Superior Lighting Blog

News and updates in Superior Lights.

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Claridge Condominium: LED & CFL Blend Retrofit

The Claridge Community is a prime oceanfront condominium property located in Pompano Beach, Florida. In keeping stride with the popular trend of owners’ renovating individual apartments, the condominium management association elected to complete a lighting retrofit to the majority of their common areas. The property features include luxury amenities such as 24-hour security, an event room, and recreational facilities including a fitness room. Many of these areas, including the illuminated main lobby and elevator entrance, were inefficiently lit with outdated bulbs causing more frequent maintenance and higher energy costs.

The association contacted Superior Lighting to solve the two most important issues to most clients interested in managing costs: selection of new, longer lasting light bulbs and energy efficiency. After consideration of the space and hours of operation, we advised a lighting retrofit for the lobby and elevator entrance with the installation of long lasting LED bulbs. Replacing the 45-watt R20 reflector bulbs in the lobby with 8-watt R20 LED bulbs quickly solved the issue in the main lobby area. Already a great accomplishment with increased illumination, energy-efficiency and less replacement ratio in this area the next improvement was inside the elevators.

  The elevator was housed 20-watt MR16 bulbs which were easily replaced with 5-watt LEDs with a projected life expectancy of up to 50,000 hours. This was an ideal solution for two areas that need dependable lighting 24-hours daily for the residents of the property. For the areas of the property that did not require 24-hour lighting, and to reduce the expense of a complete LED retrofit, areas such as the social hall, board room and fitness room made use of the 14-watt dimmable compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). A perfect blend of LED and CFL lighting solutions to provide Claridge Condominium management association with a total energy savings calculated at approximately $2,500 a year. Visit the products used to retrofit this property below:

14-watt dimmable CFL

8-watt LED PAR20

6-watt LED MR16

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LED Spotlights Solution for Coastal Property Managers

A particular issue plaguing South Florida ocean-front property managers over the last decade has been addressing human concern regarding sea turtle conservation. Condominium property maintenance seems far from the business of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC), but these two governing bodies have come together to solve how building lighting is adversely affecting sensitive coastal areas.

Boca Mar Association contacted our team here at Superior Lighting to create a lighting solution that would provide sufficient brightness for the residents of the building, consisting mostly of seniors, keeping safety first while preventing negative impact on the nestling sea turtles that come ashore nearby the property. The Association was aware of light pollution from local communities is threatening large segments of the sea turtle population. By insisting on turtle friendly outdoor lighting, the condo was following the FWCC and helping these and many other species cope with human encroachment of their habitats.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) developed a model lighting ordinance as a guideline to help coastal counties and municipalities in Florida develop their own local ordinances to protect sea turtles from the adverse effects of artificial lighting. Keeping this ordinance in mind, our team at Superior Lighting selected the LED R20 Amber 5.8 Watt spotlights with non-corrosive ceramic canisters.

The amber color is pure, unlike ordinary bulbs that filter white light, and has been specifically selected by the FWCC to reduce attraction of turtles and other wildlife. The bulb is well suited for use in sensitive coastal areas such as Boca Mar, which is frequented by nesting sea turtles. This excellent down light emits the equivalent of a 50 watt incandescent bulb. After installation, Boca Mar the bulbs created an energy savings from 26 watts to only 8 watts and the R20 bulbs should lifespan is up to 50,000 hours.

Adapting to Sea Turtle Friendly Lighting can seem daunting for many property owners who at first glance. On a local level, we realize that property owners and managers must be aware that the sea turtle preservation with stringent lighting requirements is in no way to limit the safety of residences of properties located along the cost but instead to provide an overall positive improvement. Luckily, the team from Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex worked with Boca Mar on the project, insuring the compliance with FWCC. Each facility faced with adapting to sea turtle lighting is actually becoming masterful in lighting design through simple and affordable methods.

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Stay Safe While Stringing Holiday Lights

As customers decorate homes and trees this holiday season, Superior Lighting encourages them to keep safety and energy efficiency in mind. Holiday lights bring joy to the season, but they can also bring hazards and added costs to your energy bill. LED lights have risen in popularity because of their energy efficiency and their vibrant color. These lights conveniently come in solid and multicolored strands. To be the brightest house on the street, you'll want these lights. Superior Lighting offers the following holiday lighting tips:

Holiday Lighting Energy Efficiency 

Purchase energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights. LED lights can reduce energy consumption by as much as 90% when compared to traditional holiday lights and can shine brightly for up to 20 holiday seasons.

A string of 300 LED holiday lights can cost less than $0.50 to operate during the holiday season, compared to nearly $70.00 for a string of 300 large incandescent holiday light

In addition to being shatterproof and shock resistant, LED lights produce almost no heat, making them safe to touch and greatly reducing the risk of fire.

Look up and live! Before stringing outdoor lights, check for overhead power lines. Never place yourself or any object —like a ladder—in a position where you or it may come in contact with a power line—the result can be fatal. Keep at least 10 feet away from overhead lines.

Before stringing lights on outdoor trees, make sure tree limbs haven't grown into or near power lines. Branches, entire trees and even the ground adjacent to a tree can become energized when trees contact power lines.

Make sure lights used to decorate the outside of the house are approved for outdoor use. Never use indoor lights outdoors.

Follow the manufacturer's limits for the number of light strings that can be connected together safely.

Check all light strands for cracked or broken plugs, frayed insulation or bare wires. Worn cords can cause fires, so discard damaged sets of lights.

Route cords inside your home so they won't trip anyone. Don't place them under rugs, furniture or other appliances. If covered, cords can overheat or become frayed, increasing the risk of fire.

