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

COVID-19 has brought a new spotlight to a tool relatively unused in many industries: UV energy.

Scientists have known about the disinfection powers of UV-C for decades. Hospitals and healthcare settings have used UV products for years. A scientist from Columbia University recently proved that UV-C wavelengths can inactive COVID-19 in laboratory settings. There is solid evidence behind the UV technology.

But what products should you trust? Which ones really work? And are they all safe?

We will continue to update this article as we receive more information and better understand the impacts of COVID-19.

A coronavirus, specifically called COVID-19, is impacting communities around the globe. This is a serious situation that is impacting millions of people in different ways. 

Some of us are working from home (with kids). Some of us are currently not able to work. For others, business is booming. No matter the situation, companies are changing the way they operate.

Our team handles thousands of lighting projects every year, and a common question we get is whether a customer should go all-in with a single manufacturer or diversify their lighting across multiple manufacturers.

Keeping up with lighting standards and building codes can be exhausting. If you’re in California, you already have to worry about Title 24. Now, new appliance efficiency standards (also called Title 20) are in effect.

A healthy vendor partnership is based on trust, mutual understanding, and respect. When we enter a relationship with a vendor, we are committed to long-term growth together, which means a long-term commitment to serving our customer well. 

LIGHTFAIR 2018 in Chicago was another great opportunity to catch up on the latest advancements in lighting and network with those in the lighting community. As you walk the aisles at the show, it becomes clear that the US lighting market is moving from being a traditional, somewhat boring commodity, to more technologically advanced and design oriented, much like it is in Europe. 

Our goal here on the Lighting Insights Blog is to offer helpful answers to common lighting questions and to keep you posted on key developments in the industry.

LED has taken the lighting industry by storm. The price of entry into lighting manufacturing has never been smaller, opening up the floodgates for new, innovative manufacturers with little overhead to introduce a myriad of new products and ideas to the market. 

As of Sept. 1, 2016 lighting manufacturers are 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.

Warranties are almost always an important consideration in the buying process. Whether you're buying a new car, new tires, or a new stereo, smart buying is knowing what kind of protection you have on your purchase should the product prematurely malfunction. 

Buying lighting is no different, especially these days when more and more buildings are switching to long-life lighting. When you make that purchase, you want to know for sure that your lighting will last as long as the manufacturer says it will. 

But malfunctions happen from time to time. So how can you find that security?