How to Improve Lighting to Meet Energy Codes. Upgrade to LED technology Here at Shine Retrofits, we know that energy codes can sometimes be a big burden on your business. Keeping your building from using large amounts of energy can be difficult for many energy-intensive buildings. This burden can be intensified by big parking lots and long hours, causing you to need to keep lights on for longer spans of time. Part of our mission at Shine Retrofits is to help you upgrade your lighting to improve your energy efficiency and reduce your maintenance needs on the lighting you use for your business. A nice byproduct of improving your energy efficiency is that you will be able to better meet the energy use codes that are required in your local area. This article will take you through a few steps you can use to improve your lighting to meet energy codes, as well as explain how upgrading your lighting can improve your business and save you money in the long term.

Meeting 2020 Energy Codes

Energy Codes can vary greatly from state to state. What’s okay in one state might not meet energy codes for another state. Though we can’t give specific advice on how to meet particular energy codes in an area, we can help you improve your energy usage in general, which will impact how you meet your local energy codes. In 2020, many areas changed their energy codes. California, for instance, is now requiring the installation of solar panels on new homes and some new apartment buildings. New York expects its 2020 guidelines to save an additional 11% of energy, partly by requiring lighting upgrades on big commercial buildings.

Improving Your Lighting

Upgrading your lighting can have a big impact on whether or not you meet the energy code requirements in your local area. But there’s more to it than not. Improving how your building’s lighting functions and performs can have a big impact on the long term health of your business, leading to energy savings that will pay dividends down the line. The three things we recommend in this article are to install lighting controls, upgrade your lighting to LED technology, and to consult a lighting expert. In the next part of this article, we’ll go over these steps in more detail.

Install Lighting Controls In Your Building

In a nutshell, lighting controls help you use less energy by minimizing the amount of times light is left on without a purpose. Examples of lighting controls include occupancy and vacancy sensors and large, connected lighting systems that can be operated by computer software and smartphone apps. It also helps you worry less about energy usage when you know lights are only on when you need them to be. Shine Retrofits offers lighting controls as part of our product catalog. These include the NaturaLED SEN-LRD-609-SAC motion/photocell dimmable sensor for high-bay fixtures, a great product for adjusting lighting to exact needs; and the Sensorworx SWX-231-1 Ceiling Mount Occupancy Sensor, which allows lights to turn on when people are in the room. Lighting controls can become much more complicated when it comes to bigger building projects. The complexity of lighting in a bigger building might require you to make different decisions when it comes to lighting controls and lighting systems. If you have any questions about the specific needs of your building, give one of our lighting specialists a call.

Upgrade to LED Technology

LED is probably the biggest thing to happen to lighting in the past twenty years. The energy efficiency and lifespan of LEDs is unmatched in the industry, and making the switch will quickly save you a lot of money on energy usage. LEDs are easy to install in both new building projects and lighting retrofits and can be utilized in the same applications as other types of lighting. Not only will installing LED lighting help you meet energy codes, but it will also help save money for your business. Another plus is that LED lights last a lot longer than traditional technologies such as fluorescent and incandescent, meaning you’ll have to spend less time replacing lights and performing maintenance. Some great LED lights in the Shine Retrofits catalog are the LED bulbs available from GE Lighting. Another great LED product is the Energy Star Rated 12 Watt ULTRA LED Integrated Bulb and Trim Lamp, a dimmable 2700k lamp available from Sylvania.

Get In Touch With Lighting Experts

Sometimes energy codes and lighting technology can get a bit confusing. We totally understand that you might be a little unsure about which decision you should make. If you need any assistance, we recommend getting in touch with a lighting specialist that can help you navigate the regulations and restrictions that come with energy codes. A lighting specialist can help recommend specific products and changes that will help your business increase energy efficiency and meet the energy codes in your area. They’ll be able to provide you information on any requirements you may have missed, following that up with specific products that you can install to help increase your energy efficiency. No matter what building you’re installing lighting for, a specialist can help you diagnose and fix your problems. Shine Retrofits would love to serve as your resource for any lighting questions you have, including any concerns you have about meeting the energy codes in your area. Our team of lighting experts can serve as your personal lighting specialist, helping you find products that will help your business be more energy-efficient overall. Our customer service team can help guide you through the process of browsing through, learning about, or purchasing lights, fixtures, electrical components, and much more through our website. You can reach us by phone at 1-877-643-4534 anytime Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm, Mountain Standard Time. We look forward to hearing from you!