The Future of LED Lighting

LED's are on the verge of reaching nearly every technological sector of your daily life.  From remote control key chains to household lighting to even industrial warehouse applications, this young technology is quickly gaining a foothold and looking to become the standard of lighting for years to come.  Before it became mainstream, LED lighting was used in niche applications.  With technology growing at such a rapid rate, it gave LED technology a chance to become involved with recent technological advances, like video displays on GPS and handheld devices.
 
While LED lighting prices remain high, their energy-efficient qualities combined with the phasing out of incandescent bulbs are combining to give this technology a platform on which to prove itself.  Prices, however, are expected to steadily decline in the next few years.  LED's are semiconductors, and since they are solid-state technology, they follow a fairly predictable curve as far as affordability and technological advancement go. 

A Hewlett-Packard semiconductor researcher estimated that light quality in LED's would increase by a factor of 20 per decade, while the cost would inversely drop by a factor of 10.  LightFair, an annual international architectural and commercial trade show, has seen its displays of LED lights rise of the last few years, reflecting this LED curve.  The industry as a whole is depending on LED's to supplant incandescent and fluorescent technology.  Even the government is joining the mindset of business enterprise. 

Just last year, the Department of Energy announced over $30 million in grants for solid state lighting research.  This grant money will go towards research and manufacturing of current LED's, in addition to new LED based technology.  Government estimates show that widespread LED use could cut U.S. electricity costs for lighting by up to a third by 2030.  This includes using LED's for traffic signals and flashlights and throughout civic centers and sports arenas.
 
New Tek Partners provides the latest in LED technology for private and commercial use.  With the increase in demand of LED products, New Tek Partners has an expanded line which features screw-in bulbs, wall packs, floor lights, and street lights.  As LED technology continues to follow the curve, New Tek Partners will be there to guide the way and inform you of the latest LED upgrades.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

Indoor Gardening with LED Lights

Do you have a green thumb, yet can’t find the time to get outdoors?  Do you live in a place where the whether isn’t conducive to gardening?  LED lighting is everywhere these days and it was only a matter of time until alternative applications were found for this up and coming technology.  Gardeners are now hopping on the trend by using LED lighting to grow and maintain indoor plants.  It’s the perfect application for those who like to maintain a small spice or vegetable garden or even for those who garden on a bigger scale. 

Like incandescent bulbs you use in your home, traditional indoor growing lamps burn out periodically and can get really hot; i.e., they are highly inefficient.  Gardening is a skill that requires the use of reliable tools, and lighting is no exception.  LED lights are a reliable solution that can last up to 50,000 hours, are cool to the touch and are recyclable.  These lights are perfect for indoor growing applications because they can remain close to the plants without overheating the soil or stunting a plants’ growth.

The low voltage operation of LED lights also reduces the risk of accidental fires or electric shocks in wet environments.  You can even customize your lighting configuration, so you don’t have to use light reflectors.  LED lights come in small and maneuverable sizes, so you can install them anywhere you want – in corners, above or below a plant, or you could eve use multiple lights circling the plant, which is beneficial for long or cascading plants.  Some plants you grow might require different colors of lighting.  LED lights, such as those provided by New Tek Partners, come in a variety of colors best suited for your indoor plants’ needs.  These lighting solutions provide targeted light, which is not only softer on the human eye, but also the best light for indoor growing needs.
 
Whether you want to use a simple screw-in bulb to maintain a small hobby spice rack or bigger flood lights and tube lights, New Tek Partners has a variety of LED solutions in all shapes, sizes and lumen efficiencies to equip your gardening layout.  New Tek Partners lighting solutions are flexible to fit your growing needs; whether you need color lights, small maneuverable lights, or tube lighting to keep rows of plants growing.  Next time you decide to garden, think of how LED lighting can benefit your growing plan all year round.

Lighting Your Food With LED Lighting

Have you ever walked through a grocery store and noticed the lighting?  Next time you’re there take a closer look at the fruit, vegetable and fresh meat displays.  I’m willing to bet that you’ll notice how appetizing these foods look, and for good reason; grocers have long known that proper lighting can cause those shiny drops of dew and ice to dazzle under the lights, adding a “fresh” look to the food.  Not only can lighting turn common food items into crowned jewels, it can also help with operating costs.

Since LED lighting is known for its bright white light, in contrast to the yellow glare of incandescent and fluorescent lighting, it makes them an ideal candidate for grocery stores and markets everywhere.  Additionally, LED lighting has been proven to use a fraction of the energy of incandescent and fluorescent lighting.

An industry that relies so much on keeping its products fresh, cannot afford to have bad lighting solutions in place.  For example, more than 35 percent of energy use is on refrigeration, with the greatest usage occurring in display cases, freezers, coolers, and beverage dispensers.  If a store used fluorescent lighting in one of these areas, they would experience a large waste of energy due to fluorescent lighting putting off heat equaling a 25-50% increase in energy consumed.  Replacing this lighting with more cost effective LED lights can drastically decrease energy consumption.

LED lighting can also have industrial applications for food packaging and processing plants.  These warehouse areas are typically well-lit with rows of heavy duty tube lamps.  Lighting such a large space with these types of lights is a huge drain on energy and LED lighting can only help to lessen that burden.  There is also a new movement of horticulture companies experimenting with LED lighting for plant growth; ultimately, this could help grow more food for the world’s increasing population and impact the pricing at your local grocer.

Whether it’s food growing applications, better product placement or simply energy conservation, there is a place for LED lights in an industry were lighting is rarely noticed by consumers.  New Tek Partners provides proper lighting solutions to equip the smallest restaurant or bar all the way up to a large grocery store or industrial warehouse.  Their lights can brighten a display case or dim to set the mood in a bar.  It is a great time for food retailers to invest in LED lighting and New Tek Partners can help lead the way in equipping your retail business with cost-effective LED lighting.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Solutions for Retail Stores

We’ve seen how small business owners save money with LED lighting: the low energy consumption of this technology means a lower electricity bill.  Better, clearer lighting, such as provided by LED bulbs and tubes, can also lead to increased productivity.  Easy solutions like upgrading fluorescent tube lighting with LED retrofits and replacing work area bulbs with LED bulbs are the best way for businesses to start; however, not all businesses are created equally.  Lighting is often used differently in an office environment, like that of a lawyer or call center, than it might be in a retail store.  So how can LED lighting benefit those businesses that customers frequent on a regular basis?

In a retail setting, lighting is a critical part of the business strategy.  Lighting sets the right mood for shopping, highlights desirable products, illuminates display cases and creates an overall identity for the store, whether it’s a brightly lit grocery store or a stylishly lit clothing boutique.  The U.S. department of energy estimates that 42% of electricity bills of U.S. retail stores are made up by the lighting they utilize.  Chain stores especially can experience this multiplied across all of their satellite affiliates. 

In this environment, operating expenses become a large concern and all stores must be equipped with the same infrastructure to maintain stability in the operating budget.  LED bulbs are a great solution because they last so long and use only a fraction of the energy-impact than incandescent and fluorescent lighting solutions.  Retail stores also tend to leave certain lights on 24-7; whether it’s outside signage or indoor display lighting.  Since cost-savings with LED is more apparent over an extended period of time, those businesses which leave lighting on at all hours will notice savings sooner than the average private business.

Food retailers can not only notice cost savings with store lighting, but also in refrigeration costs.   The refrigerated display cases you find in every grocery store use a large amount of electricity.  Keep in mind that incandescent bulbs are typically used in these display cases: the same incandescent bulbs which give off a large amount of heat.  Food retailers, from large chains all the way down to a small privately run deli, could all benefit from using LED lighting in their display cases.  LED lighting is cool to the touch and can assist in making sure cold items stay cold.  Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs do not contain mercury and are thus safer for use in close proximity to food.
 
New Tek Partners carries lighting solutions that any retail establishment could implement into their strategy, including LED tube lighting retrofits and screw-in bulbs.  Their bulbs can be used for task lighting in a back work-office or as accent lighting as part of a retail display.  Whether a single retail business is looking for ways to cut costs or a chain retail outlet seeking to improve its bottom line across the board, New Tek Partners provides lighting strategies to help reach those goals.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.

LED Lighting Solutions for Business Owners

When thinking about saving money, one of the first things that comes to mind is “what can I do at home to save money?”  But if you’re a small business owner, or manager, you should seriously consider extending that savings to your business.  Even if you don’t own a business, having your employer change to more energy efficient lighting solutions could positively affect your work environment; this means less noise, better lighting and increased concentration.  The low energy consumption of LED lighting makes it an ideal candidate for businesses to start moving towards the “Green” technology and help achieve carbon reduction commitments for a better all-around environment.

There are easy ways to start the change in technology.  Start by replacing bulbs around your employees desks or work areas to improve lighting and remove unwanted background noise.  Also look to replace the main lighting source in your business, which is most often fluorescent lighting.  You can purchase LED retrofit solutions to update this old lighting technology.  Next, look at your outdoor lighting.  If you have street lamps on your property, consider using LED lamps to cut down on breakage and maintenance.  If the street lamps are maintained by the city, you can still implement a solution closer to the building by upgrading or installing LED flood/wall packs.

While switching out screw-in incandescent bulbs and retrofitting old fluorescent technology with LED tube lighting can help decrease the cost of your energy bill, you should consider these changes as an investment to your business.  What starts as a change in LED lighting can be a piece of a larger savings plan to upgrade infrastructure, such as heating and cooling systems, appliances and security systems. 

There are federal tax credits for energy efficiency that can help your business in the long run.  There is a tax deduction available now, for example, which offers a deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot to owners of commercial buildings which meet a certain heating and cooling energy-saving standards.  This same deduction offers a partial deduction of up to $0.60 per square foot for additional measures for lighting.   An energy audit, such as the free audit offered by New Tek Partners, can help you evaluate how to get your business on track to meet these tax credit requirements.
    
New Tek Partners offers tried and true solutions for your businesses LED lighting needs.  You can equip your business on the outside, with street lamps and flood/wall packs, while also improving your lighting efficiency indoors, with screw-in bulbs and LED lighting retrofits.  Not only can these upgrades in lighting save money on your electricity bill, it will also positively impact your employees’ environment and improve production.  Next time you assess your company’s energy consumption, turn to New Tek Partners to help provide you with the best lighting solutions for your business.

New Tek Partners is an LED technology based company and our mission is to develop and produce high quality LED lighting products and provide alternative lighting solutions to our clients.  Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions about how we can help you reduce your electric costs, as well as reduce your effect on the environment.  Also connect with us on our Facebook Page.