Dove Ridge Entrance Lighting

On the 27th of September, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives completed its latest community entrance lighting project for the Dove Ridge HOA. Each of the three monuments had two existing metal halide floods (75W bulbs), and at each monument we replaced them with a single 39W Ceramic Metal Halide(CMH) LC-10 fixture.Not only did these new fixtures create more effective and aesthetic lighting, it also provided energy savings to the HOA of 72-percent.

Dove Ridge Entrance Lighting - 2nd Monument

CMH bulbs, unlike regular metal halide bulbs, experience no color shift over their expected lifetimes (roughly 18,000 hours for the CMH bulbs). You might be asking – what exactly is color-shift? If you’ve ever been to a nighttime high school football game or a little league baseball game, I’m sure that you’ve seen the metal halide lights that have experienced color shift. The newer metal halide bulbs appear to be pure white, while the older ones can appear to be pink, green or blue.

3.7W LED Illuminating Entrance Monument

For example, in the mountains of Colorado where the only ambient lighting originates from the moon or perhaps the Milky Way, a low voltage quartz halogen (20W) or LED (3.7W) lighting fixture would be more than sufficient to illuminate a community entrance monument.

Glare from HPS Street Light

Conversely, trying to illuminate a commercial building or community entrance with low voltage lighting that faces a row of 250W high pressure sodium street lights, just would not be very effective. In this situation, a higher wattage ceramic metal halide or metal halide fixture must be used so that the building or monument is illuminated to at least the level of the ambient lighting, in order to effectively highlight them.

The best rule of thumb for any good energy efficient and aesthetic lighting design is to use only the amount of lighting needed – nothing less and nothing more. Lighting designers and lighting contractors love to sell lights, but the operative phrase should be Less Is More.

When you are designing a lighting system in the city, ambient lighting may originate from a streetlight across the street or from the overall sky glow that envelopes the entire region. There is nothing that a lighting designer can do about that, except for possibly encouraging the city to adopt more energy efficient and sky-friendly street lighting, etc. However, some glare-producing and inefficient lighting may be self inflicted by the property owners themselves – and lighting designers can certainly make recommendations to improve the overall effect of this lighting so that the new lighting design will not be ruined by the glare-producing ambient lighting.

For homeowners, the glare from offending light sources such as carriage lights can be mitigated by replacing the fixtures’ clear glass panels with frosted glass panels, by decreasing the wattage of the bulbs, and/or by dimming the bulbs. The same thing can be done with offending soffit lights by using lower wattage bulbs and/or by dimming them.

For commercial building owners, the overall lighting effect can be enhanced by ensuring that all lighting is directed only toward its intended focal plane; e.g., area lighting with full-cutoff (parking lot lighting and walkway lighting) directed downward only (no spillage horizontally); architectural lighting that is directed only toward the building with no glare produced in any other viewing plane.

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) project has determined that the percentage of energy consumption in the U.S. dedicated to lighting is roughly 11-percent for homes and 38-percent for schools and businesses. That’s a significant percentage, so by reducing unnecessary glare that contributes to unaesthetic ambient lighting – we can begin to make our nighttime environment more attractive as well as save energy.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado

You can pick up a print copy (on recycled paper) at these Colorado front range locations. The Guide contains a wealth of information on green products and services for your home and business, as well as upcoming environmentally conscious community events. In addition, the directory also contains a section of educational articles – and OLP of Colorado was proud to have sponsored the article on LED Outdoor Lighting that can be found on page 85.

OLP of Colorado is listed under two categories in the Guide – Energy Audits on page 168 and Landscape Contractors on page 203. We’re truly proud to be a part of this Colorado green directory – the longest running certified sustainable business network in Colorado.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado launched its line of induction fluorescent lighting fixtures and retrofits last week at the CAI Colorado Trade Show. In case you were unable to attend the show, I have included photos and a video about our exhibit and the exciting energy saving possibilities with induction lighting.

