It’s time to start thinking about your holiday outdoor lighting. We make it so easy. We meet with you to help determine what you want. We order. We deliver. We install. We take down. We store. It’s that easy.

Call us today for a free consultation.

Denver Boulder: 303-948-9656

Colorado Springs: 719-633-9205

Fort Collins: 970-490-1246

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.

OLP of Colorado will be showcasing the latest energy efficient lighting products for illuminating community entrances, parks, clubhouses and common areas. LED, ceramic metal halide, and quartz halogen fixtures will be on display, and multimedia photos will show what actual installations look like after dark.

The event provides an opportunity for hundreds of community/HOA managers, property managers, and contractors to interact and attend the trade show and educational sessions.

Between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, friends, family and business associates of OLP of Colorado are welcome to come visit us (Booth #74) and stroll throughout the air and space museum to view the historical aircraft and aerospace exhibits. As a former aerospace engineer, I know I can’t wait!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Before we move ahead to 2010, we first want to take a look at some highlights from 2009 with regard to the use of new technology as well as some unique installations. Those highlights will be posted in the next several blogs.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado is pleased to announce our partnership with ADT Custom Home Services. As you know, the quality landscape and architectural lighting from Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP) already enhances the safety, security and beauty of your home and property in the evening. The experts at ADT Custom Home Services, the leader in home security systems, will enhance your security and take it to the next level.

OLP’s lighting systems with their Lighting Control Automation™ integrate perfectly with ADT’s alarm and notification systems. And OLP’s lighting will greatly enhance the effectiveness of ADT’s camera surveillance systems as well. When you call the following number, you will receive a special discount on your new ADT installation.

CALL 1-888-238-0030

 and mention savings code: G35122

Now is the perfect time to move up to the Gold Standard in Home Security. ADT Custom Home Services offers you personalized local service and fast alarm response. Call now to get $200 mail-in cash* back with your purchase.

ADVANCED SECURITY TECHNOLOGY

• Customized solutions to help meet your family’s unique needs
• Advanced network of customer monitoring centers
• Monitoring of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood, high levels of carbon monoxide and extreme temperatures
• Security solutions may integrate with other home electronics

PROFESSIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Experienced ADT Custom Installers and Service Technicians
• Dedicated Customer Service Reps available 24/7
• Special customer toll-free number and email access to ADT

GUARANTEES

• Six-month money-back guarantee†
• Theft-protection guarantee†
• Mover’s security guarantee†
• You may save up to 20% off homeowner’s insurance†

FIND OUT MORE

ABOUT ADT CUSTOM HOME SERVICES

and how to get

$200 MAIL-IN CASH BACK.*

Now is the perfect time to do it.

*$200 cash back certificate will be mailed to you within 1-2 weeks after you have had a new alarm system installed. To receive your $200 cash back (total cash back $200), complete and return the original certificate to ADT Security Services, Inc. with a copy of your signed ADT Residential Services Contract. Please allow 6-8 weeks for receipt of check. This cash back offer is valid only for the purchase by new ADT customers from ADT Security Services, Inc. of installation and monitoring of a new ADT alarm system results in a new ADT Residential Services Contract. Not valid on purchases rom ADTAuthorized Dealers. Rebate effective 4 business days after contract signing and system installation is complete. Limit one per new ADT customer and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. New ADT customers must initiate appointment and/or sale by calling the ADT tol-free number shown above.

Burglary, Fire Carbon Monoxide And Medical Alert Monitoring Requires Purchase And/Or Activation Of An ADT Security System With Monitored Burglary, Fire, Carbon Monoxide And Medical Alert Devices. Fire, Carbon Monoxide And Medical Alert Services Are An Additional Charge. Not valid on QuickConnect systems. Prices May Vary By Market. System with installation price of less than $600 to remain property of ADT. Some Insurance Companies Offer Discounts On Homeowner’s Insurance. Does Not Include One-Time Communications Connection Fee. Preferred Quality Service Pan (P-QSP) Is ADT’s Extended Limited Warranty For Custom Home Services Customers. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement Required From $37.99 Per Month, Including P-QSP. In Las Vegas, NV, From $42.99 Per Month, Including P-QSP. In California 24-Month Monitoring Agreement Required From $37.99 Per Month, Including P-QSP (24-Month Total from $911.76). Local Permit Fees May Be Required. Satisfactory Credit History Required. Certain Restrictions May Apply. Additional Monitoring Fees Required For Some Services. Offer Valid For New Customers Only. Cannot Be Combined With Any Other Offer. Photos Are For Illustrative Purposes Only And May Not Reflect The Exact Product/Service Quality Provided. Valid only on purchase of new system between 7/1/08 and 6/30/09. License numbers available at www.adt.com or by calling 1-800-ADT-ASAP.® ©2008 ADT Security Services, Inc. ADT, the ADT logo, ADT Always There and1-800-ADT-ASAP are registered trademarks of ADT Services, AG, and are used under license. Custom Home Services is a service of ADT Security Services, Inc. All security systems and services contained in this offer are sold, installed and monitoredby AT Security Services, Inc. Offer expires 6/30/09. †Certain restrictions apply. See reverse side of actual ADT guarantee certificates for complete details.  

Our blog is intended to share our experiences and insight about lighting design, product development, installation techniques, maintenance issues, control considerations, and general business lighting practices. We hope our blog will assist homeowners and business ownrs to better understand what goes into a professional lighting system – and do-it-yourselfers (DIY) may find it of benefit as well.

So we hope you find our blog enjoyable and informative as we go forward.

Best regards,

Mead and Cathy Noss

Owners, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado