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Author: Amit Chakraborty

Commercial lighting has been a growth industry for many years and many consumers are turning to commercial lighting products. Because of the need for heavy-duty, reliable commercial lighting fixtures, many lighting companies around the world are at the forefront of light-emission technology. Commercial lights are used in many applications, ranging from high-wattage flood and spotlights to fluorescent bulbs used in schools and health care facilities.

Lighting fixtures come in all shapes and sizes. Large fixtures are most typically reserved for areas with extremely high ceilings and large floor areas. Gymnasiums are one very simple example. The commercial ceiling lights that are needed in such facilities must be extremely long-lasting, and it must be durable. Changing the bulbs on such lights is a daunting task, and must often be undertaken professionally.

Heat lamps are also a very popular form of commercial lighting. Whether they are being used in a greenhouse or a fast food restaurant, heat lamps are essential lighting fixtures and commercial lighting fixtures, without which some segments of the economy would not be possible at their current scale.

Commercial landscape lighting is another type of everyday commercial lighting. These outdoor lights provide both a safe and aesthetic environment for homes, businesses, and even school campuses. Without proper lighting, it would be extremely difficult to see dangers lurking, whether in the form of other people, animals, or even weather-related hazards.

Regardless of the type of commercial lighting that is required, there’s always a lamp, or a bulb that is adequate to the task. New technologies are being developed every day. Energy bills are being reduced dramatically by compact fluorescent bulbs, led lights, and low-emission lights. Light bulbs now last thousands of times longer than their original ancestors, and that is thanks to the tireless, and often thankless, work of the commercial lighting industry.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/all-you-need-to-know-about-commercial-lighting-582540.html

About the Author

Jordan Travis writes about commercial lighting industry. Read more about commercial lighting at www.ibuylights.com.

Originally posted 2011-06-05 17:06:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

FPL downplays the impact of lighting on electric bills, with a page on its Web site that says “lighting is not typically a major user of energy in most homes [the average cost is $70 a year].” An energy calculator on the same page shows it costs $64.80 a month to burn 15 100-watt bulbs 12 hours a day. Comparable lighting produced by CFL bulbs would cost around $15 a month.

I went around my house the other day and counted 33 incandescent bulbs.

Forget the mall. This holiday season, I’m headed to the hardware store.

Michael Mayo’s column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at mmayo@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4508.

From Sun Sentinel - 12/21/08

President-elect Barack Obama has talked about turning the White House into the Green House and making energy efficiency in federal buildings and public schools a top priority.

“Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that,” Obama said in a Dec. 6 address. “We will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy efficient … by replacing heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs.”

Light bulbs? I had this picture in my mind of Obama and Al Gore standing on ladders, fiddling with every fixture around Washington, D.C.

I mean, how much can really be done by changing light bulbs?

Turns out a lot.

Just ask Giacomo Dresseno, longtime chef-owner of Primavera Restaurant in Oakland Park. Facing an economic downturn in a business with a slim profit margin, Dresseno decided to do something when his FPL bills climbed to nearly $3,000 a month last year.

He went green, switching hundreds of incandescent bulbs to the latest in Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs. He also got rid of some inefficient refrigerators.

The bottom line: His latest electric bill was $1,400, a 50 percent drop from its peak.

“It’s saving me $15,000 a year,” Dresseno said as he showed me the new lighting around the restaurant.

That’s a lotta pasta.

“It seems like a lot of work, but it’s not,” Dresseno said. “The technology is there, and it’s not that expensive.”

The only drawback: CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, so if the bulb breaks it can be a hazard and a hassle.

Dresseno said he has spent less than a thousand dollars on the upgrades, an investment that paid for itself in less than a month. He showed me the new bulbs in the kitchen, with eight fluorescent fixtures drawing only 64 watts each, compared to 240 watts used by the old ones.

He showed off the women’s bathroom, where 45 watts’ worth of LED bulbs does the job that 480 watts of incandescent bulbs used to do.

Dresseno spoke about the ripple effects. “Feel this,” he said, as he unscrewed an LED bulb with his bare hand. It was warm to the touch, about 120 degrees, but it didn’t burn like an incandescent bulb. All those bulbs producing less heat means the air conditioning doesn’t kick on as much.

So maybe there is something to this, something simple and concrete most businesses and homes can do right now without installing expensive solar panels or building a windmill on the front lawn.

“I feel like it’s politically correct, it’s the right thing to do,” said Dresseno, originally from Lake Como, Italy. “And it puts more money in my pocket and less in FPL’s.”

Now that’s change we can believe in. Saving the planet is one thing, but getting revenge on our favorite utility by denting FPL’s bottom line should make this irresistible for South Floridians.

Originally posted 2009-04-18 09:29:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter