Electical Contractor

The biggest selling point of the light-emitting diode (LED) lamp is its already legendary longevity, which far surpasses the life expectancy of incandescent, halogen or fluorescent light sources.

If the nation’s rising unemployment, flagging construction, and global debt crisis didn’t give electrical contractors enough cause for concern, they have recently been grappling with another business woe—significant price increases on some of the market’s most popular energy-efficient fluorescent la

Employing daylight to reduce electricity can be an attractive energy opportunity for building owners and operators, with lighting accounting for nearly 40 percent of all energy consumed in modern buildings.

Lighting designers have a responsibility to provide lighting systems that deliver visual comfort, which goes beyond simple visibility by addressing issues such as glare.

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of good cheer. American culture has evolved to embrace the closing of each year as a celebration of the values we each hold dear. It's evident in the environments we create.

Lighting design begins with identifying the lighting needs for the space and then deciding what surfaces you want to light and at what intensities. Once you make these decisions, you can begin selecting equipment.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 created new efficiency standards for 40–100-watt (W) incandescent general-service lamps, along with an uproar. As of Jan. 1, 2012, 100W lamps must be 30 percent more efficient, or they will be prohibited from manufacture or import. Jan.

As with other types of lighting, energy codes and legislation are influencing high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting—high-pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH), and mercury vapor—in this era of regulated efficiency.

Lighting evolves based on need. Incandescent made way for brighter fluorescent. Fluorescent made room for solid-state lighting (SSL). The next big idea may be light-emitting diodes (LEDs). While they are an SSL source, LEDs are new to general lighting applications.