Celebrate Earth Hour Today!

Posted on March 27, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Tonight from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm in each local time zone around the world, supporters of the World Wildlife Federation’s annual EARTH HOUR campaign will turn off their lights to take a stand against global climate change. While the energy savings for this one-hour effort may be minimal, more important will be the global show of support by making a visual statement for the sustainability movement.

Started in Australia in 2007, EARTH HOUR’S support has grown worldwide and some of the most famous buildings will go dark for one hour during their local 8:30 to 9:30 pm time period including Toronto’s CN Tower, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Rome’s Colisseum, and Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

In Colorado, both the Governor’s Mansion and the State Capitol building will go dark for one hour. Governor Bill Ritter said that Colorado has become a great example of how a state can implement aggressive energy reduction goals while growing a New Energy Economy. I am proud that Colorado can be a part of this worldwide effort to bring attention to the dire consequences of global climate change.

Please join Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado in supporting this worldwide effort. We of course are trying to do our part by reducing the energy/carbon footprints of both our residential and commercial lighting installations. By introducing and installing energy efficient LED lighting systems for residential applications as well as Lighting Control Automation™ – we are greatly reducing our customer’s usage of electricity. On the commercial side, we are installing energy efficient Ceramic Metal Halide fixtures.

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LED Fixtures Do Melt Snow!

Posted on March 19, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Close Up of LED Fixture at Diamond Ridge Installation

About a month ago there was a story reported around the country that many northern cities had been experiencing problems with their new LED traffic lights. Apparently in some of these cities, the LED traffic lights would not generate enough heat in order to melt the accumulating build up of snow and ice during the winter months. It was also reported in the local news that fortunately this has not been a problem in the Denver metro area with all of the hours of sunshine we typically receive.

Before we actually began using LED fixtures for architectural and landscape lighting, we also wondered how well our new and innovative fixtures would melt the snow. As you can see in the above photo, they do quite well – thank you.

The actual reason that these fixtures melt the snow is inherent in their initial design as well as manufacturing. The main factor that limits the life of the LEDs/electronics is the heat build up inside the fixture. Our manufacturer has placed the LED driver in the mounting stake for the fixture – not inside the fixture itself as have most manufacturers.

In addition, any remaining heat generated by the LED bulb itself is dissipated by means of cooling fins as shown in the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) thermal model below that was used to design a deck light. As a forner aerospace engineer, my expertise had been in thermal and fluid flow modeling for jet engines, rockets, spacecraft, and solar energy projects – so I tip my hat to the innovative engineers at our manufacturing company!

CAE Thermal Design Model for LED Deck Light

The fixtures are machined out of solid brass (aluminum is also an option) to provide the thermal heat exchange capabilities. Not only are the fins an engineering design feature, they add to the aesthetic appearance of the fixtures as well. By pulling the heat away from the LED bulb itself, the fins and fixture reach an outside surface temperature of 96-degrees F – enough to melt snow.

The design and testing of these fixtures have been on-going during the last seven years. Brass fixtures have a lifetime warranty, and the LEDs and electronics have had a five year warranty. However, we have heard that this warranty may be getting a lot better in the near future – so stay tuned!

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LED Entrance Lighting at Diamond Ridge Estates

Posted on March 17, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

LED Lighting at Diamond Ridge Estates

Our largest LED lighting project to date was completed about a month and a half ago for the Diamond Ridge Estates HOA. The entrance is located east of Castle Rock along North Crowfoot Valley Road. A total of 39 8.7W  low voltage LED fixtures were installed to illuminate the entrance monument as well as trees along Diamond Ridge Parkway on both sides of the street and island. In addition, a 3.7W LED underwater fixture was also installed to illuminate the water feature located at the end of the entrance island.

The HOA made the decision to be GREEN and select the LED lighting option – not only for reduced energy costs but longer bulb life as well. By installing low voltage LED fixtures instead of low voltage quartz halogen fixtures, the HOA will reduce their energy usage for lighting this entrance by roughly 75 to 80 percent.

So the next time you’re driving along North Crowfoot Valley Road after dark, be sure to watch for the beautiful and energy-efficient lighting at Diamond Ridge Estates.

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2010 HBA Home and Garden Show

Posted on March 4, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Come visit us at the 2010 HBA Home & Garden Show – March 5th through the 7th at the Phil Long Expo Center – 1515 Auto Mall Loop in Colorado Springs. We’re located in Booth #602.

The show hours on Friday are from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We’ll have residential and commercial fixtures on display, as well as our new and innovative low voltage LED landscaping lights that won a Hot Products award from 9News at the Colorado Garden and Home Show.

We look forward to seeing you at the show!

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Only 4 More Days to See the Colorado Garden and Home Show

Posted on February 17, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Woolly Mammoth in Entrance Garden

There are only FOUR days remaining in the beautiful Colorado Garden and Home Show. You can begin your day at the show in the entrance garden where ice age creatures such as the woolly mammoth and ancient tigers come to life. Stroll the magnificent gardens and see the sights and aromas of spring as you take in the 400,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Colorado Convention Center.

