While it might seem surprising, lighting for commercial buildings commonly accounts for as much as 35 percent of business overhead. The good news for business owners trying to cut costs is that commercial lighting technology is moving forward every day and modern lighting can provide the same or better quality lighting for less while improving energy efficiency. Upgrading your building’s lighting can take some of the strain off your building’s electrical system, but in order to get the most benefit from your new lights, you have to plan carefully!

It’s one thing to say “we want new lights for our building.” But it’s another thing entirely to say “we want new lights because we believe they will improve employee morale and productivity!” Before you implement a new lighting plan, consider the specific goals you have in mind for your new lights. These could range from the aforementioned productivity and morale improvements to reducing your carbon footprint and reducing your overhead costs.

If possible, try to find lighting schemes you like in other buildings that you think would work well for your building—this can give you a better idea of the lighting design you’re after. And of course, feel free to talk to the lighting design experts at Kolb Electric—we can help create the perfect lighting design for your building!

There are three specific categories of lighting, each of which serves a different purpose in your building:

A good lighting design will layer these three types of lighting, starting with ambient lighting, then task and accent lighting. Each type will require a different fixture.

The type of light fixture you use for a certain type of lighting can make a big difference when it comes to the efficiency and effectiveness of your lighting. Light fixtures are generally broken down into three categories:

Fans in the attic? The idea at first may sound odd. We usually think of fans as blowing somewhere in our home where we can feel their effects, like hanging from ceilings or mounted in windows. Few people spend more time in their attic than they absolutely must, so it seems useless to install fans there.

However, attic fans can form an important part of maintaining the overall efficiency of your air conditioning system. If you’ve taken all the steps you can to keep your HVAC system working its best (regular maintenance, duct cleaning, changing the filter, proper insulation), attic fans will take you a step beyond. We’ll explain why putting in attic fans will benefit you.

Attics are both heat traps and heat escape routes. You can use insulation to stop heat from escaping in winter, but what about summer, when heat gathers in the attic and creates excessively high temperatures that will seep into other parts of your home? (Go up into your attic on a hot day and see what it’s like. It can be miserable. You don’t want any of that to get to rooms you actually use.) To stop summer attic heat, you’ll need attic fans.

Attic fans should be wired to a thermostat that will turn the fan on based on the temperature. This saves energy since you won’t have to keep the fan on constantly or continually check on it. The movement of air in the attic will lower the high temperature.

The first benefit is the most obvious: your home will not get as hot during the summer. On average, the temperature in the attic will decrease 50 degrees with a fan, which means a drop of 10 degrees in your house.

This not only translates into comfort, it also means savings on your energy bills. A cooler house requires less work from an air conditioner to cool it. You’ll spend less, and your air conditioner will not receive extra stress that will lead to repairs and possibly an early replacement.

Attic fans will also extend the life of your roof. Rising moisture in your home will get into the roof, eventually creating mold in the insulation and the roof material. In winter, the freezing moisture can be extremely damaging. Attic fans move moisture away and keep it from settling.

2015 Holiday Gift Guide Series. Last week we looked at great ideas for the custom bobble heads designed to look like the recipients are a fun gag gift that is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

If your active grandparent hasn’t discovered the outrageously fun sport that I can only describe as a cross between tennis and ping pong, then gifting them with their own bluetooth tracking tag that hooks onto your keyring (or anything you find yourself losing often) solves the problem brilliantly. Use this little gadget to locate your phone with the push of a button. Or, locate your keys using an app on your smart phone. 

But what if your grandparent doesn’t have a smart phone or device? Get them one! My parents love to sit down with their tablet and look at photos of my children that we send them digitally. You can find tablets and e-readers for less than $100 these days.   

As we age, eyesight diminishes and adequate lighting becomes more important than ever. If your grandparent enjoys curling up with a good book, reading the morning newspaper, or knitting sweaters, a stylish night lights that match their decor or motion activated this one in the shape of a tree ring. There are a number of online resources that will help you uncover your ancestry. Once you’re finished, a battery operated Blurb.com or head down to your local drugstore to have your book made.

Do you have an epic entertainer in your family or circle of friends? Come back next week to get great ideas on holiday gifts for your favorite host or hostess.

*Prices and availability are subject to change.