Inefficient Commercial Lighting Fixes
Lighting accounts for roughly 40 percent of energy consumption in many commercial buildings. Switching to energy-efficient lights can reduce lighting costs by as much as 75% each year. That is money back in YOUR pocket.
Fluorescent tube lights are more energy efficient that the popular A-type standard incandescent lamps, and will reduce energy consumption up to 40%. Fluorescent lights create less direct glare than incandescent lights have a cooler and quieter operation. Just as important, modern fluorescent bulbs do not flicker during start-up, making them perfect for commercial buildings.
T8 and T5 fluorescent tube lights
When purchasing fluorescent lights, look for T8 high-efficiency one inch lamps, which have a low life-cycle cost and illumination that more closely resembles natural light. The T8 lights are smaller in diameter than the older T12 lights, which enable the gases and rare earth phosphors inside to function more efficiently.
LED lighting uses 75% less energy and will last 35 to 50 times longer than incandescent lights and 2 to 5 times longer than fluorescent lighting. They produce very little heat and will not break like traditional bulbs. LED lights that are Energy Star qualified even come with a minimum three year warranty, though in many instances they can last a decade or more. In terms of return on your investment, LED bulbs can represent huge savings despite their high up-front costs.
Don’t let the high prices of efficient bulbs scare you away though. You can reduce your upfront costs by switching out your old lights with one of these new types of energy efficient lighting as the old bulbs burn out. Eventually, you’ll have replaced every single bulb, and the savings will really start piling up.
Sources:
Consortium for Energy Efficiency, Commercial Lighting
Department of Energy, Energy Savers, Fluorescent Tube and Circline Lamps
Energy Star, Lighting, What Choose Energy Star Qualified LED Lighting?
Watt vs Lumens: How bright is that light?
With the introduction of CFLs and LEDs, the way light bulbs are rated has evolved along with the bulbs.
Relying on the traditional Watt, which is a measurement of energy, can make it difficult to compare incandescent bulbs to the more energy efficient bulbs, such 
as CFLs and LEDs, which can use up to 80% less energy, or watts. But now there is now a standardized measurement for the total emission of light or brightness, and it is called Lumens.
According to the U.S Department of Energy, upgrading 15 inefficient incandescent light bulbs to CFL or LED bulbs could save about $50 per year. Ninety percent of the energy used by a traditional incandescent bulb is given off as heat. That is a lot of wasted energy!
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and lighting manufacturers are placing more information on light bulb packaging to make purchasing easier. The new light bulb labels include brightness measured in lumens, the estimated yearly energy cost in dollars, the life expectancy of the bulb, the light appearance from warm to cool and the energy used measured in watts. This information can help consumers make a more-informed decision when it comes to purchasing light bulbs.
These new labels will help consumers make purchasing decisions as they transition to more energy-efficient types of bulbs.
Sources:
Alliance to Save Energy, Energy-Efficient Lighting: Lumens vs. Watts
National Geographic, Green Living, Lumens vs. Watts for LED Bulbs
Enter the $50 Energy Efficiency Contest
Summer is here, and so is the heat! Stay cool this summer and win a cool $50 by entering the $50 Energy Efficiency Contest on the Realgy Energy Services Facebook Page.
Tell us how would you use $50 to make your home or office more energy efficient?
Tell us how you would use $50 to make your home or office more energy efficient and you could win a $50 Home Depot or Lowes gift card to put your ideas to the test. If you need some inspiration, make sure you check out our regular blog posts on how you can save money on your energy costs.
One gift card will be given out each month (July and August) by the Realgy Energy Services Team. Let us know your ideas and plans to get in on the energy and money saving action now.
Your plans do not have to stay within the $50 budget; just tell us what kinds of things you could do to your home to save money while making your home use less energy. Some ideas may include keeping the thermostat set higher, or installing a new ceiling fan. Get creative, and you could win a $50 gift card to help you on your way toward some real home improvement.
10 Reasons why you should not Budget Bill
Budget billing is a payment plan with your utility company to even out your monthly bills throughout the year. Although it sounds like a great idea, there are some disadvantages.
- Administrative fees – Some plans charge administrative fees which add to the total cost of your monthly bill.
- Fuel assistance – Low income customers who would normally qualify for fuel assistance to help with energy bills may not qualify if they use a budget billing plan.
- Balance due – If your energy bills for the year exceed your monthly payments, you will be required to pay the balance due. This defeats the purpose of budget billing and creates a real hardship for some customers on fixed incomes.
- May not be eligible – All budget billing plans are different but some may require a minimum 12 month billing history with the current utility company. If you recently moved to the area or have a bad credit history, you may not qualify.
- Strict payment rules – There is little patience for delinquent payments under most budget billing plans. Paying your bill late may result in being disqualified from the budget billing plan or having your power shut off.
- Quarterly adjustments – Some utility companies will adjust the monthly budget billing amount on a quarterly basis, so if you were planning your budget on a set amount for the full year be wary, it may change.
- May not get refunded – The hope is that if your payments exceed the amount of power used throughout the year that you will get a nice refund. Depending on your contract, that may not be the case.
- Moving – Depending on the timing and terms of your contract, there could be complications and extra fees if you plan on moving.
- Complicated contracts – Make sure you read the contract very carefully and understand all the terms and conditions.
- No Savings – While budget billing will even out your monthly bills you will still end up paying the same rate for your energy use as you would have if you were not signed up for budget billing.
The only way to truly lower your utility bills would be by enrolling with a Registered Energy Supplier like Realgy Energy Services. Check out Realgy Energy Services rates for June 2012 and see how much you could be saving www.realgyenergyservices.com
Legos in space are generating electricity
NASA Astronaut Don Pettit has generated electricity using a Lego kit aboard the International Space Station.
He used Legos and some tinfoil he scavenged from the space station to build a functional Van der Graaf generator that produces 30,000 volts.
Check out the YouTube video Science off the Sphere:1.21 Legowatts to learn more about the Lego generator
Have you ever wondered just how that electricity got to your light bulb or microwave?
The electricity powering your light bulb is produced in a power plant by generators. Energy cannot be created or destroyed just changed from one form to another. Newly generated electricity is then transported over the power grid to your electrical outlet.
The United States has three power grids that keep the lower 48 states powered:
- The Eastern Interconnected System east of the Rocky Mountains
- The Western Interconnected System from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains
- Texas Interconnected System
These three separate systems are interconnected and require constant oversight to ensure that all the components are linked together. Since large quantities of electricity cannot be stored effectively or efficiently, electricity must be produced as it is used, this increases the need to watch over the grid. Control centers are utilized to monitor the supply and demand to safeguard against blackouts. To avoid blackouts there must always be a perfect balance between supply and demand.
From the control centers electricity is constantly monitored as it travels from the power plants to high-voltage power lines that transport electricity throughout the three grids. The higher the voltage the more efficiently they transport electricity. In other words the higher the voltage the more electricity will get to the end point. However, there will always be losses as electricity flows through the power grid.
From the high voltage power lines the electricity is “stepped-down” to lower voltage power lines, utility poles and wires before it can be safely used in your home or office.
Do you know how much you are paying for the electricity you use?
Why not reduce your electricity rate with Realgy Energy Services. Give one of our Energy Brokers a call (877) 300-6747 or check out our website for more info www.realgyenergyservices.com
Source:
BoingBoing, Where electricity comes from
US Energy Information Administration, Energy In Brief, What is the electrical power grid, and what are some challenges it faces?