There are some of reasons, as electricians, we recommend LED lighting over compact fluorescent bulbs (or CFL’s) for your business. The three main reasons we’ll discuss here are Light Quality, Cost Effectiveness, and Environmental Concerns.

Light Quality - LED lights to give off a whiter light than traditional compact fluorescent bulbs- resulting in less strain on your eyes when trying to read or focus. This is such a great benefit to reduce the strain your eyes already undergo during a day of staring at a computer monitor, spreadsheets or measurements. LED provides you with a clearer view of what you are looking at. Compact Fluorescent bulbs cast objects in a yellow glow, and light that is focused in one direction.

Cost Effectiveness - While the upfront purchase price of a LED light bulb is higher than that of traditional CFL’s, this cost pays for itself over the life of the LED bulb. According to one study done by the Environmental website Eartheasy [Source: http://www.eartheasy.com], a LED light would cost $95.95 to run for 50,000 hours while a CFL bulb would cost $159.75 to run for the same period and would have to be replaced about five times during the process. Recognizing these cost savings for your business could make a real dent in your bottom line!

Environmental Concerns - Lower your business’s carbon footprint with LED Lighting! CFL light bulbs contain mercury - a highly toxic metal that poses serious health risks, while LED lights contain no such toxic chemicals or metals. Studies performed by the United States Department of Energy and scientists from Carnegie Mellon both found that LED lights are as efficient to manufacture as CFL lights and LEDs will become even more efficient in the future. With a market that’s rewarding businesses for going green by offering incentives for energy saving methods, LED lighting could benefit your business in more ways than one!

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Regardless of the size of your Church’s building, strategic lighting is crucial to the execution of a successful worship service. Church LED lighting presents many unique challenges including vaulted ceiling heights come and unique architectural features with complex control systems. Thankfully, there are tried and true solutions that offer churches the opportunity to upgrade to LED light bulbs quickly and at a minimal cost.

LED light technology is riding a huge wave of popularity and marketing that will not be stopped and for a good reason. Their compact, power-saving capability offers your Church way more "bang for your buck" and solves a wide variety of problems. It won't be too long before everything with a light source is powered by LED.

LED lighting options increase your Church's sanctuary lighting capacity by up to 500% and help you realize a significant cost saving on your electric bill. Also, LED Church lighting requires a lot less maintenance than that of traditional bulbs with a bulb lifespan of 10 years, on average. Your congregation will enjoy less heat from your LED lighting than conventional lighting while using less wattage and less maintenance. LED lighting is also available in Recessed Can lighting. 

LED Church Lighting solutions include LED ellipsoidal fixtures for front lighting, LED PAR fixtures for top or back lighting, LED stage lighting for background or set lighting, stage lighting control technology and more.

Regardless of the size of your Church’s building, strategic lighting is crucial to the execution of a successful worship service. Church LED lighting presents many unique challenges including vaulted ceiling heights come and unique architectural features with complex control systems. Thankfully, there are tried and true solutions that offer churches the opportunity to upgrade to LED light bulbs quickly and at a minimal cost.

LED light technology is riding a huge wave of popularity and marketing that will not be stopped and for a good reason. Their compact, power-saving capability offers your Church way more "bang for your buck" and solves a wide variety of problems. It won't be too long before everything with a light source is powered by LED.

LED lighting options increase your Church's sanctuary lighting capacity by up to 500% and help you realize a significant cost saving on your electric bill. Also, LED Church lighting requires a lot less maintenance than that of traditional bulbs with a bulb lifespan of 10 years, on average. Your congregation will enjoy less heat from your LED lighting than conventional lighting while using less wattage and less maintenance. LED lighting is also available in Recessed Can lighting. 

LED Church Lighting solutions include LED ellipsoidal fixtures for front lighting, LED PAR fixtures for top or back lighting, LED stage lighting for background or set lighting, stage lighting control technology and more.

Crisp, organized, attractive decor and furnishings are essential elements in making customers feel welcome and comfortable in your business, but too often, the value of attractive, aesthetically pleasing, welcoming lighting has many benefits. Beyond energy savings, a more efficient, greener lighting control system can change everything.

When customers want to sit and stay awhile, get to know you, carry on conversations, remember your business and want to come back - lighting is almost always a factor.

A thoughtful lighting plan creates and encourages a pleasant and inviting atmosphere. It also generally enhances your customer's experience of spending time in your environment. Among other things, it leads to better employee productivity, helps reduce operating expenses, and makes for an all around better environment. All these factors add up to a more profitable business for you.

The right lighting in a retail establishment draws in a greater number of customers and helps keep those customers in the store for longer periods of time. Factors to keep in mind when creating a business lighting environment include choosing the right mood inducing colors and specific types of light sources to positively affect the appearance of products. Lighting factors go hand in hand with the right music to create an environment that appeals to people’s senses. In fact, some customers are so sensitive that the wrong lighting and music puts them in an instant rush to leave.

For example, overly harsh lighting makes certain items of clothing appear cheaply made, or accentuates minor flaws that would otherwise be of little concern to buyers. Consider how less appealing items of clothing in a gas station appear to you compared to items in a boutique or specialty store.  Beyond the “cheap factor” - your general environment scheme should include creative use of placement, include accent lighting, and make your establishment feel interesting and inviting to your customers.

Proper lighting conjures up most any effect you’re looking for to accentuate your products and appeal to the clientele you’re trying to draw. Proper lighting also benefits your employees (and your bottom line). Contact Victory Lights today and let us take your lighting to the next level.

The 2014 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to three Japanese scientists for the invention of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a technology that has touched society in innumerable ways and enabled technologies that Americans take for granted every day. 

Here are five ways LED lights are transforming the world as we know it:

1. White Light - Blue LEDs, in combination with red and green LEDs (which had been discovered previously), make it possible to produce white light. This kind of lighting is much more energy-efficient and has a longer life span than conventional incandescent lights.
2. Car Lights - LEDs used to be used only for daytime running lights, but now, many new cars have LED headlights for nighttime use
3. Energy Efficiency - About 1.2 billion people in the world don't have access to any form of electric lighting. But, combine a LED with a rechargeable battery and a solar cell, and people suddenly have to light off the grid anywhere. Sunlight charges the battery during the day, which powers the LED during the night. In addition to generating light, LEDs can incorporate sensors that detect when people are in a room, and switch off the lights when no one is there — a requirement for any smart home.
4. Digital Displays - In the electronics industry, LEDs provide backlighting for the liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in many smartphones, laptops, and televisions. The LEDs are more energy-efficient than the fluorescent lights that are sometimes used for backlighting, and allow for very thin displays. We all want an ever-larger TV screen, butorder to foot the power bill, large TVs must be extremely energy-efficient. LED TVs meet those requirements.
5. Clean and Green - The technology is starting to be used for water purification. Currently, purification plants use mercury lamps to kill any microbes in drinking water, but these lamps consume a lot of electricity. By contrast, LED light can purify water directly at the faucet, and turn on or off as needed — resulting in huge cost savings. Only a few companies are working on LED water purification right now, but in a few years, it will be everywhere. The rise of LED lighting came at a time when people were just starting to be concerned.

The EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local options for recycling CFLs, fluorescent bulbs and other bulbs that contain mercury, and all other household hazardous wastes, rather than disposing of them in regular household trash. There are various Federal regulations a bout recycling requirements for businesses that can be found here.

According to the EPA, recycling compact fluorescent lamps is important for several reasons, including: 

• Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment.  CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs often break when thrown into a dumpster, trash can or compactor, or when they end up in a landfill or incinerator. 
• Other materials in the bulbs get reused.  Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allow the reuse of the glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled.
• Your area may prohibit disposal and/or require recycling.  Some states and local jurisdictions have more stringent regulations than U.S. EPA does, and may require that you recycle CFLs and other mercury-containing light bulbs. Visit search.Earth911.com to contact your local waste collection agency, which can tell you if such a requirement exists in your state or locality.  

Visit search.Earth911.com to find collection schedules in your area or drop-off locations if curbside collections are not available. Note that waste collection agencies:

• Provide services that are usually free, though some may charge a small fee.
• Sometimes collect household hazardous wastes only once or twice a year, so residents will have to hold on to their light bulbs until the collection 

LED light bulbs are excellent for you and the environment. LED lamps are an alternative to regular light bulbs as they are cost efficient and has a lifespan that's is longer than the normal light bulb. Buying a LED is a great alternative for your Earth and your wallet. 

The acronym LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. LED light bulbs are small bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit. The light bulbs of a LED light also do not get hot due to the constant illumination of the electrons in the semiconductor material. LED is modified to have the correct form of light radiation. 

A known thing that LED lights do to work is called a "p-n junction." It is formed from a p-type semiconductor that contains positively charged carriers. The color of LED lights is affected by the substance that is made of the light bulb. 

If you are looking to have astonishing light colors along with saving a few bucks, then LED lighting is right up your alley. The world and your wallet will be thanking for using LED lighting. 

Please contact Victory Lights for more information on a complete LED upgrade for your North Carolina business and start saving money today! 

There are many unexpected ways to cut down expenses around your home and office, but is switching to LED lighting one of them? We think so.

Not only are LED lights significantly more cost effective than traditional CFLs, they also improve productivity through better light quality, reducing eye strain and providing you with a clearer view. In addition, there are government incentives to reducing your environmental impact and carbon footprint. CFL light bulbs contain mercury - a highly toxic metal that poses serious health risks, while LED lights contain no such toxic chemicals or metals. Studies performed by the United States Department of Energy and scientists from Carnegie Mellon both found that LED lights are as efficient to manufacture as CFL lights and LEDs will become even more efficient in the future. With a market that’s rewarding businesses for going green by offering incentives for energy saving methods, LED lighting could benefit your business in more ways than one!

While the upfront purchase price of an LED light bulb is higher than that of traditional CFLs, this cost pays for itself over the life of the LED bulb. According to one study done by the environmental website Eartheasy¹, an LED light would cost $95.95 to run for 50,000 hours while a CFL bulb would cost $159.75 to run for the same period and would have to be replaced about five times during the process. Recognizing this cost savings for your home and business could make a real dent in your bottom line!

