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Wind turbines are popping up all over the country, especially in Kansas. They’re hard to ignore, and there’s no doubt they are here to stay. A new study found that for each megawatt of wind capacity, a county gains half a job. And with 47,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity installed in the U.S. today, […]

Saving with energy-efficient lighting is more than just updating technology; it’s also about how long the lights stay on. Occupancy sensors detect activity within a certain area, so they provide convenience by turning lights on automatically when someone enters a room, and reduce lighting energy use by turning lights off soon after the last occupant […]

Small businesses should think seriously about their lighting. It seems simple, but lighting is a critical component of any small business because it can improve employee efficiency, and be aesthetically pleasing to encourage sales. “Depending on the type of business you operate, lighting accounts for 20 to 50 percent of electricity consumption. This means that […]

Don't wait until your lights go dark to find your business needs to upgrade its lighting technology. The recent phase out of T12 lighting is sure to catch a lot of businesses off guard, especially now that the common lamps will no longer be imported or manufactured in the U.S. "Right now inventories are still […]

Energy Efficiency Regulations A few days ago, the Department of Energy banned the manufacture and import of T12 lights to the U.S. This was in an effort to encourage consumers and businesses to retrofit their current lighting system into something more efficient, such as the T8 or T5 fluorescent lamps. As great as the benefits […]

Following the Department of Energy report on LED, the Smithsonian is getting in on the action as well. The historic museum recently retrofitted more LED lamps in their gallery, reducing their electricity costs from $2984 to $816 per year. The Smithsonian’s “incandescent lamps could not be replaced one-for-one, but the variety of LED lamps available […]

A recent article claims that more efficient lighting could save the U.S. $10 billion by replacing existing fluorescent lighting. According to a study commissioned by the Department of Energy, commercial buildings were found to have the largest share of lighting energy use, about 51%, followed by residential and industrial buildings. The two largest commercial lighting energy users […]

Last week, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony on innovative ways for financing energy efficient building retrofits. A panel of energy and real estate experts told Congress it could improve building energy efficiency, without ongoing governmental funding, by “streamlining efficiency standards and encouraging innovative financing techniques.” As more and more business […]