Tag Archives: environmentally friendly

LED Lighting Versatility and Flexibility

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As I started in the LED lighting industry, one of the things that really excited me is how energy-efficient and long-lasting LED lamps and fixtures are.  While that is still very important, I continue to be amazed by the many other benefits of LED lighting.  In certain environments such as retail, having the right lighting can make the difference of products selling or not. When I have compared LED lighting against traditional fixtures, the versatility and flexibility makes it the perfect choice for most applications. Now imagine using LED products where you wouldn’t normally think lighting, in the traditional sense, could be used.

LED Source Residential LEDAccent lighting with LED tape light is common, but the way you approach it can be unique.  Working with an interior designer at Interior Trends Inc. (ITI) here in Wichita, we used LED tape lighting to create the effect of ‘floating’ panels.  They had an electronic fireplace, two pieces of art and a headboard – all would be ‘floating’ off of the wall by several inches. They wanted an accent light behind those panels to enhance the effect. LED tape lighting was used because of its ability to be in tight spaces. It was cost-effective and provided just a subtle amount of light to create the perfect ‘glow’ around the panels and created the effect of floating.  An added bonus is that since it is all low-voltage, all they had to do was plug a transformer into a receptacle and attach some simple plug-and-play connectors.

LED Source Residential LED LightingWhat about using LED tape lighting to create a ‘crown-molding effect? On a recent project, a client built a small cove near the top of the room and the LED tape light made a beautiful angle of light around the entire room.  Simple, elegant and cost-effective, but more importantly, the effect was striking.

At LED Source®, we have a passion in challenging traditional thinking in the lighting industry.  We believe that by doing that, we can bring the greatest value to our clients!  Sometimes that can be as complex as engineering a complete solution for an entire facility or as simple and elegant as using a slick little product like LED tape light.

Travis Hettenbach is the owner of the LED Source® Wichita franchise.

Upgrade Your Gas Station To LED Lighting

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Gas Station LED Lighting LED SourceIf you are the owner of a gas station, then the daily maintenance of your business is priority. Making sure garbage cans are not over flowing, lighting fixtures are working and fuel pumps are functioning, is a daily routine. Aside from convenience, fuel prices and necessity, do you know why some motorists choose to stop at your gas station and why others do not? Could it be your lighting? Should you upgrade your gas station to LED lighting? In most major metropolitan areas, you can usually find a gas station within a 5-mile radius and pass several stations on your daily commute. Knowing the factors that can influence a customer’s decision to visit your gas station can seriously impact the bottom line and affect the growth of your business.

One of the main factors is your lighting. After sunset, take a look at your gas station from across the street and ask yourself “Does my lighting draw the attention of passing motorists. Does it make them feel safe?” If your answer is “No,” then you may want to consider upgrading your gas station to LED lighting. For the past 10 years, most gas stations that operate 24 hours a day use expensive High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures for the lights in the canopy. HIDs consume 175W to 400W of energy, but lose lumen output over time while utilizing the same amount of power. In other words, they are a waste of money and energy for less performance. HIDs also require a ballast, which means more maintenance for you. Once you factor in the costs of replacing a broken fixture (labor and lift rental), daily energy usage and maintenance, it’s easy to see how HID lights have an expensive cost-of-ownership.

Now fast forward to 2012 and imagine an LED fixture that uses 80% less energy, lasts 20X longer, reduces maintenance, emits virtually no heat and comes with a warranty of up to 5 years. Allow me to introduce you to the next generation of gas station lighting – LEDs. Over the past several years LED lighting technology has been replacing traditional lighting fixtures and lamps because they last longer, save energy, illuminate brighter and require less maintenance than halogen, incandescent, fluorescent and metal halide lighting.

Mini 300 LED Gas Station CanopyPhillips innovative Mini 300 LED under canopy fixture is a retrofit solution for gas station owners looking to upgrade their existing fixtures without major modifications. This LED fixture can replace a 400W metal halide fixture, consumes only 110W, can be dimmed to 30% and last over 100,000 hours. Phillips estimates a Return On Investment (ROI) of less than 4 years and depending on where your gas station is located, you could qualify for an energy rebate from your local utility company, thus reducing the cost of upgrading and ownership. If you’re still unsure about making the switch to LEDs, consult with a gas station LED lighting EXPERT at LED Source®.

