Category: Lighting News

If you’re considering a switch to LED lighting in your commercial building, but you’re still on the fence, you shouldn’t hesitate for too long. After December 31, 2013, two primary tax incentives for upgrading your lights are set to expire – the Section 179d EPACT Incentive and the Bonus Depreciation Incentive.

If you’ve never heard of these opportunities to help make up for the initial cost of new LEDs, allow me to explain…

The Section 179d EPACT Incentive allows you to deduct 60 cents per square foot on lighting upgrades. This incentive is part of The Energy Policy Act of 2005 to encourage the construction of energy efficient buildings. It also includes deductions for HVAC systems, building envelopes, and service hot water systems that reduce the total annual building energy costs by 50% or more compared to ASHRAE 90.1-2001 minimum requirements. It’s available to owners of both new and existing commercial buildings. (more…)

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Get ready for a fast, wild, innovative, informative, and (yes) long lighting roundup this month, because the lighting industry has been BUSY. You’ll hardly believe your eyes at some of these new lighting inventions, displays, and successes – so allow us to enlighten you…

In Lighting News…

“Alfredo Moser: Bottle light inventor proud to be poor”

How do you light a house using recycled materials and zero electricity? Alfredo Moser, a mechanic in southern Brazil invented a new way to light his house during the day, using only plastic bottles filled with water and a few drops of bleach. By early next year, these bottles are expected to be in over 1 million homes. Read more.

“Superdome gets new lighting system”

Remember those 34 terrible minutes at this past Super Bowl, when half of the Superdome lost power? Well, the Superdome managers are determined never to drop the ball (ha) like that again, so they’re upgrading their aging electrical equipment with a new, state-of-the-art system. Get ready for stunning computer-programmed lighting scenes, and more. Read more.

“Researchers identify cause of LED efficiency droop”

When LED light bulbs are subjected to larger electrical currents, they can loose up to 20% of their efficiency. Nobody wants that. This “efficiency droop” first identified in 1999, has hindered the LED’s development and popularity. BUT, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have finally identified the mechanism behind this nuisance – a phenomena called “electron leakage.” Read more.

“Obama White House finally getting solar PV panels”

The White House is going solar! After spending about 40 months getting all the right permits for this energy-efficient retrofit, American-made panels are finally coming to the roof of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Read more. (more…)

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Want to know what has been happening in the lighting world this month? Today’s blog post has the highlights.

Lighting News…

1. Ann Makosinski, a Canadian teen, has invented a thermoelectric flashlight that uses body heat to power a bright LED. The device is hollow, and harvests heat from the user’s hand to function. Makosinski explains in this video:

Read more about the flashlight here.

2. Miami-based Energy Saving Solutions USA will be the first lighting company to offer an LED light with a lifetime guarantee, according to their founder & CEO Peter Stein in this press release. With the launch of these Forever LEDs drawing near, ESS is already feeling the demand. Who’s first on the list to get these miracle light bulbs? Two Maxwell-Kates condominium buildings in New York City. It’s estimated the lights will save about $160,000 for Maxwell-Kates.

3. Every year, dozens jump to their deaths off the Mapo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea.  Cheil Worldwide decided to take on the issue by using motion sensing lights to convert the bridge into a friendly and hopeful place, lighting up messages like “How have you been?” and “Just go and see the person you miss” as pedestrians cross over. As a result, suicide rates on the bridge have gone down by 77%. Learn more in this video:

Read more about this light installation here.

4. The arrival of William and Kate’s new baby George got mixed attention from the media. Some couldn’t get enough of the hype, and some just didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. However, one thing we can all agree on was the very clever use of lights on the night after the new prince’s birth. Architainment Lighting went to work turning some of London’s most famous landmarks blue for the occasion. Read more about the lighting designs here.

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Take back the power, literally! According to Bill Olderman (here is his LinkedIn profile), an energy expert at Titan Energy and the author of today’s blog post, you have more control than you think over your home or building’s energy supply. Whether you want lower bills, more reliable service, or a better approach to the environment, you need to know your rights…

Since the Federal Energy Deregulation Act passed in 1999, many business and homeowners still haven’t exercised their right to choose their energy supplier. The ability for consumers to lower their energy costs, protect against rising rates, and, if interested, make an environmentally friendly choice, are all benefits of Deregulation. 3^rd Parties help accomplish this by strategically purchasing the energy you use, in the same way the utility previously did, in the open market.  Depending on your state and the utility which serves you, the benefits will vary.

Deregulation dictates that your local utility can’t “Profit” on the supply of energy. Therefore, they don’t compete with 3^rd parties, and shouldn’t care that you choose a supplier. However, you can still see this happen in states like Ohio (in certain markets), when they choose a supplier for you if you don’t choose yourself. Your local utility still delivers, services, and bills your account, as well as responds to any emergencies. This is where the utilities earn their profits. (more…)

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