While displaying food products, LED lighting creates an impactful atmosphere for an inspiring shopping experience. According to a study, people remember the color of fresh products as being more saturated than they really are. And when it comes to actually choosing a product, consumer preferences go even further – they want a color that’s even more saturated than what they remember. The right lighting recipe can optimize presentation and enhance sales (source). This is where LED lighting comes into play as it not only provides a difference in the quality of lighting of the food; but more importantly, helps reduce and minimize waste.

Reducing Food Waste

According to Phillips Lighting, poor lighting affects the quality of the fresh produce. The right lighting recipe helps keep food fresh longer, which means a longer shelf life and less food waste. On their website, Phillips provides recipes that LED lighting helps with reducing food waste – one example is cheese. When using LED lighting, cheese experiences a limited liquid oxidation, which creates the perfect fresh, rich and flavourful presentation. In this case, cheese is better preserved and is displayed in an aesthetically pleasing way. For more recipes, visit Philips Lighting.

If you’re looking to reduce waste at home, consider purchasing LED refrigerators as they will have the same effect on your food as they would in store.

Presentation

Studies have shown that lighting effects human perception and can positively or negatively effect sales in a retail environment. As Steon explains, of the senses we have at our disposal, sight is what we predominantly use to perceive quality and freshness. In today’s market, the anchor for supermarket chains and independent greengrocers alike is the freshness of their produce. This is why it is crucial to have food lighting displays illuminated in light with characteristics that are best suited to their coloration.

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Case Study:

Check out Samsung’s roll out of COB LEDs with enhanced color and white rendering.  Samsung has 3 new LEDs that can make clothing, meat and vegetables look more desirable to shoppers; this could be extremely beneficial to your industry. Check out the difference in look for a customer viewing a product under conventional lights and LEDs.

The choices you make when choosing the type of lighting in your home or commercial space can have a direct impact on your health. When choosing LED lighting, you are choosing an option that comes with various health benefits.

BENEFIT 1: Non-Toxic: No UV Radiation or Mercury

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An extremely safe aspect of LEDs are that they do not produce UV radiation which has been linked to some cases of cancer, eye strain, premature aging, headaches, signs of sun damage such as liver spots and more. This means that it is safe to use LED lighting in close proximity, such as on your desktop. Did you know that fluorescent bulbs are especially known for emitting UV radiation? LED lighting lessons your risk of any health implications linked to UV radiation.  

Also, LED lighting does not emit any mercury; this ensures the product is safe for us to handle, manage and dispose of; this also means that they are much safer and sustainable for the environment. Fact: Fluorescent lights are filled with a gas containing low pressure mercury vapor and argon, or sometimes even krypton. When these fluorescent bulbs are thrown into landfill, the mercury can escape and contribute to air and water pollution.

BENEFIT 2: Color Consistency & Flickering

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Unlike traditional bulbs that easily burn out and constantly flicker, LED bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours and do not flicker. Without the flickering effect, LED lighting is capable of reducing or eliminating headaches. Symptoms of glare and eye strain are closely tied to headaches, which are caused by the flickering of lights. source

Also, flickering caused by traditional light bulbs is extremely dangerous for workers that operate heavy or sensitive machinery (source). Take Ontario owned construction company, Lind Equipment, which has made the switch to LED lighting on job sites. Lind Equipment found that they are not only saving money; but are also contributing to the global need for running operations in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. The employees at Lind are kept safe with consistent color in a dangerous space. Read more: https://lededmonton.com/blog/

BENEFIT 3: No Heat

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LED light fixtures stay relatively cool when turned on for long periods of time. According to Elemental LED, fluorescent lamps can reach 82 degrees celsius, causing safety issues such as touching hot bulbs and creating hotspots or unsanitary conditions in places like delis or grocery stores where raw meat is stored. Read more: Element Led

BENEFIT 4: Better Sleep

Did you know that LED lighting can be manipulated to emit warmer colors of light? According to Light Corp, this stimulates the production of melatonin in the body, helping a person fall asleep easier and quicker. Also, the transitions that lighting produces from cool to warm light will help normalize the body’s natural circadian rhythm; helping to determine our sleep patterns.

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BENEFIT 5: More Energy & Better Mood

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According to Light Corp, LED light color temperature can be controlled to successfully mimic the blue wavelengths of daylight, which increases energy, mood and vitality from continued exposure throughout the day. Read more: Light Corp

We are following an emerging global trend of companies who are switching over to smart offices through LED lighting, such as sensor equipped lighting, smart flooring solutions and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Making the switch to smart buildings are allowing companies to save money and encouraging them to facilitate their operations in efficient and sustainable ways – a global trend we are due for.