Please be sure to save some time to visit the 9News Hot Products Zone which is located at the top of the escalators near the show entrance. There you will see the nine latest and greatest gardening and home improvement products – including the LED landscape lighting line by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado.

Our exhibit is located in booth #1442 – and there you can see the LED lighting fixtures up close as well as the latest in low voltage quartz halogen fixtures, line voltage Ceramic Metal Halide fixtures, and Lighting Control Automation™.

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado Exhibit - Booth #1442

We certainly look forward to seeing you at the show!

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See Us at the ProGreen Expo

Posted on February 7, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado will be exhibiting at the upcoming ProGreen Expo to be held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver – on Wednesday, February 10th (9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), February 11th (9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) and Friday (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) in Booth #2227.

The ProGreen Expo is one of the largest product/trade shows in the country for the GREEN and landscaping markets with over 600 exhibitors. OLP of Colorado will be launching its new Product Sales Division that will be able to distribute our high quality products/services directly to landscaping contractors. OLP of Colorado will be showcasing its low voltage quartz halogen and LED lighting fixtures/transformers, as well as its line voltage commercial grade Ceramic Metal Halide fixtures.

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LEDs Selected by 9News as Hot Product of 2010

Posted on February 7, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

For the second year in a row, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Colorado is proud to have one of its newest product lines selected by 9News for the 2010 Hot Products Zone at the upcoming Colorado Garden and Home Show. The product line selected is our new and innovative LED line of  landscape and architectural lighting products.

LED Landscape Lighting - 9News Hot Product

Out of over 600 exhibitors at the show, we’re proud to be one of the nine companies showcased in the Hot Products Zone in the lobby of the Colorado Convention Center.

On display will be several of our innovative and next generation LEDs for illuminating both landscape and architectural applications.

After viewing the Hot Products Zone, please visit our main exhibit on the show floor – Booth #1442. We look forward to seeing you at the show.

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Colorado Garden and Home Show

Posted on February 7, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Come visit us at the upcoming Colorado Garden and Home Show – February 13th through the 21st at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver in Booth #1442. The show’s hours on Saturdays are (10 a.m. – 8 p.m.), Sundays (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and from Monday through Friday (Noon – 8 p.m.).

The show features over 600 companies dedicated to the home and garden marketplace. Not to be missed by kids of all ages is the Mammoths, Tigers and Flowers – Creatures of the Ice Age Entry Garden.

Special Spring discounts are available for current customers – so watch your email for all the details.

Spring is right around the corner and we look forward to seeing you at the show so that you can see all of the latest products (LEDs etc.).

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New Commercial Website Is Live

Posted on February 3, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

In the early ’90s, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP) revolutionized the design, delivery/installation, and maintenance of residential landscape/architectural lighting. Almost all landscape lighting prior to that time was installed by electricians or by do-it-yourselfers with basic lighting kits – and the fixtures and low voltage transformers were purchased through local electrical/lighting supply houses/distributors. It was not uncommon under this scenario to have to wait 2 to 5 weeks for the distributor to order and obtain the products from the lighting manufacturer. OLP’s vertical integration with its local franchisees and factory decreased this turnaround time to a couple of days.

OLP is doing the same thing with its Commercial Lighting Division with the launch of its new commercial lighting website. Standard products can literally take only days to obtain (slightly longer for custom powder-coated versions). Just as is the case with all of our lighting designs and installations on the residential side, the emphasis on commercial lighting is also with quality design and lighting effect. OLP offers a complete turnkey operation – from design, installation, and on-going service.

OLP’s commercial lighting division emphasizes the latest in green-energy technology from low voltage quartz halogen/LED to line voltage Ceramic Metal Halide and Induction Fluorescents. In other words, we use just the right wattage bulb to do the job – but not one watt more than we need to!

To read the full press release from PR Web click here.

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Our Annual Meeting

Posted on January 28, 2010 by outdoorlightingofcolorado

Last week Cathy and I had the privilege of attending Outdoor Lighting Perspectives’ (OLP) Annual Conference that was held at the beautiful Amelia Island Plantation located near Jacksonville, Florida. I was asked to speak about our involvement with the Community Association’s Institute as well as some of our more interesting lighting projects for various HOAs in Colorado.

One of the best benefits of being part of a large national/international franchise system is the opportunity to discuss best business practices with other local franchise owners. In addition, two of OLP’s manufacturers were there to introduce new products and other technological advances.

Shown at left is a new 6W LED replacement for a quartz halogen MR16 bulb-fixture. In addition to a complete new line of LED products, also unveiled was a line of commercial induction fluorescent fixtures, and an expansion of the ceramic metal halide commercial line.

It was a great break and it’s always fun to see the ocean – especially being from water-challenged Colorado. The important thing is that we learned a lot and are ready to move forward in 2010 to provide better service and products to our customers.

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