Auto Dealerships Save Energy With LED Parking Garage Retrofits

Albuquerque, New Mexico. December 14, 2010—Qnuru™, the premier provider of energy-efficient digital lighting solutions, today announced that it has upgraded 70 1000-watt metal halide exterior lights at Nalley Lexus of Roswell, GA with its 144 watt Vector™ LED bulbs.  Installed in October 2010, Qnuru’s LED retrofit has reduced the dealership’s exterior-lighting expenses by 86.6% while increasing its lumen output by 19% compared to their metal halide predecessors.  Nalley Lexus of Roswell is part of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG; www.asburyauto.com), one of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S. 

“Auto dealers want to focus on satisfying customers, not worrying about burned-out light bulbs,” said George Karolis, vice president of corporate development and real estate at Asbury Automotive Group.  “I believe every automotive dealer confronts the same set of challenges with their lighting infrastructure—it consumes too much electricity, the bulbs burn out frequently and the quality of the light is poor given the amount of energy used.

Qnuru retrofitted Nalley Lexus of Roswell’s exterior pole-mounted parking lot lights with its 144 watt Vector Pecos bulb.  Designed to replace energy intensive 750-1000 watt high intensity discharge lamps, the Pecos bulb offers an even photometric footprint, daylight-quality light (CRI of 74.8) and instant on capabilities.  The Pecos bulbs are based on high bin Cree LEDS (Nasdaq: CREE) which have a rated life of 50,000 hours and come with Qnuru’s 5-year warranty, independent LM79 verification, and are ETL-Classified in the U.S. and Canada.

“Auto dealers are important business beacons within their communities,” said Rhonda Dibachi, President and CEO of Qnuru.  “Nalley Lexus of Roswell’s adoption of energy-efficient LED technology is a great illustration of leadership by example.  LED lighting solutions help businesses lower their carbon footprint as well as reduce their operating costs.  In a world filled with difficult tradeoffs, LED lighting is a rare win-win for both the environment and business owners.”

LED Lighting Increasingly Used for Film and Video Production

Illuminating Choices

By Christine Bunish

Republished from Markee 2.0 Magazine

New lighting fixtures continually come on the market offering shooters and lighting designers new creative options and greater efficiencies. But adding these revolutionary or evolutionary new products to their lighting kits doesn't mean discounting the instruments they've come to depend on job after job. A noted tabletop director, a leading advocate of HDSLR video, a distinguished underwater cinematographer and an in-demand lighting designer share the contents of their lighting kits today.

For tabletop commercial director Tom Ryan, with Dallas-based Directorz (www.directorz.net), there are no formulas for lighting food spots. "It's all about appetite appeal," he says. "I try to give every client I work with their own look."Ryan primarily shoots film, although he has switched to the Phantom camera for high-speed photography, and uses a tight-grain slow film stock that demands "a certain amount of wattage" from his lighting package. He typically uses Mole-Richardson tungsten 20K, 10K and 5K fixtures for interiors and HMIs for exteriors supplemented with focusable spot sources, lekos and dedo kits.

Ryan has experimented a bit with LEDs "but for the amount of light we use, they're not always practical," he points out. "The beauty of LEDs is that they don't take a lot of power, they don't put out a lot of heat and they're great on location."Ryan's tried-and-true lighting approach with conventional fixtures gives him a lot of latitude to create the different looks and moods his spot clients require.

In Taco Bell's "Cantina Tacos" with lime commercial, "conceptually the lime was a character and we wanted it to really pop," he explains. Ryan shot the tacos bursting with filling, their shiny aluminum foil and a drop of juice clinging to a luscious lime wedge, with a pair of ARRI 35mm cameras. The exterior patio was lit with HMIs; for "ultra-macro" shots of the food he blacked out daylight and went back to tungsten sources.

