LEDs a Bright Idea: A Few of the Benefits that LED Lighting Has to Offer Your Workplace!
Everybody wants to know how much you can save by switching to LED lighting! Before we delve into that, however, let’s take a look at a few of the other benefits. Did you know that cost savings is just ONE of the many benefits that LED lights have to offer your workplace? And what if we told you that some [...]
Lighting Retrofit: What it is and Why You Should Consider It?
If you’ve never heard the term “lighting retrofit” before, it may seem that you probably don’t need one! This couldn’t be further from the truth. In simple terms, a lighting retrofit is when you upgrade your existing energy wasting light fixtures and/or bulbs with hyper-efficient LED lights. Why on earth would you want to do such a thing when you [...]
U.S. trade antics no match for low-carbon manufacturers
Paul Rak on the floor of his VeriForm Inc. metal fabricating plant in Cambridge, Ont. (VERIFORM INC.) What do the Trump tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel, announced last week, have to do with the transition to a low-carbon economy? When it comes to my steel fabrication company in Cambridge, Ont., quite a bit actually. The threat of the Trump tariffs [...]
Energy Saving Tips for Commercial and Industrial Buildings
The best way for any individual, and especially any company, to save energy is to start by monitoring energy usage. Once you know which systems in your facility use the most energy, it will be much easier to come up with an energy-saving plan. However, many facilities would benefit from following the energy-saving tips below (with or without an energy [...]
LEDs Then vs Now
LED lighting wasn’t always the obvious choice for all your lighting needs. However, improvements over the past few years have changed that. To reiterate some points from the Retrofit section of our website, LEDs reduce your lighting and energy costs, have reduced environmental impact and positively influence mood and attentiveness. But many people still cringe when they hear about [...]
The LED Market Today
Positive results from surveys show a growing desire for more use of LED lights in and outside of businesses, homes, and in public areas (such as parking lots, parks, and even along city streets). There are several areas in which LED lights are far superior to conventional lighting: Durability - failure rates continue to hover around the 1% mark, [...]
What To Expect From Your LED Lighting Upgrade
Conduct Detailed Lighting Audit If you are considering upgrading to LED lighting for your building here are some things to look for from your supplier to ensure you get the maximum benefit from your upgrade. Each building is unique and it is important that your supplier take the time to understand your operation and particular needs so that you get the [...]
A Walkthrough of a Typical Residential Solar PV Install
Having spent the last six-plus years designing and installing solar PV and other renewable energy systems I often forget that the vast majority of my friends or people that I meet have no idea about what’s actually involved in having solar panels installed on your roof. I am reminded of this when I talk about a particular job with [...]
The Latest Green Energy Technologies
Here are some of the cool new technologies I have come across that are available to save money and energy while helping reduce our impact on the planet. I like to keep informed of what is available and I hope you find this of interest as well. Daylighting, Using the sun for indoor light The LightCatcher is a polycarbonate [...]
Off Grid Street Lights – Easy as 1-2-3! Just Add Sun
We were recently awarded the contract to install an Off Grid Street Lighting system for a local college to be used as an outdoor lab for their students in the Engineering Department. Due to the many advantages of these light poles we are seeing more and more of them being installed by municipalities and commercial and industrial clients and [...]