How To Make Your Museum Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Apr 092013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Museum Lighting More Energy Efficient

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We’re teaching how to go green and save energy with the lights in every space we can think of! Click here to browse the entire energy-efficient lighting series.

The right lighting is essential for any museum. Each exhibit needs a lighting scheme that will preserve the artistic, historical, or scientific integrity of the articles on display. And it just has to look good too.

If you’ve already landed on a lighting scheme that works for your museum, you’re probably apprehensive to change it, even if you could save money.

Good news: Upgrading your museum lighting is easier than you might think. There are a ton of small, barely noticeable changes you can make to your museum lighting that will save you energy. Also, newer energy-efficient lighting options may actually provide more versatile, higher quality light for your displays.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Small Changes:  

1. Guide Lights

If you have dark areas in your museum – night simulations or moody displays – you’ll always need small guide lights to keep your visitors safe and comfortable. These are things like step lights along staircases and rope lights along pathways or handrails. These lights will never add to or take away from the integrity of your display. They’re just there. So why not save a little energy with them?

The most energy-efficient step lights and guide lights you can find on the market are probably LEDs. They’ll last much longer than older incandescent lights and most fluorescent lights, and they’ll produce the same brightness while only using a fraction of the energy.

2. Exit Signs

Exit signs are necessary features in any museum, but it’s not necessary that you use a lot of energy to operate them. A good LED exit sign only costs $2 to operate every year. Compare that to the $39 it costs to run a single incandescent exit sign. The LED will pay for itself within a year!

If you’re even more ambitious about saving energy, you can opt for photoluminescent exit signs. They’re made with a special material that absorbs ambient light and emits it when the lights go dark. No maintenance or electricity required. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Hotel Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Apr 022013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Hotel Lighting More Energy Efficient

stock photo foyer How To Make Your Hotel Lighting More Energy Efficient
This post is part of a series on energy-efficient lighting. Click here to learn how you can save energy with your lights in all kinds of different places. 

So you’re looking for ways to cut down on energy use in your hotel, inn, or resort. A few efficient changes to your lighting can make a big difference in the number that turns up on your monthly bill. Here are 4 simple ideas to get the ball rolling…

1. Go LED when you can.

A well lit hotel puts guests at ease. Bright inviting lights make a space seem clean, cared for, and trustworthy. You don’t have anything to hide. So, when trying to save energy with your lights, you don’t want to sacrifice any ambiance. That’s why LEDs are perfect for you.

LED light bulbs produce more light for the amount of energy they use – about twice as much as a CFL, one of the most popular light sources on today’s market. So, you’ll never have to lose light for the sake of saving energy.

White Accent Ceiling Lighting in a Lobby 680x1024 How To Make Your Hotel Lighting More Energy Efficient

When it comes to light quality, you can also count on LEDs. LED light bulbs and light fixtures come in an array of color temperatures – cool to warm, with excellent color rendering capabilities. If you haven’t tried an LED in recent years, you might be surprised at how pleasant the light appears.

Take some time to audit the lights you use throughout your hotel. Here’s a list of some lights you can easily switch to LED: Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights

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Mar 282013
 
PinExt Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights

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LED tape lights are one of the handiest fixtures around. By themselves, the lights look old-fashioned and futuristic at the same time – stored in rolls reminiscent of vintage film reels, featuring space-age looking LED lights. But, once you install LED tape lights, they’ll bring your space to life unlike any other light fixture.

What Makes The LED Tape Light So Wonderful?

LED tape lights (also sometimes called LED ribbons) have a ton of special features that other fixtures just can’t measure up to:

  • The strong adhesive backing on every reel will stick to almost any surface with ease.
  • You can’t find a thinner, lower profile light strip on the market.
  • The trimmable fields allow you to tailor the length of your tape lights, fitting the specific requirements of your project.
  • Their dimming capabilities (when powered by dimmable drivers) let you customize your space’s light levels, no hassle.
  • Many are wet location listed, so you can have great lighting indoors and out.
  • You can choose between warm white, cool white, colored, and color-changing varieties.

On top of all that, LED tape lights have a 50,000 hour rated-life, and because they’re LEDs, you know they’re going to save you energy.

