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[Keywords should be separated by space] |
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| Do you have links for the Quebec Incentives? |
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| Answer: Yes, Quebec Incentives are classifed as two categories:
Industrial - http://www.programmebatiments.com/en/clientele-institutionnelle.php
Commercial-http://www.programmebatiments.com/en/clientele-commerciale.php
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| Can we do our retrofit in stages? What are the rules with the save-on-energy program? |
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| Answer: Yes, however your project must be pre-approved and installed within 12 months. Projects must be worth a minimum prescriptive incentive of a $100. For the ENGINEERED or CUSTOM tracks, your project must have an estimated demand reduction of 1 kW or first-year annual energy savings of 2,000 kWh. Projects must deliver energy savings for at least 48 months. |
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| What if we find 600V in our lighting circuits? |
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| Answer: The 600V is an issue because fluorescent ballasts are only available with ratings as high as 480V. The solution involves either the installation of a small transformer or finding an alternate power supply such as a 220V supply from the existing panel in the building. If this option is viable we can generally re-use the existing wires between the fixtures but would still need to run wire and conduit to the power supply and to the switch locations.
With the 220V supply we can use two way switches allowing on/off at either location. The problem with this option is the additional installation cost which will be $2600 plus HST. One benefit is that you do get improved switching allowing the fixtures to be turned off when not needed.
One other option is to change the existing metal halide fixtures to “pulse start”. This involves replacing the ballast, socket and lamp with more efficient technology. The change will reduce energy use from 455W to 365W - a reduction of 90W. This compares to a saving of 235W if fluorescent fixtures were installed.
One final consideration is that the fluorescent option has an incentive of $105 per fixture while the pulse start option has only a $34 incentive. This will result in an increased net project cost of $71 per fixture.
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| What is Nexstar's Warranty policy? |
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| Answer: Nexstar Lighting Limited’s warranty is limited to workmanship for the Purchaser’s installation services provided by Nexstar or any authorized electrical contractor appointed by Nexstar, for a period of 1-year from the date of installation. Fixtures, lamps, and ballasts are warranted through the manufacturer’s warranty programs for the respective components. Details for each manufacturer’s warranty are available through Nexstar, or through the manufacturer’s website. Nexstar will assist customers in their efforts to satisfy manufacturer’s warranty claims.
Nexstar shall, upon written notice from the Purchaser, correct such non-conformity /workmanship promptly and provide the Purchaser with a written report summarizing the work required to correct the issue.
This warranty excludes any liability for labor to remove or reinstall the products. Correction in the manner provided above shall constitute a fulfillment of all liabilities of Nexstar Lighting with respect to the quality of the products.
Under no circumstances shall Nexstar Lighting be liable to the Purchaser or to any other person for any indirect, special, consequential or incidental losses or damages, including without limitation, damage to or loss of use of any equipment, lost sales or profits, or delay or failure to perform this warranty option.
As used herein, the term "person" shall include, without limitation, any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or entity.
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| What retrofit options are available for my MR16 pot light lamps? |
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| Answer: FROM ELECTRICAL BUSINESS: Halco Lighting Technologies, a manufacturer of lamps and ballasts, has introduced its Reduced Wattage HaloXen MR16 Lamps, which are said to reduce energy consumption by up to 26 percent, provide 5,000-hour average rated life and achieve a high efficacy level through the lamp’s specialized Halogen-Xenon gas mixture. The Xenon gas helps reduce filament evaporation and increases light output, while the halogen gas extends the life of the lamp by re-depositing evaporated tungsten back onto the filament, says the company. The lamps are available in 16, 26, 37 and 57 watts and replace standard halogen 20, 35, 50 and 75 watt lamps.
AND... Nexxus Lighting Inc. launched its new Array MR16-HO (high output), an LED lamp that’s a direct replacement for MR16 halogen down and track lighting applications. The MR16-HO operates at 12vAC and uses 6.5W to deliver over 325 lumens and a CBCP (centre beam candle power) of 2693. It is designed to last 50,000 hours and offers a colour rendering over 83 CRI in both 2700K and 3000K temperatures. The lamp is available in 18º Spot, 22º narrow flood and 100º flood optics, and can be operated in open or enclosed fixtures. |
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| Answer: When you buy gas they charge you by the gallon. When you buy electricity they charge you by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). When you use 1000 watts for 1 hour, that's a kilowatt-hour. For example: A typical 400 watt metal halide using 455-watts, operating 730 hours (all month) will use 328 kWh. However if that same fixture was retrofit with Nexstar's 220-watt CFL it would only use 160 kWh. That's represents more than a 50% savings.
To get kilowatt-hours, take the wattage and divide by 1000 to turn it into kilowatts, and then multiply by the number of hours you're using the item. |
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| What is Variable Load Shedding? |
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| Answer: Load shedding is the automatic reduction of electrical demand in a building by shedding lighting loads dynamically (through dimming or switching) either to shave peak demand or to respond to a utility price or demand response signal. Load shedding can be done selectively by lowest priority areas first.
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| What is Daylight Harvesting? |
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| Answer: Through the use of photo sensors, light levels are automatically adjusted to take into account ambient natural sunlight entering the building. Appropriate light levels are maintained and artificial lighting is dimmed when necessary. |
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| How can we lower our energy costs further when we already have T8 lamps? |
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| Answer: If you're currently using 32 watt lamps, a great way to shave an extra 14% off your energy costs is to simply re-lamp with 28-watt lamps. The visible light level difference is negligible, and the average office operating 2500 hours per year will save about $1.00 per lamp. That can quickly add up to serious savings! |
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| How to Select Acceptable Light Levels |
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| Answer: Recommended light levels have been developed by the Society of Illuminating Engineers (IES) and these recommendations form the basis for all new designs and retrofits. The determination of the appropriate light level can be complex and many factors have to be taken into consideration:
• The type of building / activity taking place
• The visual task required – high or low contrast, the size of the parts being viewed, the length of time people will be in the environment
• The reflectance of the background – levels must be higher where a low reflectance exists
• The speed of the activity taking place and the accuracy required – for example are people walking or are fork lifts moving in tight areas.
• The age of the people in the building. Older people need higher light levels
As a result a light level range is typically recommended subject to adjustment to take into account local conditions.
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