Commercial Lighting Complexities – Electricians to the Rescue
Why You Might Need an Electrician to Replace Commercial Lights
Commercial Lighting Complexities – Electricians to the Rescue
by Steve McCardell
In household settings, most of us can change a light bulb as long as it’s safely within reach. Even if we’re upgrading to newer LED bulbs, it’s just a matter of unscrewing one bulb and screwing in another in most home and office settings. (Still in the dark about LEDs? You can learn all about LED lighting here or check out value-based brand name home and office LED bulbs here.)
But in business settings, a “simple” light bulb change may not be so simple, and may require the help of an electrician not only to get the job done right, but to get it done safely.
For instance, that flickering fluorescent lamp may not need replacing. Fluorescent lamps (and all gas discharge lamps) require ballasts to operate. An electrician can test the ballast to make sure it’s not the source of the flickering problem. If it is the problem, the ballast can be replaced while retaining the lamp; or if it’s an older magnetic ballast, it could be replaced by a more efficient and higher quality electronic ballast. Your electrician will be able to choose the right ballast and wire it correctly.
But maybe you’d like to upgrade your fluorescent lamp anyway. Did you know that older lamps often have a lower CRI, which means they don’t render colors as well as high CRI lamps? Or that some produce the same amount of light as older lamps using less energy?
Of course you could maximize your energy savings by upgrading fluorescent lamps to LED tubes, but then you need to decide whether to continue running those lamps off ballasts or to direct wire the LED. And for now, let’s not even start into the many color temperature options that provide warmer or cooler looks to the lighting.
In short, changing lights in a business can be much different than changing lights in most household settings. Instead of just asking for a coffee, it’s like you’re ordering coffee at Starbucks – there’s a whole menu of options and, unless you know what terms like “venti” and “macchiato” mean, you could get something much different than what you wanted.
At Swartz Electric, we do more than just install and repair everything electrical. We help answer your questions too. That’s true whether we’re running new wires, adding power to a room, installing new alarm systems … or replacing your lamps.
So when you’re staring at that flickering lamp and wondering what to do, know that we can guide you to solutions that best fit your needs. And when we install or repair lighting for you, we’re confident you’ll see why we’re the highest rated electrical service in Colorado. We’re ready to make sure you’re happy with all the work we do, and how we get it done.
This week’s blog was a guest post by our friend Steve McCardell over at LightingSupply.com. You can read their informative blog here, and browse their lighting products here.
Swartz Electric, your Colorado Springs Electrician, performs electrical work throughout Colorado Springs, Monument, Black Forest, Fountain, Falcon, Woodland Park, and everywhere in between. We are the electricians in Colorado Springs to solve your electrical problems and meet your electrical requirements.
Call, e-mail, visit our website, or stop by our office today, and allow Swartz Electric to serve YOU.
This is an original article written by Mai Bjorklund for Swartz Electric. This article may not be copied whole or in part without the express permission of Swartz Electric, LLC.
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