OLP of Colorado Exhibit at CAI Trade Show

A few attendees to the show had previously heard about this new induction fluorescent technology. However, most of the attendees who stopped by our exhibit were amazed by the 100,000 life of these induction lamps.

Induction Fluorescent Lights

They were also pleasantly surprised to learn that currently induction lights have twice the life and half the price of LEDs. When fixtures are hard to reach easily (wall packs on the sides of condo buildings or street lights through a community), maintenance costs become problematic – and having a fixture with a 100,000-hour lamp life becomes very attractive. Our corporate commercial lighting website has been updated to include energy lighting audits and retrofits – Switch Your Lights - and locally we have been approved and listed in the ReDirect Guide for green and sustainable businesses and products.

 

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP) of Colorado will be exhibiting the latest in ceramic metal halide, LED, and induction fluorescent lamp/fixture technology for a wide range of typical HOA lighting applications including area lighting (street, park, walkway); signage/monument lighting; and stairwell/building lighting.

The new induction fluorescent technology offers increased performance life (up to 100,000 hours) with dramatically lower operational (up to 50-percent energy savings) and maintenance costs. Further, it offers a vast improvement over High-Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures with respect to nighttime visibility and color rendering.

One of the new programs that OLP of Colorado is offering is a Free Energy Savings Assessment – so that HOA’s and building owners can assess retrofit and replacement payback periods for different lamp technologies. So if you are involved with a community or an HOA, please plan to stop by and see us.

Induction Fluorescent Retrofits

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a new and exciting commercial lighting training class at our company headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. The class focussed on new “green” lighting technologies (LED and induction fluorescent) for commercial applications such as area lighting (street, park, walkway, etc.), parking garage lighting, and wall and warehouse lighting. Almost all of these lighting applications can be found at apartment/townhome communities, business parks, parking garages, auto dealerships, warehouses, restaurants, etc.

Our company will be offering Free Energy Savings Assessments (Lighting Energy Audit/Payback Period) – and show how replacing outdated outdoor lamps (especially High-Intensity Discharge (HID) (high pressure sodium, metal halide) lamps) with our new LED and induction fluorescent retrofits can save a client up to 50% in their electrical bills.

Induction flourescent lighting has an extremely long performance life of up to 100,000 hours (over 22 years!) – that’s 5 to 8 times longer than the typical HID lamps. This technology offers a very high system efficiency with dramatically lower electrical bills and operational maintenance costs, and much better nighttime visibility. Additionally, federal government tax deductions provided through EPAct  (Energy Policy Act of 2005) for reducing building energy usage are in effect through the end of 2013 for interior applications such as parking garages, warehouses, and other commercial buildings. Additionally, many electric utilities such as XCEL Colorado  offer rebates for new green lighting installations or retrofits. OLP of Colorado will assist you in identifying all of the rebates, tax deductions and/or credits for which your particular project may be eligible.

Induction Fluorescent Lighting Compared to HPS

The photo above clearly demonstrates the excellent Color-Rendering Index for induction fluorescent lighting as well as its overall efficiency. Whether it’s for a completely new lighting installation or a retrofit opportunity, induction fluorescents are becoming more widely used. 

 

Last week I attended a training class (more later) at our company headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. While there we learned how we can help reduce energy usage for commercial lighting (parking garages, parking lots, building lighting) by 50 percent with new technology. Homeowners are doing their part by replacing inefficient incandescent bulbs with energy-saving LEDs and compact fluorescent (CFL bulbs).

Here are some of the Earth Day events along the Colorado front range.

Denver Earth Day Event – www.denvergov.org/EarthDay; Friday April 22; 10 am – 2 pm; Greek Theater at Civic Center Park

Colorado Springs Earth Day - Free Rides – Friday April 22. Free rides on Mountain Metro, FrontRange Express; and Ute Pass Express.

Earth Day Fort Collins – www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/earth-day-2011 ; Civic Center Park; Saturday April 23, 11 am – 5 pm.