Sensored Lighting in Offices

When an office or workspace is considered a “green business,” it refers, for instance, to new LED installations in the building. An example of LED installations could include sensor equipped lighting; sensor-equipped lighting is an indoor motion detecting device used to detect the presence of a person to automatically control lights, temperature or ventilation systems. In its Manhattan headquarters, the publishing giant The New York Times recently installed smart sensored lighting. As explained by Lexology,  the original office was designed to use 1.28 watts of lighting power per sq. ft. After introducing the energy saving LED lighting system, the company received a 70% saving in energy use! This case study proves that by switching over to a smart office and participating in “green business,” The New York Times heavily benefited from reduced energy use and cost.

Further to this, the U.S. telecommunications company AT&T is currently testing out the benefits of new lighting management via LED smart systems. It’s reported that the company replaced 240 properties with energy saving LED lighting; this included smart sensor systems, monitoring occupancy, light levels, temperature and energy usage. As Lexology states, it has saved At&T approximately $8 million USD per year in lighting costs.

Productivity Boosts in Offices Due to LED Lighting

Philips has installed a system of LED lights in their office in Prague that are designed to support workers’ circadian rhythms throughout the day; often referred to as the “body clock,” the circadian rhythm is a cycle that tells our bodies when to sleep, rise and eat – regulating many physiological processes. source

The lights, installed in the refurbished Czech Republic headquarters of energy company Innogy could provide the same energy hit as drinking a cup of coffee, claim the designers. “We’ve taken our knowledge of how light physiologically benefits people from successful projects in hospitals and schools and applied it to the offices space,” said Jiří Tourek, country manager at Philips Lighting.

If you would like to read more about the LED smart systems in this Prague office building, check it out here: Human-Centric Lighting

Case Study: LED Lights on Construction Job Sites

According to a case study by News Wire and Ontario owned construction company Lind Equipment, the company has made the switch to LED lighting on job sites. Lind Equipment found that they are not only saving money; but are also contributing to the global need for running operations in an efficient and sustainable way. Brian Astl, President of Lind Equipment explains, “we are excited to be contributing to the energy savings in the construction industry. With LED job site lights, the energy savings alone can pay back the cost of the lights on the first project they are used on.”

Lind Equipment states that the LED job site construction lighting was used for a 600K sq. ft, 27 story office building. The company concluded that the CO2 emissions were reduced by almost 7,800 metric tons; this is the equivalent to removing 1,630 cars off the road! Source

Furthermore, as reported by News Wire, “having tracked in real time the energy savings of their clients’ projects, Lind Equipment state-of-the-art LED job site lighting solutions have just reached one hundred million kWh of energy savings. This is the equivalent to removing 16,000 cars off the road for 1 year, or powering 11,000 homes on an annual basis.”

Next Steps: Use Energy Audits to Turn Your Business Green

While it’s true that LED products have higher initial costs than conventional lights, over their working lives LEDs offer dramatic savings by greatly reducing electricity consumption, lamp replacement costs and maintenance costs. Our qualified LED consultants evaluate the energy consumption and maintenance costs of your current lighting configuration and will prepare a comprehensive energy analysis to go over with you:

• The time needed to recoup your investment in LED products (including the cost of installation);
• The cost of waiting to upgrade to LED (unrealized savings);
• Your project’s internal rate of return.

Contact our sister company, Smart Energy Alternates, today to eliminate the guesswork and learn how switching to LED lighting solutions is good for the environment, good for business and great for your bottom line! Smart Energy Alternates Contact

At LED Edmonton, we are passionate about taking care of our planet as we all have a responsibility to do so. To ensure we are cautious about taking care of our environment, we want to share with you the reasons as to why LED lighting is beneficial for our environment, our pockets and our health:

Energy Efficiency:

Did you know that 95% of the energy in LEDs is converted into light, and only 5% is wasted as heat? (source) The way this happens is that through LED lighting, directional lighting capability reduces wasted light and energy; unlike conventional bulbs which emit light and heat in all directions. (source)

Justin Havre explains that homeowners can light their homes for less money by swapping out traditional light bulbs for energy-efficient lighting such as LED bulbs. On top of using less energy, they also last longer than a traditional bulb. LED light bulbs incorporate recent lighting standards, and when used as suggested, can save homeowners considerable amounts every year. LED bulbs can replace 40W, 60W and 75W incandescent bulbs.

In addition to choosing LED lighting, homeowners can use lighting controls and dimmers to save on electricity. Select products compatible with the LED bulbs and turn off lights when a room will not be used. Check out more of Justin’s blog here: 7 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at Home

Non-Toxic Elements

LED lighting does not virtually provide  non-toxic elements as conventional light bulbs do. Excessive heat and ultraviolet radiation (UV) presents a burn hazard to people and materials. LEDs emit virtually no IR or UV.

