Practical advice on commercial lighting from LED retrofits to lighting design.

Here’s a common dilemma: a company hires a general contractor to oversee a large-scale renovation or new construction buildout, or a series of projects. But when it comes to lighting, the company isn’t sure who should purchase the products.

Most of the time an LED upgrade involves unscrewing old light bulbs and screwing in new, energy-saving options in their place. Shocker. But if you’re looking to truly optimize your lighting for the greatest efficiency, this may not be the best approach. And it might cost you more money. 

States across the U.S. are taking their own measures to become more energy efficient. That often means changes to energy code.

Energy code can vary greatly from state to state, and even between local jurisdictions. A lot of times, these changes make lighting requirements more complicated. We stay up to date on changes that could impact lighting projects, so that we can handle projects from planning to completion.

You can find a good deal on light bulbs at Home Depot and Walmart. Sometimes, customers bring that to our attention. 

How do these stores sell at such low prices? Are they selling the same light bulbs as us? They are targeting a more residential customer, so are they selling residential grade lighting products?

Is there something different about a residential lamp when compared with a commercial one?

Usually, no – there's no difference or distinction, at least according to one of our top manufacturers. Though the products are packaged differently, their guts are almost always the same.

Does thinking about a lighting retrofit for your hotel seem overwhelming?

If you live in California, you can say goodbye to incandescent and halogen light bulbs.

The California Energy Commission voted on November 13, 2019 to ban the sale of inefficient light bulbs starting January 1, 2020.

I get asked all the time what the right color temperature and color rendering index (CRI) should be for various applications. Although there are rules of thumb that typically provide a positive outcome, color can be so subjective. With LED, your options have become almost limitless. Selecting the right color for your application can be pretty overwhelming. 

Francine Pitassi, one of Regency's Lighting Specialists, works with customers every day to find cost and energy saving lighting options for their applications. One topic she finds herself addressing often is that of lighting rebates. In this article, Francine helps answer some of the most common questions we receive centered around lighting rebates.

If you’ve been considering LED lighting over the last few years, you’ve probably been approached by at least a few different manufacturers touting the superiority of their products. You’ve probably also noticed the explosion of new vendors and products on the market. It’s enough to make your head spin.

But some big questions still loom over the LED decision-making process. How do you commit to a product and avoid the anxiety that something better is going to come out in two months? How do you weed through the onslaught of new technologies, vendors, and options in the lighting industry?