Parking Garages and LEDs – A Match Made in Heaven

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If you own, run or work for a parking garage, you know the challenges inherent in lighting it.  The lights you have now are expensive to run.  They’re energy hogs.  You’re swapping lamps out because they burn out all the time. During the lamp replacement, you have to hire a maintenance person to replace the bulbs and not to mention that drivers are trying to kill you as they fly through the parking garage to get in and out.  When these bulbs burn out, they cause dangerous black holes in your space.  These lamps must be on 24/7 with no downtime.

All of these challenges lead to one solution, LED lighting.  Generally, you’re talking about a 200-Watt fixture being used to light the various areas of your garage.  What if I told you that we could replace that fixture with a 60-Watt LED fixture?  Not only does it use 65% less energy than what you’re currently using, but it will last nearly 7 years if you ran it for 24/7 and it requires no maintenance.  There is really no downside to replacing what you have now with new LED fixtures except is one thing… the price.

People perceive LED lighting as being expensive and if you look at it purely from the perspective of the initial cost, you’re absolutely correct.  They’re more expensive than what a typical legacy lighting solution would cost.  When you look at the Return On Investment (ROI) and factor in lamp replacement costs, energy savings and the time wasted replacing lamps, you’re looking at the MOST inexpensive solution available.  How can you beat that?  LEDs will save you the most money, time and headaches. Make the switch today.


For more information on LED lighting, contact the LED lighting experts at LED Source – 866.900.4533.

Know The Features Of LED Lamps

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Knowing the Key Features of different LED lamps is crucial in making the right choice when making a purchasing decision.

Most LED lamps feature low-wattage, which translates into energy savings. When compared to a traditional bulb, many LED lamps are an average of 20-40 times more efficient and uses up to 75% – 85% less energy.

The energy savings are clear when using LED lamps but how long will they last? One of the key features of LED lighting is that many will last 10 to 20 years before needing replacement. When compared to traditional incandescent bulbs only lasting around 1,000 hours and compact fluorescent (CFL) lasting an average of 5,000 hours, LED lamps last an average of 50,000 hours and even then, the LEDs don’t burn out. They only lose intensity and will operate around 70% of the original light output and could last many more hours.

OK the saving and life-span seem very good but do LED lamps carry any warranty? If you are buying LED lamps from high quality manufacturers like Cree, Philips Lighting, Lighting Science Group or Toshiba Lighting, on average these companies will warranty their lamps for 5 years.

I hear that CRI is important. What does it mean and what should I look for? Color Rendering Index or CRI is a quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects in comparison to a natural light source. Getting the correct CRI is very important for some applications like Photography, TV Studios or Cinematography. The CRI on many high quality lamps is between 85-90. This translates into the human eye actually seeing the TRUE color of the object being lit. The CRI on most traditional light sources can be as low as 25-50, with High Pressure Sodium lamps being the worst culprit at a CRI of around 25.

When doing an LED lighting retrofit, why is Color Temperature important? Knowing which Color Temperature to match for an existing project is critical. When LED lamps are installed, there does not need to be any surprises with a totally different Color Temperature than what was there previously. Color Temperature is often shown with a “K” (kelvin) beside a number which is the temperature that radiates light of a comparable hue to that of the light source. Lower white temperatures (2,700-3,000K) are considered Warm colors and Cool colors (5,000K or over) often produce a blueish white color. Use warm color temperatures in public areas or in a home and cooler temperatures in offices or warehouses.

While knowing the features of LED lamps can be a bit confusing at first, it is a much better way of getting the exact lamp you need for your project.

For more information, contact the LED lighting Experts at LED Source – 866.900.4533

What Are Some Of The Benefits Of LED Lighting?