Source¹

Between incentives offered by utility companies and government tax credits, commercial, industrial, medical and retail clients benefit greatly by switching to LED lights. Lighting is a primary consideration for all businesses. If your lighting is outdated, it costs you.

Why Use LED Lighting?

• Lower Cost to Operate. LEDs use less power (watts) per unit of light generated (lumens). They offer the same amount of light for a fraction of the usage.
• No Maintenance. LED lighting is almost maintenance free, and it stays that way for years.
• LEDs have a longer lifetime. They last thousands of hours longer.
• LEDs have less impact on the environment and our health. They emit less C02, have low infrared/ultraviolet radiation, are Restriction of Hazardous Materials compliant and do not contain mercury. They also don’t emit much heat, so they’re safer.
• LEDs turn on instantly without delay. LED’s don’t flicker and are more durable.
• LEDs offer greater cost savings. They use much less energy so the savings could be thousands of dollars a year. There are rebates and tax incentives offered for LED’s.

It’s a sharp business decision to switch to LED’s. Initial expenditures are offset by the numerous benefits and savings. Please contact Victory Lights today and start enjoying the benefits LED can provide you and your business!

There are a number of reasons, as electricians, we recommend LED lighting over compact fluorescent bulbs (or CFL’s) for your business. The three main reasons we’ll discuss here are: Light Quality, Cost Effectiveness, and Environmental Concerns.

Light Quality - LED lights give off a whiter light than traditional compact fluorescent bulbs- resulting in less strain to your eyes when trying to read or focus. This is such a great benefit to reduce the strain your eyes already undergo during a day of staring at a computer monitor, spreadsheets or measurements. LED provides you with a clearer view of what you are looking at. Compact Fluorescent bulbs cast objects in a yellow glow, and light that is focused in one direction.

Cost Effectiveness - While the upfront purchase price of an LED light bulb is higher than that of traditional CFL’s, this cost pays for itself over the life of the LED bulb. According to one study done by the environmental website Eartheasy [Source: http://www.eartheasy.com], an LED light would cost $95.95 to run for 50,000 hours while a CFL bulb would cost $159.75 to run for the same period and would have to be replaced about five times during the process. Recognizing this cost savings for your business could make a real dent in your bottom line!

Environmental Concerns - Lower your business’s carbon footprint with LED Lighting! CFL light bulbs contain mercury - a highly toxic metal that poses serious health risks, while LED lights contain no such toxic chemicals or metals. Studies performed by the United States Department of Energy and scientists from Carnegie Mellon both found that LED lights are as efficient to manufacture as CFL lights and LEDs will become even more efficient in the future. With a market that’s rewarding businesses for going green by offering incentives for energy saving methods, LED lighting could benefit your business in more ways than one!

source

Please visit our page on Retail LED Lighting for more information.

Please visit our page on Commercial LED Lighting for more information.

Please visit our page on Church LED Lighting for more information.

In this job profile you can see outdated fluorescent fixtures on the left. New Philips LED fixtures installed on the right. This reduced energy consumption by 60% along with much improved light quality.

Interested in Commercial LED Upgrades for your business? Give us a call today at (919) 264-2134 and we can help your business save money!

Broken CFL bulbs often cause immediate panic from exposure to the mercury contained in them and the possible adverse health effects. So how dangerous really is a broken CFL bulb?

According to Clean Air Expert John Roberts “Any level of mercury exposure carries potential health concerns, but due to the small amount of mercury and short duration of exposure, a broken CFL is not likely to present any significant risk to you or your family.”

"You're talking under 5 milligrams of mercury," he said. "That figure won’t mean much to people, so to put it in perspective: if you think about the mercury thermometers that I grew up with, it's less than 1 percent of the amount of mercury that was in one of those thermometers."

Although the average 4 milligrams of mercury per bulb is already a fairly small amount, some CFL manufacturers are reducing mercury content even further. The average mercury content in CFLs dropped at least 20 percent in recent years, and some manufacturers have reduced mercury to as little as 1.4 to 2.5 milligrams per light bulb.

Earth911.com offers the following tips for cleaning up a broken CFL Bulb:

1. Before Cleanup
   Have people and pets leave the room. Air out the room for five to ten minutes by opening a window or a door.
   Turn off the forced heating and air system in the room if you have one.
   Use stiff paper or cardboard, sticky tape, damp paper towels or wet wipes (for hard surfaces) or a resealable plastic bag
2. During Cleanup
   Do Not Vacuum - Vacuuming is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken, as doing so may spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor.
   Thoroughly scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
   Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag.
   Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.
3. After Cleanup
   Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including any vacuum cleaner bags used, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
   If weather and other conditions allow, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating and air conditioning system shut off for several hours (a study conducted by the journal Science of The Total Environment found that the critical exposure period passes after four hours).

Have any other questions about the benefits of LED over all other types of lighting? Contact Victory Lights and we can help you out!