OLP’s Exhibit Showcasing the Latest in LEDs

The 52nd Annual Colorado Garden and Home Show started yesterday, and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives is proud to be making its 12th appearance in this important show.  Our exhibit is centrally located in the Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall in booth # 1442.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives Showcases the Latest in Internet-Based Lighting Control Automation(TM)

Several new products and services are being launched at this show including new internet-based Lighting Control Automation™, new LED products and LED retrofits, Do-It-Yourself Kits, and Lighting Energy Audits/Retrofits for both the residential and commercial markets. We can show you how to have beautiful outdoor and indoor lighting, while decreasing your carbon footprint and your monthly electric bills.

Residential and Commercial Lighting Products on Display at the Colorado Garden and Home Show

The show continues for eight more days – through Sunday, February 20th. With the 60-degree weather expected to last through much of this week, now is the time to start planning your outdoor projects for the upcoming year. So enjoy the show and we look forward to seeing you at the Outdoor Lighting Perspectives exhibit.

LC40 Lamp Post at Entrance to Piney Creek Picnic Area

Our company, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado, just completed its latest lighting project at a community park – the Piney Creek Park near the intersection of East Orchard Road and South Joplin Way in the City of Centennial.

The picnic area next to the beautiful lake and water feature in the Piney Creek Park had been without functioning lighting for several years. The six four-foot tall bollard lighting fixtures  that had been installed there previously were vandalized and damaged beyond repair. The home owners’ association (HOA) realized that they needed a different lighting solution that would not only deter vandalism but also enchance the beauty and usability of the park throughout the year.

What we specified and installed are the 14-foot tall, LC-40 pole lamp posts (150W Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)) manufactured by our national company in Nashville, Tennessee. The lamp posts are made of cast and extruded aluminum – and for this installation they were powder-coated black for an elegant and traditional look.

What really sets these lamp posts apart from any other installation you’ll see in Colorado today is the use of the Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) bulb technology. These CMH bulbs with a life of 18,000 hours generate 12,000 lumens while producing a Color Rendering Index (CRI) ABOVE 90! What that means is that the flowers, trees, and rocks, etc. look the same way illuminated at night as they would appear during the daytime. What a concept! And unlike regular metal halide bulbs, CMH bulbs never experience any sort of color shift; i.e., the CMH bulb will always provide a pure white light from the first day it is turned on until the day it burns out.

As a comparison, the current LED technology can generate at best only 50 lumens per watt while the current CMH technology can generate 80 lumens per watt. LED technology is rapidly improving but it still has a way to go to compete with CMH technology where you need to have a lot of light (lumens) at the ground level.

All of the lamp posts were mounted on four-foot deep, two-foot diameter concrete caissons with engineered rebar cages to withstand the higher wind loads that we encounter along the Colorado front range. I’ve attached some additional photos of the construction phase as well as some additional nighttime photos taken after the installation.

LC-40 Lamp Post Closeup at Piney Creek Park

Raising the First of Three Lamp Posts in Piney Creek Park

Piney Creek Park Lighting

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives LC40 Lamp Post - Piney Creek Park at Sunset

Lighting for Veterans Memorial – Piney Creek Park

One of our most rewarding lighting projects was completed this week as we installed a new low voltage lighting system to illuminate a veterans memorial at Piney Creek Park located in Centennial, Colorado. The memorial consists of six flags – the U.S. flag as well as a flag for each of the 5 branches of the military – Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. The flush mounted well lights with 35W quartz halogen bulbs were installed with tempered glass lens covers.

Since a grass lawn surrounded all of the flag poles, the lighting fixtures were additionally protected by poured concrete caissons to protect them from lawn mowing damage, etc.

Veterans Memorial Lighting - Flags in Motion

Another photo to the right shows the flags in motion due to a brisk wind last evening. In fact when our crew was on site earlier this week installing the lighting, they experienced wind gusts approaching 70 miles per hour. In fact, the flag contractor was there at the same time to replace two of the flags which required that the flag poles be lowered to a horizontal position. Because of the wind, it took the flag contractor along with some of our crew to help raise the flag/flag pole back to a vertical position.