We often find ourselves spending our working days in offices or commercial buildings that use fluorescent strip lights; these lights contain noxious chemicals such as mercury. Chemicals like mercury contaminate the environment when they are disposed of in landfill sites. LEDs not only decrease the cost in specific waste management; but they help protect the environment from toxic waste. (Source)

Lifespan

Fact – longer lifespan means lower carbon emissions, making LED lighting better for the environment and your pockets. (Source) It’s proven that LEDs last about 6 times longer than conventional light bulbs, reducing the need to replace them often. When rapid cycling occurs (constantly turning your light switch off and on), LEDs are not affected as traditional light sources are.

Innovative:

LED lighting is pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo of traditional lighting. This ever changing product is revolutionizing the way we see, what we spend and how we take care of our planet.

→ Innovation News Story:

We often look for the ways LED lighting is innovating. We found an interesting article that explains Samsung’s roll out of COB LEDs with enhanced colour and white rendering.  Samsung has 3 new LEDs that can make clothing, meat and vegetables look more desirable to shoppers; this could be extremely beneficial to your industry. Check out the difference in look for a customer viewing a product under conventional lights and LEDs:

LED Edmonton would like to showcase how these holiday projects are using LED lighting to make the season bright! While using LED lighting solutions, these projects are saving energy, and thus, saving money. 

Edmonton – The Alberta Legislature

The Alberta Legislature has decked out the grounds with LED lighting solutions in the spirit of making the season bright! Facilities Manager for the Legislature grounds Loretta Bieneck explains, “this year we have a 64 foot white spruce that was selected by the Alberta Forestry Department, and my fabulous team will have 180,000 LED lights lighting the grounds every night until the end of January.”

Whether you are interested in learning more about this iconic landmark, looking for a fabulous gift for your home or someone on your list, or simply want to be enveloped by the festive season, make sure to take a trip to the Alberta Legislature this holiday season. For more information about the lighting project, visit the Edmonton Journal.

New York – Rockefeller Christmas Tree

On November 29th 2017, New York lit its annual Rockefeller Christmas tree. This year, the tree was decorated with LED lights, which is saving the city an outstanding amount of energy and money. Mayor Bill de Blasio flipped the switch at 8:55 p.m., illuminating the 75 foot tall, 12 plus ton Norway spruce decorated with 50,000 multicolored LED lights – yes, you read that correctly, 50,000 LED lights!

Samantha Fettner, a 33 year old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who flew into NYC to view the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting explains, “I definitely think it’s going to get the Christmas spirit going!”

Read more about the Rockefeller Christmas tree here.

Chicago – Hancock Skyscraper

The Hancock skyscraper in Chicago had a LED updo just in time for the holiday season! As read on LEDs Magazine, the SSL building crown lighting allows the owners of the John Hancock Center to dynamically change the iconic lighting to celebrate holidays, changes of the season or Chicago’s popular sports teams.

“The new LED lighting replaced a legacy Crown of Lights that surround the building on the 99th floor and that can be seen from 360° for miles. The new solid state lighting (SSL) system is controlled via DMX by an engineer sitting in a comfy office on the 16th floor of the skyscraper.” To view a video of the skyscraper, click here.

We hope your holiday season is as bright as these LED lighting projects! If you would like to join in on all the LED lighting fun, visit our website LED Edmonton to order online, or visit our sister site and contact us for more information: Smart Energy Alternates Website!

Although LED products have a higher initial cost than conventional lights, we can’t disregard the dramatic savings LED products offer in the long run! Over their working lives, LED products offer various advantages, such as reducing electricity consumption, replacing lamp costs and lowering maintenance costs.

Did you know? Regular fluorescent lights use twice as much power as LED tubes to produce half the light. They are 2.5 times brighter than most fluorescents – purchasing 2 tubes for a 4 tube fixture is often enough. If you drive around at night and see all of the lights left on, you can begin to imagine the potential savings in power!

In Canada particularly, we are working hard towards a future of better energy consumption – which begins with LED products. To give you an idea of how widespread these initiatives are becoming, discover the larger cities in Western Canada that have made the switch to LED lighting. The cities listed below have adopted LED lighting for its incredible advantages, and you should too!

Vancouver, British Columbia

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Fact: Vancouver was one of the first cities to adopt LED lighting for its energy efficiency!