Ryan's stylish "Whole Meals" spot for Whole Foods was "influenced by old-school Irving Penn photos with clean white backgrounds," he notes. "The challenge was not to let the background overpower what I was shooting" — simple, fresh ingredients, white table linens, butcher paper and brown bags. "It would have been easy to wash out what the focal point of the pictures should be, and if you went too much the other way things would have become muddy and gray. So it was pretty critical to keep the balances consistent." Ryan took light-meter readings of the backgrounds and foregrounds and aimed for 2.5 stops difference; once that was established he kept the balance consistent across the board with his usual complement of tungsten fixtures.

He even kept the white-on-white place settings "in the same range as if they were ingredients" making "some creative decisions" as he went along about how much fill to add to separate the tone on tone.Taco Cabana's evocative spot showing Lenore Segura in her kitchen assembling the ingredients for a brisket taco features "Rembrandt-style" lighting that "lets the shadows go and the highlights be simple and single source," says Ryan. "Where there were shadows on her we let them go dark, but we softly illuminated the walls behind her so the highlights separate the shadow." Ryan initially lit the spot with overhead Kino Flo sources then "backed away and decided it needed a more painterly feel," and turned instead to his trusty tungstens. 

Slow liquid pours are part of a tabletop director's repertoire and Ryan's "Once a Day" spot for the Florida Department of Citrus showcases the appeal of a simple glass of orange juice against white limbo. Ryan shot the entire spot with a Phantom using a lighting scheme similar to what he would have used with a Photosonics high-speed film camera.

"It took a lot of light — 20Ks with dimmers," he recalls. "With the white background we needed twice as much light on the background as on the juice. When I'm shooting video I'd rather shoot it a bit wider aperture so you get a bit of fall off for a more filmic look." A broad source gave shape and highlights to the slow pours that wash up against the glass like waves in extreme close ups. Delicious!

To read the full; article please visit Markee 2.0 website

http://www.markeemag.com/article/detail.php?RecordID=160

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church Upgrades to LED Lighting in Retrofit Project

Redbird LED, an Atlanta, GA. firm that specializes in the design, manufacturing and distribution of energy efficient LED linear lighting, recently completed an energy efficient lighting retrofit project for Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church. Founded in 1966, Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church is located in the prestigious Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, Georgia. The church contacted Redbird LED to explore ways they could both reduce energy and facility maintenance costs and lower their environmental impact at the same time.

Redbird LED worked with Saint Patrick’s to design a retrofit program targeting the older less energy efficient lighting in the church sanctuary and religious offices. Older 40 watt fluorescent tubes were replaced with more energy efficient 18 watt LED linear lights and the 150 watt incandescent spot light lamps were replaced by Dim-able 18 watt LED par lights. These were designed to be a direct screw-in replacement with excellent compatibility to the installed lamp dimming system.

 The lighting retrofit will provide more than $5,000 per year in savings from the direct drop in electrical consumption, with additional savings from smaller air conditioning requirements due to the reduction in heat loads. Almost as important was the reduction in lighting maintenance time to replace the lamps. The LED lights have a lamp life of 50,000 hours eliminating the need for replacement for the next twelve years. This was very attractive because many of the lamps, such as those in the sanctuary, require scaffolding to service because they are more than 35 feet above the floor.

For more information please visit www.redbirdled.com

Value Energy Solutions Completes Gable Midtown Lighting Retrofit

Value Energy Solutions recently completed a parking garage lighting retrofit project for the Gables Midtown Apartments in Atlanta, GA. Value Energy Solutions is one of the largest lighting installation and lighting retrofit companies in the nation. For the past 30 years they have provided multifamily owners, developers and property managers with turnkey lighting solutions that exceed customer expectations and reduce lighting and energy costs. Gables Midtown  is one of the newest apartment communities in the Morningside/ Ansley Park neighborhood of Atlanta and offers residents numerous amenities including Earthcraft and Energy Star certified apartments.

