Tag Archives: electrical saving

Commercial Lighting Retrofit

Energy Efficient Lighting Retrofit and Design

Commercial Electrical, Electrical Saving, , , ,

Before and After Lighting Retrofit Design

Although energy mismanagement happens for various reasons, one of the most common sources of misused energy stems from overhead lighting. Up to 60% of your energy bill may be directly linked to the amount of energy that is used to keep the lights shining overhead. This isn’t only an expensive option due to the amount of energy it takes to keep the lights running, but it is expensive because of the heat the lighting produces. Especially during summer months, excessive overhead lighting creates an added source of heat that often requires additional air conditioning. So not only are you paying more for your electric bill for lighting, but you are also paying more for excessive air conditioning use.

Although overhead lighting is an important aspect of daily operations, it is crucial to know that a lighting retrofit can assess your current energy use to see if there are ways to cut down on your expenses. A lighting retrofit is the process of replacing part or all of an electrical system with lighting and controls that make it use energy more efficiently. This process will not only save you money long term, but it will also allow you to confidently tell your customers and business partners that you are an energy conscious company.

Schaffhouser Electric offers lighting retrofit and design services to help your company become energy efficient. Your lighting retrofit may include any or all of the following:

  • Analysis of and reduction of cost of overhead lighting
  • Removal of lamps and ballasts
  • Delamping, which is the process of testing the luminosity of your space and determining if it’s brighter than it needs to be, while still providing maximum safety and efficiency
  • Replacement of T12 bulbs with T8 bulbs, which are narrower and more energy-efficient
  • Analysis of and reduction of hours of operation using innovative controls
  • Analysis of and reduction of costs of outdoor signage, exterior, and parking garage lighting
  • Analysis of and reduction of cost of holiday lighting

Lighting retrofit and design is an investment that will yield significant returns. Our team here at Schaffhouser Electric Company will be able to work with you to discuss how much money this process can save you each and every year. We are happy to share solutions to reduce energy costs.

To learn more about lighting retrofit for your business, give us a call or email us today!

 

daylight-savings

Does Daylight Saving Time Save Energy?

Electrical Saving, Home Electrical, , , ,

If you felt like you were constantly running behind schedule this past Sunday, you’re not crazy, and you’re also not alone. This weekend, most of the United States observed Daylight Savings Time, which means setting clocks forward an hour to squeeze as much sunlight out of the waking day as possible. The goal is far more pragmatic than boosting society’s general happiness level with some extra UV exposure; otherwise a national undertaking (international if you count Europe’s analogous summer time change coming up), would not merit the effort involved in coordination and execution. Instead, the goal is, unsurprisingly, efficiency. Energy efficiency, that is. While there is debate about how much energy is actually saved, the general idea is to maximize the amount of time that people are awake and out of the house, so that as little energy is used indoors as is possible.

If you are wondering who came up with the brilliantly simple idea of adjusting human clocks to match that of the cosmos, it was possibly none other than the man who invented just about anything else you can think of- Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was unintentionally prescient in his snide remark that Parisians could reduce their energy expenditures in the evening hours if they were to begin their days before the sun was already at its zenith. Sadly, Americans cannot claim to have recognized or adopted the clever advice hidden in Franklin’s jab, though. It was Germany who first adopted Day Light Savings time in 1916, and a full fifty years passed before the US caught up to their efficient chronological manipulation.

The real question for those of us who might be loath to jump on board the new timetable is whether you prefer to lengthen your snooze or your budget. Rising earlier in the day does mean you are likely to head to bed before having to burn up as much midnight oil as someone who rises at noon, but an early start also means less time to recover from the previous night’s ventures. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, Schaffhouser Electric is there to fuel your home and energy needs at whatever time of day or night you decide to stir. There is no penalty for late-sleepers or night owls, and no change in service accompanying the change in time. In fact, Schaffhouser Electric might be able to give you the best of both worlds by providing you with energy-saving, efficient light fixtures and bulbs that reduce your bill without any change on your part at all.