Colored LED Tape Lights 1024x581 Product Spotlight: LED Tape Lights Continue reading »

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Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans

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Mar 212013
 
PinExt Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans

bathroom lighting Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans
Your bathroom should not be annoying. It should be a rejuvenating space within your house. It should be a sanctuary of sorts, really. The problem is, there are just so many ways the place can get annoying…

…Like when it gets excessively moist and you’re constantly fighting back the mold.

…Like when you’re in there in the middle of the night under the glare of bright lights.

…Like when your lights are cheap, ugly, or just don’t match your style.

…Like when your loud exhaust fan makes it impossible to relax.

If your bathroom annoys you in one or more of those ways, it might do you good to look at our selection of quality bathroom exhaust fans with lights. We hand select each fixture, so I can assure you now that they’re not going to bother you. In fact, they’ll do quite the opposite. Here’s how our exhaust fans can solve each of those terrible annoyances:

For The Moldy Bathroom

If your bathroom gets too moist when you shower and you’d rather not cultivate a garden of mold where you clean yourself every day, get an exhaust fan. To pick one that’s right for you, you just need to determine the recommended fan capacity for your bathroom. This is measured in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), which is the volume of air the fan can remove from a room within a certain period of time. You can find your bathroom’s recommended CFM by multiplying the room’s square footage by 1.1 if you have an 8-foot ceiling, or by 1.5 if you have a 9-foot ceiling. For example, a bathroom of 60 square feet with an 8-foot ceiling would need a fan with a CFM of about 66.

Bathroom Exhaust Fan 2 Product Spotlight: Lighted Bathroom Exhaust Fans

Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy-Efficient

 Energy-Efficient Lighting  1 Response »
Mar 152013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy Efficient

White Cove Lighting in a Conference Room 200x300 How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy Efficient
This article is part of a series here on the blog about how to save the most energy with lighting in your home or business. Browse the entire series here.

Lighting accounts for at least 28% of the energy used in the average office building. That translates to a pretty hefty chunk of the monthly budget. But, by making big and small energy-efficient updates, you can spend less and enjoy a more comfortable office environment.

Big Changes…

If you still use incandescent or outdated fluorescent overhead lights, it’s time for an upgrade.

LEDs use about 80% less energy to generate the same amount of light as incandescent light bulbs. They also last about 25 times longer. So, if you use incandescent light bulbs in your recessed cans, you should replace them with LED lamps or retrofits. LEDs excel at downlighting, because they’re naturally a directional light source. Today’s models have light output and color quality very similar to incandescent lights, so you might not notice the change until you look at your energy bill.

If you have older fluorescent lighting in your office (like T12s), you’re also not saving as much energy as you could. T12 technology is over 70 years old, and incidentally was taken out of production last year. If you exchange your T12s for T8s, you’ll use 45% less energy. Not to mention, the color temperature and light quality of fluorescent lights have improved dramatically over the past few decades, so new lights could be a huge morale boost for all the office workers.

iStock 000005663021Medium 1024x670 How To Make Your Office Lighting More Energy Efficient

Smaller Changes…

Office lighting isn’t just about what’s on the ceiling. To make sure you’re saving the most energy possible, you also need to take a critical look at the smaller light fixtures in the office. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Mar 042013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

This post is the fifth in a series on how to optimize the lighting in your home or business for the utmost energy savings. Click here to view the entire series. 

The bathroom offers a unique combination of utility and luxury. It’s an essential in every home and every office, and an integral part of everyone’s daily routine. Not to mention that the restroom is also a place for rest and rejuvenation. For some of us, it’s the only place where we can find a little peace and quiet.

Vanity Lighting 667x1024 How To Make Your Bathroom Lighting More Energy Efficient

When a room is as important as this one, you make sure the lighting is of the highest quality. Because what is a functional room without functional lighting? And what is a luxurious room when the lighting is harsh and abrasive?

