Blog Archives - Page 4 of 6

LED Lighting Applications: Warehouses

Quality lighting is an essential part of warehouse performance. Without a properly illuminated space, many issues can arise such as increased errors or even unsafe work conditions. Furthermore, lighting is a major cost for warehouses, they run their lights for long hours and commonly demand high amounts of electrical use. Currently, the industry has seen a massive shift from outdated options such as fluorescent tubes or High-Intensity Discharge lamps to efficient LED lighting. In this week’s LED Lighting Application, we will discuss the issues that poor lighting creates for warehouses and how LEDs can provide a solution! Poor Lighting Problems Outdated lighting options such as fluorescent tubes depreciate very quickly meaning the amount of light they output decreases quickly over time. This decrease in light output can create several issues with the most concerning being poor contrast and dark areas. Poor contrast can affect employees using forklifts to move goods in a warehouse increasing the risk of error or injury. Additionally, decreased light output can create dark areas within your warehouse especially in confined spaces such as corners and end rows. On average, a workplace injury requiring medical attention costs $42,000. Therefore, ensuring your warehouse is well lit is imperative to not only keep your employees safe but save you money! Fluorescent lighting emits a low-frequency flicker that is not visible to the human but absorbed by the brain. The flickering can create a strain on your eyes which can cause headaches and overall discomfort for employees. Warehousing staff needs to be sharp especially when utilizing heavy machinery, LED lighting offers a smooth light output that emits little to no flickering. Switching from fluorescent to LED lights has been proven in numerous studies to reduce headaches which in return can make employees more productive. Lighting Maintenance Most warehouses have ceilings well above 15 feet which generally require a lift if you need to make any changes to your lighting system. Constantly requiring your maintenance team to use a lift and change lamps is a risk that can easily be avoided. Modern LED lights commonly last much longer than outdated lighting options which removes the need to constantly swap out lights. On top of this, consistently changing lights can interfere with daily operations in the warehouse making your employees less productive. The cost of changing out bulbs can quickly add up for your warehouse. Since LED lights last significantly longer, the cost of replacing bulbs no longer becomes an issue for the facility. We have had several customers who constantly are purchasing and replacing tubes which takes time and money away from their business. By upgrading to LED, these customers were able to reduce their maintenance costs significantly and reduce their electrical usage which slashed their total lighting cost by up to 70%. Solution: LED High Bay Lighting LED high bays are the bread and butter of lighting upgrades for warehouses. They provide excellent light output while requiring significantly less energy to run. Furthermore, they last longer than outdated options making them a quality investment for your facility. Here is a quick comparison between a High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp and a LED high bay. How to Choose the Right High Bay Efficiency The first specification to consider is the wattage of the current light compared to the replacement. All manufacturers offer a simple wattage or lamp comparison to help customers choose the best option. As shown in the example above, a 400W HID lamp is commonly replaced with a 125W LED High Bay. Therefore, the LED option requires around 70% less energy than the HID lamp being replaced. Not every LED manufacturer is the same so be sure to check which option is most efficient to ensure you get the most savings! Foot Candles The second specification is the foot-candle requirement of your facility. Foot candles are a measurement of light that is commonly used to set lighting standards for different facilities. Warehouses using outdated options such as fluorescent tubes usually underperform compared to lighting standards. To ensure you hit the lighting standards, we recommend contacting your local lighting consultant who can take a reading of your space and offer a custom solution to fill your lighting needs. Generally, a warehouse will want to be operating with at least 20 foot candles, however specific applications may require much higher lighting levels. Color Temperature Color temperature (K) is a measure of how “warm” or “cool” a light source appears. The lower the number (2000K) the warmer the light appears, the higher the number (5000K) the cooler or whiter the light appears. Since cleanliness and organization are important for warehouses, we recommend choosing a high bay with a color temperature between 4000 – 6000K. Conclusion Quality lighting can greatly improve the operations and profitability of a warehouse. LED lighting is a great solution for facilities that currently have outdated options such a fluorescent and HID lamps. They greatly reduce maintenance and energy usage while offering higher-quality lighting for your facility.

