A properly lit parking garage is not only a standard associated with user convenience, but also safety. How a parking garage is lit is one of the most important, yet underrated, aspects of effective construction. As a builder, general contractor or electrician, you must consider your parking garage lighting and ensure its properly lit by day, by night, and by area.  Contractors should carefully adhere to the following illumination standards for covered and underground parking garages so as to minimize liability and guarantee visibility. Parking Garage Light Levels … Continue reading

When most people hear the word “audit,” they might imagine the IRS going through their financial statements while tax assessors ask all sorts of nerve-racking questions. Fear not; a lighting audit is nothing like that. In fact, it’s a good thing. For facility managers, commercial property managers, or anyone who is in charge of a large facility with commercial office or industrial-style lighting, a lighting audit is the first step in determining what kind of lighting retrofit options may be available. In a nutshell, a lighting expert will come to your facility and con … Continue reading

Sometimes, the answer to this question is obvious. If the lighting in your warehouse looks like it might have been right at home in the 1950s, it’s definitely time to replace those old lighting fixtures. But what if the signs aren’t as clear? The truth is, today’s warehouses, distribution centers and other large indoor facilities are often lit by highly inefficient systems with outdated technology. If a facility is lit by high-intensity discharge (HID) or magnetically ballasted T12 fluorescent light fixtures, then money is basically being thrown down a black hole. Many … Continue reading

The vast majority of existing warehouse space in the US is lit with inefficient high intensity discharge or magnetically ballasted T12 fluorescent light fixtures.  Unfortunately, lighting is one of the few areas that is often overlooked when investigating cost reduction opportunities.  Owners and managers blindly budget tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for utility bills without realizing that switching to more energy efficient warehouse lighting can provide a tremendous opportunity to reduce energy demand and therefore cut utility costs.  Many believe that the on … Continue reading

For years, the standard method of lighting gymnasiums has been the 400W Metal Halide High Bay. This has led to gyms with deteriorating light levels and poor playing conditions that are expensive to operate. New technologies have allowed lighting designers to specify T5 High Output (T5HO) Fluorescent High Bay Fixtures in place of the more inefficient metal halide fixtures. This shift has reduced the power consumption of gymnasium lighting systems, provided better quality light for all sports activities, and has allowed for a more versatile environment in school or recreat … Continue reading