Gables Midtown  management is proud of their focus on energy efficiency and water conservation features. When it was time to upgrade the energy efficiency of their parking garage lighting they contacted Value Energy Solutions. Value Energy Solutions thoroughly reviewed the existing parking garage lighting and the Gables Midtown  energy saving goals. Originally, the parking deck lighting was the less energy efficient 175 watt Metal Halide Lights. Value Energy Solutions recommended retrofitting the parking deck with 2-Lamp 54wHO (high output) Vapor Tight Fluorescent lights. Gables Residential selected a 46,000 hour (extended life) rated lamp to maximize their energy savings and reduce lighting maintenance costs.

The projected energy savings for the lighting retrofit project is an impressive 47% and the cost of the lighting upgrade will pay for itself in only 17 months. Originally, Gables Midtown  was considering using LED lights in the parking garage but Value Energy Solutions was able to offer a more cost efficient lighting retrofit program using new fluorescent lighting technology. Unlike many lighting companies that offer only one lighting product, Value Energy Solutions works with more than 250 lighting manufactures to provide their customers with the right solution at lower price point.

The Vapor Tite Reflector Series Linear Fluorescent fixtures offered by Value Energy Solutions utilizes T5 Lamping provides energy efficiency and displays equal or superior lumen output. VTR Luminary features include:

• Proven technology, refined to be more efficient than fluorescents of the past
• T5 Lamps—most energy efficient lighting technology in the fluorescent lighting industry for the cost.
• Surface mounted or may be suspended from ceiling
• Reflector series to maximize light disbursement
• Polycarbonate materials which means corrosion, flame and vandal resistant
• Ideal for parking structures, warehouses, breezeways, canopies and schools

About Value Energy Solutions- Value Energy Solutions is one of the largest energy efficient lighting retrofitting companies in the United States. Realizing the need for building owners, property managers and facility engineers to find ways to conserve energy and cut their operating costs, Value Energy Solutions provides improved energy efficient lighting products as replacements for existing higher wattage fixtures. Value Energy Solutions was launched as a new venture by owners Dean Nations and Alan Carlquist as an expansion of their existing company, Value Lighting, Inc., a premier lighting wholesaler and distributor of lighting products.

The Value Energy Solutions lighting retrofit programs are offered for all commercial building types including Parking Garages, Warehouse/Industrial Buildings, Hotels, Retail Chains, Apartments and Office Buildings. For information on Value Energy Solutions please call Chris Owens, Director of Sales at 770.874.2191. Value Energy Solutions is located at 1110 Allgood Industrial Court, Marietta, GA 30066. To request more information please call or email at info@valueenergysolutions.com.

About Gables Residential
With a mission of Taking Care of the Way People Live, Gables Residential has received national recognition for excellence in the management, development, acquisition and construction of luxury multi-family communities in high job growth markets. Gables Residential owns, develops and manages multi-family communities and mixed-use developments in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, South Florida, Southern California, and metropolitan Washington, D.C. Additionally, it has third-party management operations in the Chicago, New York, Boston, Phoenix, Central and North Florida, and Washington State markets. Gables Residential enjoys a healthy portfolio with approximately 38,000 apartment homes under management, including a corporate-owned portfolio of 63 stabilized communities comprising approximately 16,000 apartment homes. An additional 2 communities are under development/lease-up, comprising approximately 400 apartment homes. Gables also has the ability to develop another 4,000 apartment homes through its shadow pipeline of undeveloped land owned. For more information please visit www.gables.com.

Depaul University Completes Parking Garage LED Retrofit

DePaul University in Chicago expects to achieve energy savings of up to 60 percent with an LED Retrofit at their Sheffield parking garage. They replaced the 210-watt metal halide lights in the parking garage on its Lincoln Park campus with 90-watt LED lights. The new LED parking garage lights use less than half the energy of the previous lights, and will save the University thousands of dollars per year in energy and maintenance costs while providing more uniform light on the ground and increased visibility and campus safety.