LED Lighting Applications: Parking Lots

Parking lots are one of the most common applications we see for LED lighting. They have long run hours and demand high amounts of electricity which creates the perfect opportunity for energy savings. Continue reading to learn about the most common replacements we see as well as the major benefits LED lighting can offer for parking lots. Common Replacements Floods Flood lights are commonly used to illuminate large areas in outdoor spaces or a specific object such as a sign or flagpole. Safety and security are common uses for flood lights as well because they keep large, open areas well-lit to prevent intruders and ensure proper video quality from security cameras. Parking Area Lights Parking area lights or area lights are commonly fixated to poles. They illuminate parking lots as well as roadways and pathways. Area lights offer direct lighting to the space beneath the fixture for employees and customers navigating the parking area. These are highly important as improper lighting can create dark spots which pose risk for patrons and employees at night. Wall Packs Wall packs are placed on the exterior walls of buildings to illuminate the area directly around the building as well as walkways. Like floods, they offer safety benefits by providing light to entrances, windows and other common break-in points. Benefits of Upgrading Parking Lots to LED’s Savings Generally, LED’s use up to 70% less energy or Watts then it’s outdated counterparts such as fluorescent and HID lamps. Furthermore, LED’s last more than 10x longer then inefficient options such as the two listed above. Less replacements over time reduces maintenance cost and saves your facilities manager time. Safer for employees The first and major safety consideration is lighting quality to prevent accidents in parking lots. Dark areas caused by inadequate lighting can pose risk for car accidents especially near turns or narrow areas. Additionally, poor lighting can create liability risk for the company if an accident were to happen on company property. The second safety concern is the risk facility managers take when replacing parking lot lights specifically area lights that usually are fixated to 30-foot poles. These commonly require a lift or ladder to access which is not only dangerous but a laborious process. Conclusion Overall, parking lots are an excellent opportunity to harness the savings and benefits of LED lighting. Integra LED has worked with numerous companies to upgrade their parking lots and make their facility more efficient.

