PEMBA Lighting, Electrical and
Automation
Energy
Efficiency
104 P
Street
Belle Chasse , Louisiana 70037
504-393-6441
e-mail us
pemba@pembaserv.com
links to some energy efficient lighting lines
Various Light fixtures
and the light bulbs, or lamps as we refer to them, vary in their efficiency to
produce light. When selecting a light
fixture or lamp you should consider the following:
·
For recessed fixtures Select an I.C.(insulated ceiling)
rated housing to allow you to insulate right up to and above
the fixture. If you select a non-I.C.
rated fixture the insulation will need to be a minimum of 3” away from the
fixture. Note: this distance is
generally for recessed fixtures with incandescent and fluorescent lamps. (Check manufacturer specifications for the
more commercial type fixtures and lamps.)
It is important to realize that if you select non-I.C. recessed light fixtures
that your energy bill to cool and heat your house will be higher.
·
Select recessed fixtures which are considered “air tight” or
install gaskets or use calk to eliminate the
transfer of air between the conditioned and non conditioned space in the attic
or between floors.
·
Does it cost more to buy I.C recessed fixtures? NO. Most manufacturers
sell the I.C. rated housings for the same as one which is non I.C. The cost of recessed fixtures varies for
other quality reasons, not because they are rated for insulated ceilings.
·
Does it cost more to buy air tight fixtures? Yes it does, but the cost varies along with
the variation of air tightness that is
built into the fixture. Most
manufacturers aim for the goal of meeting the Washington State
·
Incandescent lamps are very inefficient in
their use of energy to produce light.
These lamps produce a good bit of heat which also causes you to use more
cooling energy in the summer months.
·
Parabolic or PAR lamps are a more efficient type incandescent lamp
over the standard A-lamp (standard grocery store model) because the lamp
includes a parabolic reflector to increase the light output. Therefore the energy to lumen output
efficiency is increased.
·
Flourescent lamps are 3 times as efficient as incandescent
lamps. Fluorescent lamps are made in all shapes and
sizes to be used as an alternative to the incandescent lamp. The drawback is the cost. A fluorescent lamp requires a ballast to
operate. This increases the cost of a
recessed fixture. Also, the cost of the
lamps themselves are about 10 times as costly as an incandescent. They do, however, last much longer.
·
LED lamps and fixtures
which produce almost as much light as incandescent lamps have now become
available in several styles. The two
largest benefits of LED lighting for energy efficiency is 1) much less wattage
than incandescent lamps and 2) a lot less heat.
Therefore you not only save energy to light the space but your cooling
bill is reduced. For someone living in
a very cold climate this could be a disadvantage but for most of us it is truly
an advantage. Additional benefits of LED
lighting is no ultraviolet. and much less maintenance. So using LED fixtures around artwork or in
high ceilings has multiple advantages.
Prices are still higher for LED lighting but the costs have started to
come down. Not all LED lamps or
fixtures can be dimmed and they don’t all dim with the same success. Lutron has begun evaluating LED products for
compatibility and they provide good feedback on the dimming effects you will
see. Click
here to go to the Lutron chart.
·
Even though they are terribly
inefficient, in some situations conventional incandescents are still an acceptable
choice. Where you have more illumination than you need but few hours of
operation, or other conditions that would rule out a compact fluorescent, you
may be able to substitute lower wattage
incandescent lamps.
·
For outside or commercial applications, HID, fluorescent or
LED lamp types are necessary.
See the chart below for a comparison of lamp efficiencies
. 
LED lighting is still maturing and the newer LED lights are reaching between 35 and 60 lumens per watt
Over time the light output of a lamp
decreases. See these Lamp Life charts.
While most lighting manufacturers have LED and
compact fluorescent fixtures, below are links to some of the energy efficient
lines.
www.junolightinggroup.com Juno has
a the most efficient recessed LED fixture I'm seeing right now- recessed LED fixtures with approximately 1100
lumens of light. The Danalite
undercabinet lights are some of the smallest in the industry.
http://progresslighting.com/products.aspx?Special=Estar (link to Progress Lighting energy star fixtures)
http://www.kichler.com/consumer/help_page?nav_reset=true (on the right they can select LEEDS or LED lighting, on the bottom they can select to learn about lighting--they have decorative energy efficient and LED as well as some nice LED undercabinet lights)
http://www.waclighting.com/USA/ (WAC lighting has several LED fixture options--just look at 1st page and then navigate around)
http://www.americanlighting.com/ have them go to Products and under the sections of cabinet or architectural lighting and they will see options
http://www.brucklighting.com/ (high end but all either LED or compact fluorescent)
http://www.bulbrite.com/products.php light bulbs--if you want to use a fixture that uses standard lamps--find an energy efficient bulb (lamp) to use instead to make the fixture energy efficient.
http://www.cree.com/ LED recessed and light bulbs- Cree is widely recognized as a leader in the LED chip industry
http://www.stoncolighting.com/ Outdoor lighting—has a complete LED
street light with solar panel so there is no need to run electricity
PEMBA INC considers
energy efficiency a major part of lighting design. Call us to develop your lighting plan.
504.394.4132, Fax 504.394.6922
e-mail us pemba@pembaserv.com