In addition to using 60% less energy, the parking garage LED lights are designed to be maintenance-free, requiring no bulb replacements for approximately six years. LED lights are extremely durable and robust in challenging environments, such as high-traffic outdoor areas. The vast reduction in maintenance needs shortens the payback period, allowing DePaul to realize a quicker return on their investment in the energy-efficient lighting.

DePaul’s sustainability efforts on the operations side are led by Bob Janis, vice president for Facility Operations and task force member. His staff has overseen the completion of more than $5 million in energy-related projects in recent years, focusing mainly on lighting and heating/ventilation/air conditioning retrofits.

"DePaul's LED lighting program is one of many environmentally sustainable efforts the university has implemented across our campuses in recent years," said vice-president for faculty operations Bob Janis. "DePaul is committed to preserving resources for future generations and continuing a variety of eco-friendly initiatives that have garnered national recognition in recent years."

About 98 percent of all campus lighting fixtures use energy-efficient illumination, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, low-voltage LED lighting and automatic daylight shut-off. It’s estimated that DePaul will produce about 237,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide as it switches the 24/7 lighting in the Sheffield Parking Garage this year from conventional to LED lighting.

Redbird LED Completes Parking Garage Lighting Retrofit

Redbird LED, an Atlanta, GA. firm that specializes in the design, manufacturing and distribution of energy efficient LED linear lighting for parking garages and commercial buildings, has completed a parking garage LED lighting retrofit project for Buckhead Marketplace. Buckhead Marketplace shopping center is located near the center of the prestigious Buckhead residential and commercial district and is anchored Whole Foods. Buckhead Marketplace underground parking garage provides direct, secure and weather free access to the Whole Foods store.

The perimeter of Buckhead Marketplace parking garage is now brilliantly illuminated with the Redbird LED Vapor Tight Luminaries (40 watt). Redbird LED selected this product to enhance the lighting of parking spaces and walls along the periphery of the parking garage. The field adjustable illumination pattern allows the walls to be washed with light without any glare to pedestrians. The Vapor Tight Luminaries have a 50,000 hour lifetime, which reduces maintenance and energy costs for the shopping center owner. The Redbird LED parking garage LED lighting uses high efficacy linear light modules with controlled directional intensity which can be adjusted as needed on installation. The directionality of the Vapor Tight Luminaries was a key feature to provide the right lighting for the parking garage walls.

In addition to energy savings, LED lighting provides many advantages for parking garage owners. LED lights contain no harmful mercury so they do not need to be recycled; they operate much better in cold weather than fluorescent lamps and are more resistant to damage. “LED linear lights were a great solution for the Buckhead Marketplace project. The quality of the lighting has been enhanced and they will realize energy savings for many years” said Jonathan Eppstein, President of Redbird LED.

For more information on the Redbird LED Linear Lighting products please visit their website at www.redbirdled.com.or call 678.733.2473

Red Lobster Features Energy Efficient Lighting in San Antonio Store

Darden Restaurants, owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden banners among others, said Monday that its Red Lobster restaurant in Centerview, San Antonio, is one of the company’s first to receive sustainability recognition.
The restaurant was awarded Silver certification for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for New Construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 7,029-sq.-ft. restaurant, which opened in March, features a number of sustainable design elements, including recycled building materials, increased use of natural light, and energy-efficient lighting equipment and fixtures, including low-flow water nozzles in the kitchen and low-flow faucets in the restrooms, new LED parking lot light bulbs and low-wattage energy-efficient light bulbs, and heat recovery tanks that allow the capture of heat generated from the freezer/cooler compressors to aid in supplemental heating of hot water.

The effort is part of Darden Restaurant's Sustainable Restaurant Design initiative, which aims to reduce energy and water use in 1,800 restaurants by 15% by the year 2015.

Red Lobster, part of Darden Restaurants has nearly 700 locations across North America. Darden restaurant brands also include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880