Always turn off decorative lights—indoors and outdoors—when leaving the house and before going to bed.

Do not place your tree near a heat source such as a fireplace or heat vent. The heat will dry out the tree, making it more susceptible to fires caused by heat, flame or sparks.

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Retrofit Project: Laurel Oaks Condo of Boca West

Laurel Oaks is a condo community located in Boca Raton. The community association and residents recently decided it was time to increase the amount of light available throughout the parking lot area. A few factors came into consideration while shaping this retrofit plan and choosing the perfect products. First, increase illumination of the parking lot without increasing energy consumption and increased costs. Also, make sure the new lights are not too bright becomes intrusive into unit owners windows. 

Superior Lighting advised retrofitting the parking lot with a metal halide type bulb post fitter fixture. We installed new post top lights that use a 100 watt metal halide bulb. We also changed the globes to a more decorative acorn style globe and inserted the dark sky reflector to ensure the lights spreads down on the parking lot and not into neighbors windows. This reflector also maximizes efficiency (no light is wasted going up into the atmosphere) so a lower wattage bulb can be used to light the desired area. Their old bulb was an 85 watt compact fluorescent bulb emitting 5700 lumens and their bulb uses 100 watts and emits 8500 lumens. (67 lumens per watt versus the new 85 lumens per watt), so we have increased efficiency by about 26% percent and at least doubled the amount of visible light for the parking lot.

Discover and select the products that we used for the revamp of Laurel Oaks:

Large Acorn Plastic Globe

100 Watt Pulse Start Metal Halide Light Bulb 

Dark Sky Reflector 

We have taken a 360 panorama shot of the parking lot with the new light on the right and the old on the left. The difference in light is quite visible.

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The Importance of Industrial Lighting

Industrial lighting brings innumerable, indispensable benefits to any organization.  First and foremost among these benefits are energy efficiency and safety.  Proper illumination of factories, warehouses, docks, and parking lots provides employees with carefully calculated levels of light optimized to help them work and move about without injury.  This light should be sourced from the most energy saving industrial light fixtures possible, built to last, and warranted in writing to cover all possible contingencies related to maintenance and replacements down the line. 

If workers stand or move in dark spots or shadows, it's time to invest in new industrial lights to make sure they can see what they are doing.  This will have the immediate, secondary effect of improving overall site security.  Well-positioned outdoor industrial lighting with motion sensors can build a perimeter of light that maintains the security of your facility.  

To know which industrial lights your clients need, you have to first perform (or have performed for you) a very systematic and thorough photometric analysis of the facility and surrounding acreage.  Walkways, parking lots, shipping docks, storage space, building exteriors, and landscapes all require different levels of light.  

Finding the best energy saving options for your client means determining which lamping option saves your client the most money on power costs without sacrificing vertical or foot candle levels.  The key to accurately determining this lies in calculating the necessary level of lumens versus the amount of energy the lamp you have in mind consumes.  The location, size, and purpose of your client’s facility will provide the critical data you need for these calculations.  

Halogen lamps produce a wide, intense beam spread and work very well in parking lots, building loading docks, and exterior walkways.  Fluorescent lamps proliferate the ceilings of warehouses and factories, utilizing gas vapor, electronic ballasts, and energy saving engineering designs that help companies reduce power costs.  Rapidly evolving LED technology is  rapidly overtaking both, and may soon rival, if not out compete all together, even the brightest of HID in the near future.

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Update Your Home with Mini LED Replacement Bulbs

LED retrofit bulbs are designed to work with your original incandescent light bulb sockets, but will emit less heat, use less energy, and last much longer. The Mini LED Replacement Bulbs are commonly used with colored and decorative display settings, and are ideal for highlighting a new product, decorating for the holidays, and “sprucing up” a back porch or home bar area. They requirement less maintenance than the everyday incandescent option, and are just as bright.

These types of money-saving mini bulbs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor uses, and have a wide range of options and settings. From blinking to chasing, timer-based lighting and motion detectors, the Mini LED Replacement Bulbs are multi-functional. They are compatible with photo cells and are able to withstand wet and windy conditions without issue.

Mini LED Replacement Bulbs commonly come in 1-3 watt bulbs, and some even contain 3-4 different colors within each unit to produce a stunning array of rapidly changing decorative lights. From casinos and theme parks to seasonal events and school functions, high quality Mini LED Replacement Bulbs will add unique flair, and last for years and years.

Clear decorative mini LED lights are great for the home and garden, and add subtle hints of light and color to your otherwise every-day locale. Line your porch with a string of ultra durable weather resistant lights, and break away from the cliché tiki-torch or citronella candle options. There are many shape and style choices for the clear mini LED bulbs including: crystal cut, torpedo, and flame shapes.

When you trade in your old halogen or incandescent lights for their LED counterpart, you will see a notable decrease in your energy bill, and will be able to afford more decorative and accent lighting in your home, garden, and porch areas. Whether in a commercial or residential setting, keeping the costs of running the lights, and the cost of maintenance and parts replacement down is essential. Join millions of others in the coalition for an eco-friendly world with small energy-saving changes like switching to LED lights.

These Mini LED Replacement Bulbs, when used in a colorful decorative setting, give a vintage feel to your display, and will set you apart from the small Christmas-light type of string lighting. With brilliant colors and durable materials, these bulbs will withstand the test of time and are programmable with many different lighting functions.

Mini lights like these, whether seasonal or every-day, often go in tall, hard to reach locations, so knowing that your lights will stay on without issue and with little maintenance and replacement needs is important. Mini LED Replacement Bulbs last longer, save energy, and most notably, produce vibrant light and color.