The U.S. Department of Energy is a good source of factual information on energy consuming products and practices. They recently added a series of publications on the application of LEDs that are worth reading. LEDS are often touted for energy efficiency and long life but in practice other designfactors must be considered. The article highlights some unique attributes of LEDs:
• Directional light emission – you can direct light only where needed improving overall efficiency
• Size – the LED option is often much smaller than a conventional light source
• Breakage Resistance – since the LED is a solid chip of material it is not subject to damage from vibration or normal breakage
• Cold Temperatures – LED have improved performance in cold temperatures
• Instant On – no warm up required
• Rapid Cycling Capability – frequent switching does not reduce LED lifetime
• Controllability – electronic controls can change light levels and colour
• No IR or UV emissions

For a copy of the full article call your Nexstar representative .

Energy uncertainty has been identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of the greatest threats facing the world! The recent release of ISO 50001 can assist in the implementation of an Energy Management System for your organization and turn global uncertainty into your competitive advantage. One of the first steps in achieving this standard is to set up a monitoring and measuring system for all energy components. Energy monitoring systems used to be expensive, difficult to install and generated data that was hard to utilize… but not anymore. We have recently been using a very simple single phase or three phase monitoring system that is perfect for tracking electrical energy use. The system connects to any electrical panel or circuit using split core current transformers that can be installed without shutting down the power. The meter is read continuously and sends the data wirelessly to your current internet connection. The data is available in near real-time on any computer, tablet or smart phone located anywhere there is internet access. The online data is available in long term storage for later analysis.

Nexstar Lighting typically installs one or more of the metering devices prior to start of a project. This will allow the base line to be established and the energy saving reduction verified. The system can be incrementally expanded at any time if you wish to monitor additional panels or circuits. Multiple meters can be grouped as required; for example, it can be used to provide information on energy use within different departments.

For more information contact your local Nexstar representative.

We recently attended the annual LightFair in Las Vegas as we do every year to see the new products. This year was definitely the year that LEDs have begun to find a wide range of commercial applications. The products are still expensive but they have come down a lot from only a few years ago. The U.S. Department of Energy is a strong supporter of LED development and they are projecting that costs will continue to decrease and product quality will continue to increase. It is clearly only a matter of time before we find widespread use of LED lamps and fixtures in the commercial/industrial marketplace.

One of the interesting features of LED technology is that it will allow designers to change the way we think of a light fixture. For example many manufacturers were displaying new troffer designs for office applications. These typically fit with a 2×4 T-bar ceiling grid. Many of the new designs are very attractive but still follow the same thinking as in previous years. One creative supplier changed this by making the T-bar the actual light fixture! LED strips can be designed into almost any shape. New LED designs will certainly change our way of thinking about a light fixture.

Yes. If you’re still using T12 fluorescent lighting in your business now is a great time to make the change to an energy-efficient alternative. Here is the reason: the provision of the Federal Minimum Energy Standard mandated the manufacturing of T12 fluorescent bulbs to be phased out in 2012. This means you would have a hard time finding replacement fluorescent bulbs after that.

An equally compelling reason to make the move is savings! T12’s cost far more to operate than T8 or T5 lamps with electronic ballasts. Plus… incentives available through the Ontario Power Authority’s Save-on-Energy program provide generous financial support to encourage businesses to make the switch.

Will these incentives still be available after the ban? Good question – by why take the chance. Once your incentive has bee approved you have up to 12-months to have your project installed. We believe the time to act is now.

Many small businesses have already switched to energy-efficient lighting but there are still plenty of holdouts.  Some business owners don’t like the look of twisty compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), or they find LEDs and CFLs light too glaringly bright. Higher upfront costs of new lighting technologies scare away others.  However, it’s worth taking a new look at energy-efficient lighting, if you haven’t already.

Here’s a look at the potential cost savings of making the switch:

Say you have one 60-watt incandescent light bulb that stays on for 60 hours per week and thus uses 3,600 watts per week. That’s 187,200 watts per year, or 1,872 kilowatts. If you pay 10-cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, that bulb costs you roughly $19 per year. Multiply that across 10 incandescent bulbs, and you’re looking at an annual lighting electricity cost of about $190.

Replacing those 10 bulbs with 14-watt CFLs might cost $20. But you would pay only about $44 in electricity each year – a $136 annual electricity savings. (The standard price of LEDs is still quite a bit higher – perhaps $20 per bulb – but that is expected to drop substantially in coming years.)