Hi Nick,

Mike and I just wanted to thank you and Rick for the excellent service yesterday, a Sunday during a major power outage at that.  From the time I placed the call for help to the time Rick walked out of our soon-to-be-warm-again home, it was only an unbelievable 1.5 hrs!!  I so appreciate your ‘straight-shooting’ with me on the phone about whether our problem could be Oncor related or in our wiring and the option to switch our dead furnace thermostat to the one working leg of power we seemed to have.  Rick arrived just when he said he would, went right to work and determined that we were indeed receiving full power from Oncor, but one of our breakers was bad.  He replaced it, checked things out and was on his way.

You have impressed us with your quality of service.  We certainly will use you again and recommend you when someone asks if we know a good electrician….we do now!

Without proper lighting, the details in your furniture and artwork at first sight go unnoticed. Careful lighting design gives dimension and texture, revealing the articulacy of your home décor. Creating the proper lighting setup lies in finding the correct spacing, fixtures and functions for each room. Every lighting technique brings you closer to customization and works together to establish a healthy balance between posh and practicality.

Consider adding toe kick lighting under the counters of your kitchen or bathroom to balance light between the ceiling and floor. It’s subtle yet useful, and provides an extra cushion of safety. Toe kick lighting arrangements also bring depth to unlikely spaces.

Don’t neglect the nooks and crannies of your home; light them up. Take advantage of layering through the use of key, task and accent lighting. Key lighting will provide basic light function overhead. If used alone, it will provide flat, uninteresting light.

Reading lamps are the perfect approach to task lighting and can be placed on your bedside table or next to your favorite lounge chair. And, accent lighting gives the finishing touch. It highlights details that slip under the radar if left in the dark. Add accent lights to illuminate intricate artwork, plants, cabinet silhouettes and wall textures.

Depending on the size of the warehouse we are discussing; the energy costs related to the lighting withing and even outside the warehouse can vary. But no matter what size, shape, or capacity a warehouse operation runs out of they all have one thing in common and that’s lighting expenses.

This is a common struggle for facility managers: trying to save money with the money that they have. And upgrading or investing in a new lighting system although can save money and produce a positive ROI overtime; can cause troubles considering it costs money upfront.

This post is here to identify the main points and benefits of a good lighting technology (LED), how it can improve a warehouse or factory facility, and how you can actually cut the upfront investment costs down significantly to make the investment even more-so worthwhile.

Improve safety through a better lighting system. In almost every aspect of the word quality; LED is the winner, especially in industrial applications. Firstly, if you’ve ever (or are currently) experiencing an issue with flickering or buzzing lights inside or out of your facility: you most like have metal halide or HPS fixtures in place. With LED they will never flicker or buzz not even near the ending of their lifespan.

Secondly, if you are experiencing an issue with dim lights just a few years after you’ve installed your MH or HPS light sources; you are experiencing a negative side effect of having these technologies. They are susceptible to higher lumen depreciation at a much faster rate than LED products do. Don’t get it wrong though, LED products still do safely and securely.

Decrease lighting bill costs. Did you know that you are burning up energy that you don’t really have to be burning up? It’s true, technologies such as metal halide are literally eating up 50% more energy than you would be with LED products installed. If you could reduce your lighting bill costs by 50% or more, what benefits could you see? For starters it would improve your bottom line. Otherwise, if you are proud to be a green company this could be just another way to further that mission and prove you are doing everything is takes to cut down on waste as much as possible. The list could go on but the main benefit that makes almost every person want to make the switch to LED is the 50% or more reduction in lighting costs month to month.

More Ways to Decrease Your Lighting Costs

Here we list a few ways that you can actually decrease your investment cost on a new LED lighting system in your DesignLights Consortium is, in basic terms, your rebate will more likely be better than just DLC standard.

Longer bulb life = Less Maintenance. LED technology is know to last 2-3 or even 4 times longer than other light sources out there. By upgrading to an LED system in your warehouse you are reducing the amount of times you need to pay someone to replace your burnt out lights. This can get especially pricey since most warehouses have high bay lighting which is typically high in the air. If you have 30, 40, or 50+ lights this can get very expensive for a warehouse facility. By opting in for a longer life light source (such as LED) you are going to reduce your maintenance costs dramatically (by 2-3 times).

Some Common Questions

Here are some very common questions that we are asked regarding lighting for a warehouse:

What exactly are the lighting fixtures used in warehouses and factories?

While an office in a warehouse will use the same lighting as any other office would (panels and tubes), the main floor and area of the warehouse is what we are talking about.

Typically people install high ceiling spaces.

What is a retrofit? And should I retrofit?

Add the perfect custom finish to the front of your home with outdoor hanging lanterns and wall lanterns.

When using two outdoor lanterns, they should measure about 1/4 the height of the front door(s). When you are using only one lanterns, 1/3 of your door height is appropriate.

Outdoor hanging lanterns should be centered over your front door(s), high enough so that the doors may open and close freely. If you have a picture window or archway above the front door, center the fixture so that it may be seen from inside your home.

Wall lanterns surrounding the front doors should be proportional to your home, when in doubt, size up! Remember, fixtures appear smaller from curbside viewing than most people would imagine.

Wall lanterns are also appropriate for rear and side entrances and by garage doors – same rule of thumb for sizing applies for these areas.

Path Lighting should be placed 6′ apart to ensure adequate beam spread.

Be sure to make your space functional! Task lighting is an important piece of the design; it will provide guidance and illumination in the necessary areas to ensure safety.

Focused illumination on key holes and security pads allows for easy access when you are entering and leaving your home at night. Outdoor LED wall lights or recessed spotlights work well in these areas.

Add path lighting to walkways every 6’ to provide adequate beam spread. This will create curb appeal ambiance and visibility when walking at night. Don’t forget to add light near the house numbers – this can help in emergency situations and for deliveries!

After the sun goes down be sure your home has the same curb appeal as it does during the daytime by adding outdoor and uplighting to the landscape.

Illuminating trees or other elements from below will create soft focal points in the landscaping after the sun goes down. Use a flashlight to test where you’d like the light to hit, then mount the fixtures accordingly. Be sure to mount fixtures out of grass for ease of mowing and other landscaping tasks.

Be sure to view your outdoor lighting after dark before signing off on a project; it’s easy to make necessary adjustments to refine your outdoor lighting design.

To avoid being “that neighbor”, be sure to eliminate glare and make sure your outdoor light fixtures do not create “light trespass” into your neighbor’s property.