Tag Archives: energy efficient lighting

The Critical Step in Making the Business Case for Commercial Solar

It can be intimidating to begin the process of convincing the decision-makers at your business that it’s time to add solar power. However, as someone who’s gone through the process, I can tell you that if you’re successful, the end results are well worth it!   So, how do you begin? That’s a good question with a long answer. I’ve noticed that several websites, such as Triple Pundit and Green Impact, have recently published summaries of a new white paper that covers five steps to take in order to make your case for solar. The free white paper, created by Alta Energy, is called “Making the Business Case … [More]

Bright Idea: Better Light with Less Energy Usage

  Saving energy is always a smart concept, but when you can do it and have better lighting in the process, that’s a bright idea! I recently told you about the energy-efficiency lighting improvements on the exterior of retrofitted properties, so now it’s time to take a look inside at some bright lighting solutions implemented at Extra Space Storage.   Transitioning to Brighter, More Efficient Lights Most of our lighting output takes place in hallways, so it’s important to get that right. During retrofits, we replace the T12 magnetic ballast lights in hallways with T8 lights, which operate with an electronic ballast. The change is significant – we’re … [More]

Daylight Harvesting – Better for the Environment, Better for You!

  Recently the New York Times reported a compelling fact: “Enough sunlight falls every hour to meet the entire world’s energy needs for one year.” That is a lot of essentially free energy  that’s being wasted! This presents an opportunity to find ways to use the sun and its energy to decrease our impact on the earth’s natural resources. One way of doing this is using the sun to naturally light our homes and work spaces. Research and studies have proven there are many benefits of daylight. These benefits include: Energy conservation Increased productivity Lifting of spirits Spaces appear larger Improved concentration Quickened learning speed At Extra Space … [More]

Brightening Our Exterior and Saving Energy with LED

    It may be true that it’s what’s on the inside that matters, but with lighting, what’s on the outside is important too. I’m very pleased with the lighting improvements we’ve completed at Extra Space Storage. Not only have we made our lighting more energy efficient in hallways, storage units and other interior areas, we’ve also tackled exterior lighting. When you approach our retrofitted Extra Space Storage facilities, you may not notice the energy savings that’s quietly taking place, but our exterior LED lighting is saving us money and reducing our energy consumption, which benefits the environment.   Kicking out the Energy Hogs Our exterior lights are … [More]

Saving Energy: De-lamping, Because it’s Brighter than You Think

  I’m a believer in taking only as much as you need. Why pile your plate full of carrots and celery at the salad bar if you aren’t going to eat it all? I suppose we end up with spare veggies because of good intentions. The same can be said of lighting.  For safety, it’s important to have a properly lit environment, but sometimes we all go a bit overboard and install more lighting than is actually needed. That’s where de-lamping comes in. It’s all about achieving long-term energy savings by getting rid of unnecessary lights without compromising safety.   What is De-lamping? While it may sound like a strange … [More]