In an effort to become Canada’s greenest city, Vancouver has LED test installations and prototypes in place to evaluate solar powered LED lighting, streetlights and other LED lighting products used for artistic effects. In regards to Vancouver’s new LED streetlights, Rhys Williams (who manages the streets and electrical design for the City of Vancouver) reports that “LED lights are 40 per cent more efficient” and that the City of Vancouver expects these lights to last longer. Williams also reported that Vancouver’s green energy plan includes a large scale replacement plan for lights (for the meantime, lights are being replaced on an as-needed basis.) Source

Calgary, Alberta

Fact: Calgary’s transition to LED lights can be seen from the International Space Station! Check it Out Here

Similar to Vancouver, Calgary is always on the hunt for new ways to reduce electricity consumption and to provide quality lighting on city roadways and sidewalks. In order to achieve these goals, Calgary has implemented LED street lighting. According to the City of Calgary, although LED lighting is roughly the same cost as the older standard high pressure sodium lights, it offers longer term benefits. LED street lighting longer term benefits include:

• Reduces electricity consumption
• Objects appear clearer and more defined due to better quality
• The amount of spilled or wasted light is reduced as lighting is focused on roads and sidewalks, which are most useful to us

As stated by the City of Calgary, based on an assessment of available technologies, LED (light emitting diode) lighting has been identified as the best fit option for Calgary’s roads. Council has approved a city wide retrofit of 80,000 streetlights in the summer 2017. Source

Edmonton, Alberta

Fact: Edmonton initiated a LED street lighting Project to change the city’s efficiency potential. Check out the areas where LED street lighting has been implemented in Edmonton: Map

Edmonton’s LED street lighting pilot project was created to test and temporarily install energy efficient fixtures at various locations across the city. Test areas consist of five LED fixtures from several different manufacturers. Source

Like the City of Calgary, the City of Edmonton has also created a list of LED lighting advantages in opposition to the high pressure sodium fixtures currently in use: Source

• Energy efficient providing energy savings
• Longevity and decreased energy consumption offer significant maintenance savings
• Control of light dispersion spreads light out evenly and reduces light pollution and light trespass
• Reduces CO2 emissions

The replacement of existing high pressure sodium street lights with LED lighting began in residential areas in 2011. The City of Edmonton has created a neighbourhood rehabilitation program to ensure all street light systems are replaced with LED fixtures (this includes bases and underground cabling.) Edmonton also created a neighbourhood LED retrofit program, which targets neighbourhoods with poor pole conditions and old luminaries (in this case, the pole conditions and old luminaries will be replaced.) As we can see, Edmonton as a city is on its way towards an entire LED lighting system.

Lethbridge, Alberta

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Fact: In 2015, the the City of Lethbridge completed its park lighting replacement that increased safety in the evening hours.

The parks and pathway systems include approximately 670 lights which now provide longer periods of safe public use into the evening hours. In this case, we can recognize a safety advantage that LED lighting offers.

The City of Lethbridge completed two other LED projects as well! In 2013, 4,500 LED fixtures were implemented in the downtown core. In 2014, a project was completed to replace luminaries in the north and west with LED fixtures.This project was completed in the spring of 2014 when more than 11,000 fixtures were replaced. Source

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

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Fact: You can use an interactive map to locate a streetlight outage in Saskatoon.  Click here

According to the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Light & Power is installing LED lighting in new areas of the city. The fixtures use approximately 60% less energy than high pressure sodium fixtures and significantly reduce the amount of light shining onto private property. A color temperature of 4100K has been selected for the LED fixtures. Read More

As we have discovered, cities are constantly making the change to LED technology to reduce energy consumption and costs. It is now time for our homes and businesses to follow suit and make the switch to LED lighting. In doing so, we will be able to utilize the benefits LED technology offers, while investing in our future and promoting sustainability.

Hesitant to spend the extra money to make the switch to LED bulbs? We’ve compiled a list of the top reasons people now use LED over conventional bulbs:

1. Proven to have 75% in energy savings.
2. The white light is a much nicer light on the eyes and even helps vision. If you normally use reading glasses, under white light it is very likely you won’t need them anymore.
3. The long lifespan of the LED bulbs saves you money.
4. Good for your health – they do not contain chemicals or anything harmful.
5. LED bulbs do not produce a lot of heat, providing savings in the summer on air conditioning.
6. The cold weather conditions will not affect the bulbs, making them great for outdoor shops.
7. The bright 6500k is a full spectrum light, making it great for growing plants.
8. The fluorescent bulb replacements are 2.5 times brighter than most fluorescents (2 tubes for a 4 tube fixture would be enough.)
9. The bulbs are low wattage which makes it easier to live off the grid.
10. Good for the environment, ensuring less waste.
11. Variety of options and color temperatures.
12. With their sleek modern style, these bulbs will enhance your home decor.
13. Once carbon tax kicks in, the benefits of going LED will be even greater.
14. Alberta offers rebate programs to those using LED bulbs.
15. LED technology is the way of the future.

As you can see from this list, switching over to LED bulbs is a no brainer! You will save money in the long run, improve your health and reduce the amount of energy consumed, thus reducing your carbon footprint. If you still aren’t convinced, contact us or visit us at any of our locations in Edmonton, Regina and Saskatoon.