Peerless Reintroduces its Softshine Optic

Remember the ’80s? Big hair, Reagan, Pac-Man®, Rubik’s Cube® , when MTV actually played music videos? What an era. It was also during the ’80s that Peerless Lighting trademarked Softshine Optic, a breakthrough in optical technology engineered by one of the lighting world’s rock stars, Peter Ngai.

Well, since Mom jeans, Ray-Ban® Wayfarers® and shoulder pads have made a comeback, we decided to reintroduce an updated Softshine Optic.

Softshine is a high-performance, eyeball-friendly optic now available with Bruno, Lightedge Rectangular and, as previously introduced, Tulip and Lightline Direct.

Get more information here or here.

Extreme Heat? Cold? Try OnePass

OnePass® Extreme is a new offering from the RELOC® Wiring Solutions family that’s positioned for extremely low and high temperature environments. It provides the same plug-and-play installation, low maintenance and cost saving benefits of the traditional RELOC system with one distinct difference: It’s suited for facilities with long-term exposure to severe temperatures. Examples: warehouse coolers, freezers, food distribution buildings, and unheated spaces.

OnePass Extreme can be used in applications with temperatures ranging from as low as -40^o Celsius / -40^o Fahrenheit to as high as 75^oCelsius / 167^o Fahrenheit. Normal thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon-coated (THHN) wiring systems would break down and become brittle in those extreme temperature ranges. Like other OnePass products, OnePass Extreme is UL/CUL listed. Click here to see a detailed brochure.

6 Reasons to Consider Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights

For the past two weeks we’ve told you quite a bit about Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights. Here’s a summary of the Sunoptics benefits:

1. Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights have the highest performance and light transmittance of any standard domed skylight in the marketplace.
2. All Sunoptics double- and triple-glazed skylights come standard with an insulated, condensation-resistant, thermally broken frame with integrated exterior weeping wells.
3. Sunoptics has the exclusive Signature Series Dome.
4. Sunoptics extrudes and thermally forms all of our own plastic and prismatic sheets.
5. Sunoptics offers the exclusive Daylighting Photometric Lab.
6. Sunoptics is a company committed to a purpose.

Paired with lighting control systems, such as those from Lighting Control & Design, you reduce your building’s energy consumption and maximize your savings as well as the comfort of building occupants.

LEDs, Controls Part of Acuity Brands Expert’s Talk

William Ballweg, product development manager for Acuity Brands’ Lithonia Lighting, will be a featured speaker at the upcoming National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) Building Operating Management’s Conference and Exposition in Baltimore, MD.

Ballweg will speak at NFMT on Wednesday, March 16, at 9:00 a. m. The AIA-accredited presentation will address how the use of advanced, intelligent digital controls maximizes LED lighting efficiency, enhances lighting capabilities, and accelerates return on investment.

Case Study: Coca-Cola Saves 80% on Energy Use

When Coca-Cola decided to build its new energy-efficient distribution plant in Northern California, the company chose Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights to help it achieve its daylighting initiative. By integrating high bay T5 lighting systems with photocells and a lighting control system – in addition to the Sunoptics Signature Series skylights – Coca-Cola has reduced light energy consumption by up to 80% during the peak energy demand hours of the day.

Warehouses and distribution facilities are a natural choice for daylighting. They are large structures usually full with stock and only a hand full of employees moving inventory with fork lifts to trucks for distribution. By using high-performance prismatic daylighting with motion sensing and photocells with their lighting control systems, building owners can create the optimum level of energy efficiency while creating an environment of high productivity for the workers in the space.

Relighting, Controls Bring Substantial Energy Savings

As part of its ongoing public-housing renovation efforts, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MHPA) in 2010 installed more than 125 Lithonia Lighting® RTLED™ luminaires and more than 375 RT5D LED luminaires throughout a senior high-rise facility. The new LED lighting is being used in all the common areas, including hallways, stairwells, offices, kitchens and boiler rooms.

To achieve even greater energy efficiency, the MPHA also installed SensorSwitch® occupancy sensors, creating an intelligent lighting and controls solution. Since the installation, the senior facility has reduced the energy consumption associated with this lighting application by more than 77%, the carbon dioxide emissions by 76%, and the maintenance costs by 58%.

Prismatic Skylights Offer Great Advantages

Once you decide to daylight a building, Sunoptics Prismatic Skylights are the “enlightened” choice. We’ve dedicated our business to perfecting daylighting technology while helping building owners become energy independent. We offer superior design and construction and we are dedicated to consistent testing and refinement of our products to improve their value and performance to our customers. There are many advantages to Sunoptics skylight, as they:

• provide 35% or more light transmission than competitive skylights while providing 100% diffusion for glare-free high-performance daylighting
• eliminate damaging direct sunlight
• prevent UV damage to interiors and merchandise
• provide insulated thermal break frames as standard
• have completely welded corners that do not rely on wet seals to be watertight
• are superior in engineering, design and construction
• offer exceptional performance without a premium price

Hercules, CA, Retrofits with LEDgend Roadway LEDs

The 161 cobra head luminaires with 100-watt, high-pressure sodium lamps lining streets in Hercules, CA, are now retrofitted with LEDgend Roadway LED by Holophane®. Results: reduced energy costs; brighter, more uniform light; and maintenance-free operation for about 20 years.

They light two- and four-lane roadways lined with homes, businesses, restaurants and strip malls. They also illuminate stretches of parking, and sidewalks previously plagued by pockets of darkness. Existing poles were used to save the city money.

LEDgend luminaires provide permanent prismatic glass optics to protect the LEDs while controlling light distribution and reducing glare. An optimized, maintained thermal management system was engineered into LEDgend for maximum performance and long life.

Go Digital on Daylight Harvesting Controls

For years, Sunoptics and Lighting Controls & Design (LC&D) products have been integrated to enhance the value of prismatic skylight solutions. That’s because digital lighting controls improve on the functionality of traditional (non-digital) controls, providing advanced programming capabilities with a simple front end – usually just a wall switch or dimmer.

With LC&D’s GR 2400 system, controls are easy to maintain and operate. Settings can be adjusted through the Internet or with any computer running Unity™ Lighting Control Software. In fact, LC&D is the only manufacturer that offers free lifetime remote programming for every system equipped with a modem.

The GR 2400 system is more than just relay panels and hardware. It is a completely digital, integrated system that will lower your operating expenses. By simply turning off unneeded lighting, energy consumption is reduced as much as 40% to 50%.

Yes, You Can Control the Sun

To enhance shoppers’ experience, retailers often use different lighting treatments for each of their departments; this can greatly impact the penetration of daylight and electric lighting.

The “best-practices” approach of dimming gives a seamless integration between the skylights and the electric lighting, allowing some lights to be dimmed without distracting shoppers. After store hours, lighting levels are reduced to those needed for cleaning and stocking. Non daylit zones are controlled with a different strategy but are included within the digital lighting controls to ensure lights are off after hours.

Distributed controls are what accommodate these separate treatments, and LC&D’s free remote programming allows for easy adjustments to ensure proper lighting levels.