers. However the operating and maintenance costs of the metal halide system is extremely high. The metal halide lighting systems suffer from a wide variety of problems from color shift (lamps turning pink and green) and if not replaced regularly well before the useful life is reached of the lamps, the metal halide lamps will lose an average of 35% of its original light output.

The Advantage Of Induction Lighting

An alternative to the Metal Halide lighting systems is LED Lighting, and Induction Lighting. Each offer distinct advantages, however the Induction Lighting System offers a greater cost

effectiveness while drawing in larger volumes of traffic flow to a gas station. Unlike metal halide which suffers from rapid lumen depreciation and color shift, the induction lighting system maintains 95% of its lumen output and never changes colors. The induction system uses a cathode-less high lumen fluorescent lamp which operates at much cooler temperatures and requires up to 68% less energy than metal halide. A standard 320W Pulse Start or 400W Metal Halide canopy fixture can be retrofitted with a 200 Watt induction fixture and provide higher light levels with tremendous savings. Because the induction system does not use cathode lamps, the systems offers 20 years of maintenance free operation with no bulb or ballast replacements as there is no cathode to burn out and the generator is completely electronic. This is a phenomenal feature that rivals LED Lighting systems with twice the life and less than half the cost. The induction lighting system offered by Synergy Lighting come standard with 5000K Pure Natural Daylight Lamps which most closely resemble natural sun light. This creates a very bright, clean and glare free presentation to customers and is attributed to increased customer traffic and sales.

The BP Gas Station and Convenience Store pictured in this article utilized Synergy Lighting’s 5000K Induction Lighting Fixtures. The end result for BP is a higher level of attraction to clientele, 20 years of maintenance free operation and a cost savings over the life of the fixtures in excess of $300,000. BP Corporate and franchise stores often operate at 5% net profit. This means that the energy and cost savings to BP is equal to an increased revenue of $6,000,000.00 not to mention the increased revenue resulting from the increased customer traffic.

Where there is light, there is Synergy Lighting. For more information on switching to Energy Saving, Induction 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

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

One of the largest consumers of electricity for many large commercial buildings, shopping centers and condominiums is the parking garage lighting. Most parking garage lighting systems operate 24 hours a day and use traditional Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium type lighting fixtures. The High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures are often chosen over vapor tight fluorescent fixtures to provide higher light levels and improved safety and security as parking garages are often victim to higher, opportunistic crime. These higher light levels however come at a very high cost of electricity, repair and maintenance. One of the most viable and alternative options to HID lighting systems for use in parking garage lighting is the Induction Canopy Light Fixture. These fixtures easily replace HID with simple installation and are pre wired with multi-volt connections from 120-277 Volt and a 480 Volt option for larger facilities.

Induction Lighting Increases Safety and Security

By replacing (HID) Metal Halide or Pressure Sodium fixtures with induction, the overall light quality can be improved by up to 70%  while reducing the energy waste by up to 60%. Induction Lighting from Synergy Lighting provides the highest levels of scoptopic lumens which is reflected in the see-ability of customers, employees or the general public whom utilizes these parking garages. The Scotopic lumens or S/P Ratio of our induction lighting systems is much higher than HID systems, and replicates pure natural daylight. This allows individuals to see more clearly, identifying colors correctly, and increase the field of vision dramatically. We attribute these higher light levels and increased visibility to the prevention and reduction of crimes committed in parking garages. This reduces property owner premise liability as well as general energy savings.

Reducing Electricty Costs Up To 60% With Induction

Induction Lighting currently offers some of the highest levels of scotopic lumens per watt produced by a single light source. Because of this higher lumens per watt, induction lighting can replace HID Systems at half the wattage as traditional HID. For example, a 175 watt metal halide garage light fixture can be replaced with an 85 Watt induction fixture while still providing 20% greater see-able light. This is additionally attributed to the higher efficacy of Induction Lighting which maintains 95% lumen maintenance over the life of the lamps, compared to only 65% lumen maintenance from Metal Halides. The Following is a comparison between a 400 Watt Metal Halide and a 200 Watt Induction Fixture.

