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

Energy rebates can be a big boost for building improvement projects, like a lighting retrofit. But is the reward even worth the hassle? 

In January, the most recent update of Title 24 will go into effect. Since these standards were drafted in 2016, they are referred to as the 2016 standards, which can be confusing, since they actually go into effect in 2017. 

The changes may end up being pretty important to a lot of our California customers, especially those eyeing retrofit projects on the horizon.

There's a lot of confusion surrounding California's Energy Code, commonly known as Title 24. Just what is it and what kind of effect will it have on your lighting?

As you'd see published in Section 6 of the California Code of Regulations, Title 24 is a broad set of requirements for “energy conservation, green design, construction and maintenance, fire and life safety, and accessibility” that apply to the “structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems” in a building. The code applies to all buildings in California, not just state-owned buildings.

In recent years, legislatures outside of California have begun to put similar sets of code into place in their respective areas, especially when it comes to lighting.

As of Sept. 1, lighting manufacturers are now required to submit all applicable products under a new set of DLC requirement updates which will go into effect for consumers on Jan. 1, 2017. Now, I don’t pretend to think that all of you reading this article know what DLC stands for and why it exists, but it will have an impact on the lighting you purchase. Let’s break that down before we dive into how these changes may impact your lighting.

I’ve been to enough weddings in my time to notice something they all share in common ­­–– the happy couple always makes the rounds during the reception to the various tables to say thank you and give hugs.

Yet have you noticed that quite often, the more distant relatives are usually away from the “circle of trust” of immediate family? By the time they get to the last few tables to greet the final guests, it usually involved the groom explaining to the bride what sort of relationship he has with these guests.

“Honey, this is Bernard, my bowling buddy back in sophomore year of high school, and this is his mother Olga –– her lasagna is to die for.”

After the pleasantries, the couple flees back to the refuge of the center tables where moms and dads clink glasses and try to squeeze in stories of their wedding days.

Let's rewind a decade. If you were to scan the lighting market, you'd find, well, far fewer lighting manufacturers than what we see today. 

The emergence of LED has made the manufacturing of light bulbs far more approachable. But not everyone is doing a great job.

There are a lot of brand new, unproven manufacturers that have jockeyed their way onto the market. These manufacturers are trying to beat everyone else on pricing, but what do you do about the five-year warranty they're offering you when they go out of business a couple years after money changes hands?

We wish we could tell you that LEDs will never fail –– that they will last an eternity. But we'd be liars if we spread such rumors. That is just not the case. 

Although LEDs are extremely efficient and carry very long average rated life ratings, there is nevertheless always a chance they may fail. The smartest thing you can do when looking to make an LED buy is to align yourself with a reputable LED manufacturer, so if and when something does fail, you're covered by a company that will back you with warranty and customer support –– not one that recently went out of business.

We speak with clients all the time who have ruled out LED as a viable lighting option due to budgetary restraints. And we tell them all the same thing, or something similar. . . Something like: "Whoa, whoa, whoa –– not so fast!" 

Let's cut to the chase. Repeat after me: I can upgrade to LED on a tight budget.

You've probably heard a lot about the importance of overhauling to LED lighting by now, but if you're like most businesses, determining the right time to switch can be tricky. In this video, we help answer that common question. 

Overall, there are two main concerns that our clients tend to bring when interest in an LED project begins to form: 1) “Most LEDs look like they belong on an X-Files episode” (or something to that effect) and 2) It’s hard to get the same look of light that I currently have.