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LEDs offer numerous benefits for the property owner as well as the environment. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider switching to LED lighting in your home or workplace:

  • Better Light: The color rendering and quality of light in LEDs is much better than CFL or fluorescent lighting. The color consistency is near perfect and the fixtures are held to a much high standard than other technologies currently on the market.
  • More Energy Efficient: LEDs consume 85% less energy than incandescent lighting and around 50% less energy than fluorescent lighting. What this means is the less heat is produced thus also lowering cooling costs.
  • Low Maintenance: On average, LEDs last up to 50,000 hours. At that point, they are only fading to 70%. A typical application will see 20 years or more before needing replacement, which saves money on maintenance costs, especially for those who have to hire special crews to change light bulbs.
  • Good for the Environment: It’s no secret that LEDs are earth-friendly. They consume less electricity, emit fewer greenhouse gases, contain no harmful Mercury, almost all components are 100% recyclable, and are safer to use because cooler operation means less (or NO) fire hazard.
  • Money Saver: In many cases, LED lighting will pay for itself in less than 2 years and the ROI can easily be 12 or 15 times the cost of the product. When you look at the lifetime savings on energy and maintenance costs, it is clear that LEDs are the way to go.

For more information on LED lighting, contact one of the LED lighting Experts at www.LEDsource.com

Getting An LED Lighting Makeover

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Considering that traditional, incandescent light bulbs will be completely phased out and no longer available to consumers within the next three years, it’s time to start thinking about how you will illuminate your homes and workplaces. Since LED (light emitting diode) lighting is the most eco-friendly lighting solution currently available, it only makes sense to go in this direction. But what’s the first step in launching a lighting makeover?

Updating or “retrofitting” – as it’s called in the industry – your lighting will continue to become common practice over the next several years.  With so many more LED products now available, property owners have tons of options when choosing their lighting, including color, brightness, design and application.

The most important step is hiring the right LED experts to help with the retrofit process. It pays to go to professionals with a proven track record in LED lighting, a vast selection of excellent quality products from various vendors that live up to their label, and a history of successfully completed projects.

The retrofit process itself can range from a simple count of existing lamps to a very detailed energy survey, which includes collecting information from your existing lighting, such as quantity, wattage, hours of operation, energy costs, color, application, ceiling heights and spacing. The best way to justify the cost and savings and to truly see how the transition to LED will impact your business is to do a detailed energy audit of existing conditions and compare them to the energy savings and maintenance costs found on the post-LED retrofit report. This is also known as your return on investment or ROI.  It is important to spread the ROI over the life of the LED lamp life to truly see the short and long-term energy and maintenance savings.

Watch a LED lighting retrofit in action – Audi Coral Springs:

For more information or to set up your own energy survey, contact us at LED Source: 866.900.4LED [4533]. http://www.ledsource.com

LED Lighting Continues Adoption in the New Year

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The end of 2010 proved to be a pinnacle year in LED lighting, where more electrical end users began to understand the full benefits of converting to LEDs. In fact, many large companies such as Macy’s and Starbucks received a lighting makeover while others began to make plans for the New Year. Companies are beginning to commit and prioritize their budgets to convert to LED. This will allow these companies to take every advantage of the savings involved all year-long.

There is no other lighting source that compares to the savings experienced with a LED retrofit. The benefits are quickly being made aware with an extremely long lamp life, which generally lasts 50,000 to 70,000 hours or longer. Much improved color rendering and options such as instant startup and better lighting control, including the ability to dim, are adding to the continued adoption towards LED lighting. Heat generation is greatly reduced with the use of LEDs. This is creating cooling savings as well as insect clouded lens reduction. More often, we’re seeing LED products included in the Energy Star list, creating broader rebate opportunities and a facility engineer’s favorite benefit: minimal to zero maintenance for the life of the lamp. Imagine not replacing a 25-foot high lamp every year or sometimes twice a year. Think of the maintenance cost savings!

Another advantage of LED lighting has to do with the reduction of hazardous waste. First, LED lighting has no Mercury and most LED products have lead-free solder in their circuit boards. They are environmentally friendly so no EPA stringent rules or extra costs are required for lamp disposal.  Let’s not forget to mention that the longer life means less waste in our landfills.

We are seeing more products to fit almost every application and prices are stabilizing, making it more affordable for our average user.  Consumers are experiencing payback within two years in most cases. LED is the new wave in energy conservation and it will dominate the energy market in the New Year and for many more to come.