Electical Contractor

With tighter regulations and a greater need for emergency lighting in commercial buildings, product developers are continually focusing on ways to make exit and emergency lights more energy efficient and easier to self-diagnose.

More than $640 million could be saved annually nationwide if only a small percentage of businesses updated their lighting to more energy-efficient systems.

Think about how you feel when you walk into Best Buy, Home Depot or Target, compared to when you walk into Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom or Crate & Barrel. Lighting plays a key role in creating the desired atmosphere.

Article 210 Branch Circuits Article 220 Branch-Circuit, Feeder, and Service Calculations Article 230 Services Article 250 Grounding Article 404 Switches Article 410 Luminaires (Lighting Fixtures) Lampholders, and Lamps Article 445 Generators Article 702 Optional Standby Systems Volume I of the Fire

Lighting can consume up to 35 percent of a building’s electricity. While energy conservation was important before September 11, it has become even more significant with the possible difficulties in obtaining foreign oil.

Energy efficiency, improved performance, ease of installation, ease of use and streamlined or otherwise improved statistics (smaller sizes, broader voltage ranges, lower or higher wattage, etc.) are among the benefits of many notable, new or enhanced indoor lighting products.

Do you think San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds could have hit 73 homes during the 2001 Major League Baseball (MLB) season with his eyes closed? Or that Ed McCafferty of the Denver Broncos could catch a Brian Griese pass in the dark?

With energy costs continuing to skyrocket, warehouse managers are frantically seeking new methods of reducing lighting costs.

Quality of light and end-user safety are driving forces behind a trend to retrofit or install whiter lighting. Popular lighting choices include pulse-start metal halide lamps, ceramic metal halide lamps, and electrode-less induction lighting.