Benefits of Induction Lighting Over HID

• 100,000 Hour Life
• Maintenance Free Operation
• 99% Efficiency (.99 Power Factor)
• Widest range of Color Temperatures 2700K~6400K
• Instant Re-Strike Instant Start at –35°C
• Wide Operating Temperature –35°C~90°C
• System 80-90 Photopic Lumens per Watt
• Excellent Lumen Maintenance
• 100% Flicker Free Operation
• Excellent CRI (Color Rendering Index) 95
• High Frequency Electronic Generator

For more information on switching to Energy Saving, Induction 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

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

The customers experience at night begins in the parking lot, making Parking Lot Lighting the most valuable tool for a business at night. If a parking lot is poorly lit, customers will not stop, park, or shop. When a potential customer or client is considering visiting a store, shopping center or dealership, light can create a great sense of curb appeal attracting potential buyers or shoppers. A Well illuminated facility sends a clear message to customers that your business is open, ready to conduct business, and represents a more inviting, safer place to shop.

Making a good first impression!

Making this first impression a good one is vital to the success of any business. It is human nature to subconsciously be attracted to well illuminated areas, and thus increases traffic flow. Recently we received a call from a National Store Chain that the parking lot lighting was poor and needed to be improved. The concern was that most shoppers at night were female, and the lack of good, bright lighting made the store look unattractive to these potential shoppers. This is not just an assumption. As stores and shopping centers become larger in today’s real estate world, the walking distance from store to car becomes larger. Men have a tendency to not think about safety as much as women, so business owners must cater their lighting to the concerns of most women.

Poorly illuminated areas provide drastically increased potential risks, ranging from theft or purse-snatching to assault, rape, an even kidnapping. Women feel especially at risk walking to their car alone after dark. Few people realize the dangers inherent in this commonplace activity, but the fear alone may prevent potential customers from shopping at stores or centers with lower light levels. The criminal element is more likely to strike in these areas because the lack of Parking Lot Lighting allows the element of surprise and reduced visual acuity and increasing premise liability.

Target Corporation prides itself in offering more for less. Target Corporation operates Target stores, a chain of large, general merchandise discount stores, The company currently operates 1,272 Target stores in 47 states, all of which are required to maintain a pristine, warm atmosphere for shoppers. Target established a corporate policy to maintain standards for light levels for its stores’ main parking, peripheral parking and front drive areas. As part of their store maintenance program, Target periodically evaluates the light levels of each of its store location’s parking lots. That’s why when Target believed its parking lot light levels at a popular location were not meeting its corporate standards, they called in the lighting experts to measure light levels, and take corrective action.

How much light should a parking lot have?

First we must understand that there is no such thing as too much light in a parking lot. Most often we find that retailers do not put a focus on parking lot lighting fixtures due to high costs of repair and energy consumption. There are many alternatives such as LED and Induction lighting that can reduce these costs while providing high levels of light. The Illumination Engineering Society in Partnership with Nema, the Nations leading authorities on parking lot lighting standards, has determined that the most appropriate light level for a business at night is 4.0 foot candles or greater. Local ordinances controlling light pollution may require lower levels, however meeting a maximum light level is most beneficial. This foot candle recommendation is both vertically and horizontally across the plane. Some businesses or centers that just measure light levels directly beneath a light pole may have inadequate lighting across the parking lot.

How can parking lot lighting be improved affordable?

Synergy Lighting offers a wide variety of HID, LED and Induction based lighting products that can improve parking lot lighting design scotopically, without requiring additional expenses of poles and wiring to be added. The human eye responds to brighter whiter light on a scotopic level with increased see-ability or visual acuity. Any of the following tips can improve a lighting system on an affordable basis:

• Convert High Pressure Sodium HID, to Metal Halide
• Use Natural White Lamps whenever possible
• Convert HID to LED or Induction which provides improved see-ability and scotopically rich lighting
• Change older fixture heads to newer heads with type III polished reflectors
• Replace hard mounted fixtures with adjustable angle fixtures

Why use LED or Induction for Parking Lot Lighting

With vast improvements in efficiency and affordability, the LED Parking Lot Lighting and Induction Parking Lot Lighting alternatives are an excellent choice. Both of these options offer over a 50% savings on energy waste while providing some of the brightest white light in today’s market. The ratio of light measured photopically (standard light meter), and scotopically (human eye), this is known as the S/P Ratio. The S/P Ratio for a 5000K natural white light source is 2.1. Standard metal halide light bulbs are 4000K cool white and have a S/P ratio of 1.65.  where as a High Pressure Sodium system has an S/P ratio of 0.64 with the same photopic luminance as metal halide. This means that Metal Halide is twice as effective as HPS, while LED and Induction which are standard at 5000K are three times more effective while reducing electricity costs by 50% or greater.

For more information on Parking Lot 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

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