LED Lighting Applications: Retail

Retail shopping is a delicate experience that requires every detail to be perfect for the customer to make a purchase. Quality service, a comfortable environment, and enticing product selection all play a role in the decisions a customer will make. Proper lighting is an important factor that can make products pop and create the right environment for customers. The main goal of lighting in a retail location is to attract and guide customers through the store while creating a fitting environment for what they are shopping for. For example, a sporting goods store saw sales increase by 10% immediately after improving the store’s lighting quality by upgrading to LED downlighting. In this week’s LED Lighting Applications, we discuss the importance of quality lighting in retail spaces and how LED lights offer a simple, efficient and quality solution. Guided Lighting Environment plays a major role in a customer’s decision-making process. Lighting is an excellent way to control the appearance of your location and create the proper environment for your customers. Color temperature is a measure used to describe how “warm” or “cool” the light being emitted from a source appears. The spectrum ranges from 1,000K (Amber) up to 10,000K (Blueish-White) but most applications range between 2,000K to 6,500K. Color temperature can transform the appearance of your store. For example, lower color temperatures can create a more comfortable and welcoming environment for your customers while a high color temperature can create a clean, sanitary feel perfect for technology stores (think Apple). Spotlighting is a key tool for retail facilities as well. It enables retail locations to emphasis certain products or sections in the store. When used properly, it can guide customers through the store and help them to navigate to different sections. The Sale You are in a grocery store and browsing for fresh fruit. What factors play a role in the fruit you select? For most, it’s the color and appearance of the fruit that makes them decide which one to pick! Color Rendering Index or CRI measures the ability of a light source to accurately reveal the colors of objects in comparison to natural light. CRI is measured on a 0-100 scale, the higher the CRI, the better the light source will render color. Therefore, an ideal light source will have a high CRI preferably above 80. If your retail location has a low CRI, products will look drab and unappealing to customers while a high CRI will make the colors pop and better represent the true colors of the product. Integra LED utilizes several high CRI options to ensure our customers receive the best lighting for their retail location! An additional retail situation that requires quality lighting is fitting rooms. Generally, customers make their final decisions in them while trying on different clothing items. Poor quality lighting can misrepresent the true colors of the clothes and make the clothing less attractive to the customer. Furthermore, if the area is poorly lit, the customer will have a tough time assessing if they like what they have tried on. First Steps Now that we covered different lighting variables that affect consumers’ decisions, let’s cover some ways you can start using lighting to improve your sales and customer experience. Check You Color Temperature and CRI. First, check the color temperature of your lighting. This can commonly be found on the box or the bulb itself like the example to the right. Make sure it aligns with the environment you are trying to create for your customers. For example, an antique store would be the best fit with a lower color temperature like 3000K to create a warm and welcoming environment. Secondly, check the CRI of your lighting. A high CRI is not always necessary but in most retail situations it is highly recommended. Although CRI may not be listed on bulbs, it can commonly be found in the box similar to the example on the right. Checking and assessing these measures is a great first step to adjusting the lighting in your facility to increase sales and improve the appearance of your products. Assess Dark Areas Walk your store and check for dark areas or sections that could stand out more by having spotlighting on them. We have seen countless retail locations that have areas or sections that lack proper lighting and deter customers. Many times areas are being lit but the light source is too dim or is the incorrect color temperature for the space making the area look dark. For example, a clothing store fitted with fluorescent tubes has several dark areas due to the tubes quickly degrading and become dim. Once you have identified these areas, we would recommend contacting your local lighting company to assist in ordering and installing the correct product. Conclusion At first, lighting may seem like a small factor in one’s decision-making process but when we realize how much we rely on appearance when selecting products, that quickly changes. Therefore, it is imperative for retail locations to have quality lighting that properly represents products while guiding the customer through the retail space. LED lights are 10x-20x more efficient than outdated light sources and offer the quality lighting needed in retail locations.

LED Lighting Applications: Libraries

Integra LED has worked with several libraries to provide modern LED lighting solutions for their facilities. Libraries gain many benefits from upgrading to LED lights beyond the maintenance and energy savings. Lighting quality is extremely important to readers, many libraries still utilize outdated lighting options that create a harsh reading environment for their patrons. Furthermore, libraries commonly have long run hours causing them to consume a large amount of energy for lighting. Continue reading to learn more about how LEDs can benefit your readers and significantly reduce your utility bill! Better Lighting for Readers LED lighting offers a close to natural spectrum of light which is easier on the eyes than outdated lighting options such as fluorescent lights. If you look at the spectrum of fluorescent light, you will see several spikes in colors. These spikes can create sensitivity in certain people that can cause headaches, grogginess and decreased focus. LED lighting not only offers a smoother source of light but is aesthetically pleasing making the facility appear more modern and comfortable. From our experience working with libraries, we have found that a warmer color temperature is the best option for library lighting. It creates a more comfortable feel for the readers and is less straining on the eyes then a cooler color temperature. Color temperature is a value generally between 2,000-6,000K that measures how “warm” or “cool” a light source appears. The higher the value, the cooler the light will appear and the lower the value, the warmer it will appear. For example, a 2,500K LED light will be amber in color while 5,000K will produce a white-blue light. Overall, we recommend using a color temperature between 3,000 – 4,000K for general library lighting. Lighting Control Systems Smart control systems are the future of lighting. They enable facilities such as libraries to customize their lighting and increase the amount of energy they save with their lighting system. Modern control systems offer a variety of features ranging from occupancy sensing to daylight harvesting. Daylight harvesting is a feature that tracks the amount of natural light entering a space then adjust the fixtures light output accordingly. For example, if a room has a lot of natural light, the control system will automatically dim the fixtures to create an optimal amount of light while reducing energy consumption. This not only makes the facility more efficient, but it allows it to better utilize natural light creating a more comfortable space for patrons. Dimming is a core capability for any lighting system especially libraries. In libraries, dimming is a great feature to have for presentations or films. LED’s installed with dimming drivers offer precise and seamless dimming that allows the user to select the perfect amount of light for their needs. Energy Savings Run hours is one of the most important components when assessing how much a facility can save when upgrading to LED lighting. Libraries commonly have long hours making them a perfect space to harness the energy-saving power of LED lights. On average, our customers reduce their lighting costs by up to 70%. Furthermore, since LEDs last significantly longer, the cost of maintaining your lighting system is greatly reduced. LEDs commonly last 5x longer than outdated options saving you money on purchasing replacement lamps. Considering LEDs last around 5x longer than fluorescent tubes, you could avoid purchasing and replacing your facilities lighting 3 times by upgrading to LED. Integra LED offers turnkey LED lighting upgrades covering everything from securing incentives on product to installing the new lighting system. We offer a complimentary lighting assessment to any interested customer. This assessment enables you to see the potential savings and incentives you could receive from upgrading to LED lighting.

