Top Mobile (Apple & Android) Apps for Lighting Contractors

The whole world has gone mobile. It’s estimated that two-thirds of the more than six billion people on planet earth own a mobile communication device. In America, the proportion is ever higher, and those in the lighting industry can benefit greatly from having lighting audit software at their fingertips. There’s nothing like having a lighting audit worksheet along with a calculator in the palm of your hand. Mobile devices armed with a lighting audit app or energy audit app will have many benefits over the traditional laptop computer with similar software. They’re lightweight, have long battery life and possess instant data transfer capability. There are several apps available that can make the life of a contractor much easier. Specific to the lighting industry, there is lighting audit software and energy audit app software for contractors that have proven to be very useful for any lighting retrofit project. Here are a couple of mobile apps we suggest that all lighting professionals may want to consider:

PlanGrid

PlanGrid is specifically an iPad app that has gained a large amount of popularity in recent years. This app has proven useful in saving contractors both time and money. This app allows field workers to store, view, and share construction and lighting grid blueprints. It allows the user to quickly adapt to blueprint changes and helps reduce the high costs of paper building plans. With PlanGrid, all project drawings are stored in the cloud so there’s no more tracking down plan sets and leafing in changes. Contractors can publish their schematics once on the web, and everyone on the team can be instantly updated. The service is free for up to 50 sheets of storage; monthly fees apply for additional usage beyond that.

ecoInsight

ecoInsight is audit software that also includes a mobile app. This software is very specific to the lighting and electrical industry; in fact, they boldly claim that “ecoInsight has revolutionized the way the lighting and electrical industry conducts energy upgrade audits, suggests proposed solutions and delivers winning proposals to their clients.” Needless to say, lighting contractors would naturally find the ease of use and cloud-based performance solutions of this software very helpful. It combines intuitive spreadsheet software with integrated camera and voice recording to help contractors share information quickly and efficiently.

Room Measurement Calculator (Tom Miller)

There are many room measurement apps out there – type in “room measurement” into iTunes or Google Play and a host of choices will be available. We like this one for its simplicity and drawing features.

LightMap

LightMap was created by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and it allows users to browse lighting strategies from across the globe. It uses a Google Maps interface to make worldwide searches a snap – just click on the icons to find out more info.

Lighting Hub App (Philips)

This handy little app shows several successful lighting projects worldwide and then takes the next step in helping you plan your projects. It contains a good project planner feature, which allows the user to share their ideas with others.

National Electric Code (NEC) Quick Reference App

You don’t always carry your code book around in the field, but you always have your phone with you! This app provides the most commonly used information right at your fingertips, and it does it exactly what the names says – it’s a quick way to reference the electrical code and it’s very user-friendly. There are many other apps and software available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Be sure to investigate the specifics of these apps and then choose the ones that can help your business save time and money while providing better service to your customers.

Energy-Efficient Lighting Solutions for Warehouses & Offices

After you have conducted a lighting audit, visit RelightDepot for the latest selection in high-efficiency lighting fixtures for a lighting retrofit project in your warehouse or industrial building. Ray De Varona, President of RelightDepot, is a commercial lighting expert who is available for a consultation for all your lighting needs. Call RelightDepot at (888) 548-6387 or click here to get started.