Having quality bathroom lights that also save energy might seem like too tall an order, but making your bathroom lighting energy-efficient is actually easier than you might think. Just follow my lead…

1. Change out those light bulbs!

By now, you probably know that upgrading your light bulbs to more energy-efficient varieties is the easiest way to save a little energy. But, some of these newer lamps won’t thrive in the variable atmosphere of the bathroom. Continue reading »

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How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

 Lighting Tips  No Responses »
Mar 012013
 
PinExt How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

Having adequate, quality, and – heaven forbid – stylish lighting when you live in a rented space can seem like a far-away dream. Your landlord or property manager has certain limits and regulations on what changes you can make, so creating a lighting design you like feels next to impossible.

What’s a renter to do? It’s time to get creative with your lighting.

For The Kitchen

Let me guess. When you moved into your current place, your kitchen had a single ceiling light fixture – a linear fluorescent, a track light – on a basic on/off light switch. The brightness of that single ceiling light is too jarring in the morning, and when you’re chopping, dicing, and frying in the evening, it’s not enough.

Fluorescent Under Cabinet Lights How To Have Great Lighting In A Rental

The best thing you can do in here is add one or two light layers for extra task light. Start with under cabinet lights, because they’ll make it easier for you to see while cooking, and add a nice ambiance to the room. You can opt to leave the ceiling lights off when you want a lower light level, or use them with your ceiling lights when you’ve got your chef’s hat on. Continue reading »

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How To Make Your Restaurant Lighting More Energy-Efficient

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Feb 182013
 
PinExt How To Make Your Restaurant Lighting More Energy Efficient

This post is the second in a series on energy-efficient lighting. We’re reviewing all kinds of spaces in homes and businesses to help you save energy. Click here to for advice on making even more places energy-efficient with lighting. 

According to Pacific Gas & Electric’s Food Service Technology Center, restaurants are the biggest energy users in the retail world. Did you know that lighting accounts for about 13% of all energy used in the average restaurant? This sounds like an industry ready for some energy savings.

If you’re still using traditional filament lamps to illuminate your eatery, cafe, or diner, 75% of the energy your lights consume – of the energy you pay for to power those lights – is wasted, given off as heat.

By making easy upgrades to energy-efficient lights in your restaurant, you can save upwards of 75% of the energy used to operate your lights. Plus, newer, innovative light sources can give your customers an elegant and memorable dining experience.

Restaurant Lighting How To Make Your Restaurant Lighting More Energy Efficient

Here are a few simple suggestions to save energy and hard-earned cash with your restaurant lights:  Continue reading »

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Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

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Jan 282013
 
PinExt Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

incandescent 300x199 Pegasus Lighting Roundup: Lighting in January

Image via Cleveland.com


It’s a new year, and we’re back to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in the lighting world. So far, 2013 has brought us tons of lighting innovations, brilliant tips on improving your life with light, and some just plain cool stuff…

In Lighting News…

Starting January 1, import and manufacture of the 75-watt incandescent light bulb were banned in the U.S. as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The goal here is to move the country to a higher efficiency standard to save energy, money, and natural resources. To learn more about the act, how it affects consumers, and how to adapt, check out this article from Cleveland.com or our own recent blog post on the matter.

Philips has come out with a new way to try on clothing in retail shops called the AmbiScene Fitting Room System. The system’s LEDs let customers adjust the lighting in their dressing rooms. To see how your clothes look in different places, you can choose settings that mimic the seasons, different times of day, and even different locations like the office or a nightclub. The system is also perfect for retail displays. Check out this video to see how it works:

Continue reading »

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Caught On Tape! LED Tape Lights Video

 Lighting Tips  No Responses »
Jan 152013
 
PinExt Caught On Tape! LED Tape Lights Video

Sticky lighting situation? Solve it with LED tape lights!

Here at Pegasus Lighting, we’re very excited to offer you innovative light fixtures to fit your every need. One product that’s really got it going on in the versatility department is LED tape lighting. If you’ve never seen tape lights before, they’re pretty much what they sound like, strips of LED lights with strong adhesive backing. They come in trimmable reels, are rated for use indoors and outdoors, and are available in white, colored, and color-changing varieties.

Need decor inspiration? Check out this saucy little video to discover all the different ways you can use tape lights for your home, office, interior, and exterior:

When will they catch you?

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