LED Lighting Applications-Education (K12)

Lighting quality can play a significant role in a student’s performance. Most schools still utilize inefficient and poor-quality lighting systems that create unoptimized environments for students. In this week’s LED lighting applications blog, we will discuss how modern LED lighting can improve student performance while reducing energy and maintenance costs. Lighting & Student Performance Does being under fluorescent lighting make you feel groggy, unfocused or even cause headaches? Well, you’re not alone and many people feel the same way you do! What you are experiencing is called Photophobia, it is a sensitivity to light caused by certain wavelengths and brightness. If you look at the spectrum of fluorescent light, you will see several spikes in colors. These spikes can create sensitivity in those who are sensitive to light. Over time, this can have physical effects including headaches and decreased focus. Student performance is a key measure for any education program. Considering how common Photophobia is, many students can experience decreased performance due to poor, outdated lighting in their classrooms. LED lighting is a great solution to this common problem. They offer smooth lighting that can easily be controlled and adjusted depending on student’s and teacher’s needs. Furthermore, LEDs emit light that closely resembles sunlight offering a more natural light source, unlike fluorescent lights constant spikes. Learning environments play a significant role in students’ performance. Quality lighting can greatly improve an environment and ensure it’s optimized for students. Modern LED lighting systems utilize controls that enable the end-user to customize their lighting and optimize it depending on their needs. A few common features of modern control systems include dimming, daylight harvesting, and task tuning. All these features combined can create a more comfortable and enhanced space for students and teachers alike. A recent study found that students achieved a higher percentage increase in oral reading fluency performance when working in a room equipped with LED lights that were optimized for the student’s performance. Energy Savings + Maintenance Lighting is a large electrical demand for school systems as the lights commonly run long hours. Outdated options like fluorescent lighting have very short lifetimes and consume significantly more energy compared to modern LED lights. On average, LED’s use 70% less energy than outdated options while commonly lasting 10x longer than fluorescent lights. These energy savings will show up directly on your utility bill reducing the monthly cost of energy for your facilities. Furthermore, LED lighting is maintenance-free compared to fluorescent tubes which have a much shorter lifetime than LED lights. This will save your maintenance team time by removing the need to constantly swap out tubes and replace lamps. Constantly replacing lights is a cost that can quickly add up which can be avoided by upgrading. Therefore, LED lights not only save you on energy costs but also greatly reduce maintenance costs for your buildings. Conclusion LED lighting is the future of lighting for education facilities. Integra LED has worked with several school districts in New York to help create a better environment for students and save on energy costs. The future is here and it’s only a matter of time before all schools harness the power of LED lighting and controls. Be on the leading edge of this technology and upgrade your school with Integra LED. We offer free lighting assessments to get the process started and give you a better idea of the savings and benefits you could see!

Blog