Tips From The Top

Looking for ways to cut spending in your office?

The answer could be simpler than you think: lighting.

According to a 2008 report from the Energy Information Administration, 39% of annual electricity use in office buildings comes from – you guessed it – lighting. In some settings it’s even higher: healthcare facilities spend 43% of electricity for lighting; hotels as much as 55%.

It’s easy to see how many businesses today waste energy on lighting rooms that are empty, or over-lighting rooms – think of the overhead fluorescent lights that come on at 7:30 AM and stay on all day and into the evening, whether or not there’s natural light, or even someone in the room. And how about at 2 PM when the afternoon light floods half the offices, raising the temperature and kicking up the AC?

Energy costs are rising, and if you’re looking to cut needless spending, put lighting control at the top of your list. The changes you can make are realistic, manageable, and will positively impact your bottom line.

It may be that your business needs a whole building lighting system. Energy-efficient light control like a complete Lutron system provides an integrated, flexible structure that employs lighting, shading, and sensors to reduce unnecessary lighting.

A whole building solution can dramatically reduce your energy costs. The New York Times cut $600,000 from its annual lighting costs with the Lutron Quantum® system. A Houston building saved $50,000 with Lutron’s EcoSystem®.

A whole building system also improves the overall lighting atmosphere, making it a more comfortable, more productive environment. Who wants to work under harsh fluorescents all day when you can take advantage of natural sunlight? Shading systems can eliminate hotspots and glare, and also suit the needs of your employees and clients, creating an ideal atmosphere to work.

Controlling the light can also reduce heating, air conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC) costs. Lutron shading systems can decrease the solar heat in your office, refining the incoming natural daylight to provide comfort, reduce heat, and lower air conditioning costs. Because sunlight is variable, you can control the shades to automatically adjust based on the sun’s position throughout the day, the season, the building location, and even the building façade.

Systems can be designed for an entire building, a portion of the building, or even a single room.

One of the simplest ways to reduce energy spending? Dim the lights. A single dimmer can save a business more than $85 each year. And products like Lutron’s commercial dimmers last up to ten years. Manual controls allow employees to dim the lights to their specifications. Automated controls like occupancy/vacancy sensors, daylight sensors, timeclocks, and automated shades can be set to your specifications to best reduce energy use at all times.

Federal and state rebates add another incentive for overhauling your business’s lighting system.

You can also monitor your energy use over time with the Lutron reporting and trending feature. Watch system activity, lighting energy use, and fluorescent lamp failures, and adjust the lighting needs of your business over time.

An integrator can evaluate, manage, and upgrade your business’s lighting system, making a huge difference in your overall energy spending. At Jackson Hole AV, we design, install, and adjust the lighting system to meet the needs of your business over time.

To learn more about how you can reduce lighting costs in your business, call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to help you find the optimal way to reduce energy use while improving your lighting atmosphere.