How can we upgrade our building lights from older equipment to newer technology without having to remodel our exteriors?
Commercial communities can be upgraded with a number of commercial outdoor lighting fixture types that do not involve renovating buildings. If you have covered walkways between your buildings, a great way to provide lighting for safety and security is fluorescent canopy lighting. These fixtures have considerable lamp life and are very energy efficient. Canopy lighting can make your entire campus look full of light simply by illuminating spaces between buildings that would otherwise remain in the dark. The electrical work requires no reconstruction work on your part and can be done very easily by our electrical services team.
Similar to canopy lights, but mounted in a much different manner, are wall pack units. You probably already have some sort of wall-mounted fixtures affixed to the sides of your buildings. If these units are several years old, chances are they contain incandescent lamps that are costing you more money than you think both in terms of replacement costs and power consumption. Incandescents are also environmentally unfriendly, and they will all inevitably have to be replaced at some point in the future. Fluorescent fixtures are again the most cost effective equipment purchases for commercial lighting projects you can invest in, and they are also very good power savers.
For interior lighting design, there are countless retrofit options for everything from hallways to conference rooms and storage areas that we can cost effectively install within your office space. It is best to schedule a free on site with us to discuss these options so we can recommend the best possible retrofits without having to remodel your interior.
How much light do I need for security?
The intention of security lighting is to light only the buildings and ground without light spilling into neighboring businesses and homes. This alone can differentiate your commercial community with lighting, because more than likely you will be the first on your block to be proactive about dark sky friendly technology. In order to do this, it is necessary that you take the time to have a photometric lighting calculation made of your property. This will help us to determine how much lighting will be needed around areas such as buildings, public areas, walkways, and landscape features. Trying to light your commercial community without a photometric analysis is literally taking a shot at lighting in the dark. Most building owners get talked into over-lighting their premises, thinking brighter is better. The reality of lighting is very different. Typically speaking, a shadow-free environment that provides enough comfortable lighting for walking through the grounds is really all you need for security. The belief that blinding lights are the only lights effective in deterring crime is a myth. If cameras, guards, and law enforcement can simply see what is going on in your commercial community, then potential trespassers will be discouraged simply because they can clearly see they have no place to hide.
I need my property to look decorative as well as safe. Will it not cost a small fortune to invest in decorative fixtures?
It does not have to. Home security lights can be many things. Bollards installed in common areas can be a great way to illuminate large, open green spaces. Decorative bollards can be purchased from us in all shapes and sizes. Most of them are low-voltage fluorescent luminaires that use negligible amounts of power.
If you have fountain or pond, we can install energy efficient, or even LED lights, in and around the water. If installed professionally, lights around water features can appear magnified by the refractive qualities of water itself. This is another excellent way to illuminate commercial apartment community landscapes with very low-voltage, power saving lights.
Do you have energy efficient floodlights that can provide perimeter lighting at low costs?
Yes. Please give us a call to talk about some new technologies that can not only operate flood lights at a lower wattage with higher light output, but also better target the light toward only desired areas so that spill light beyond your property line is eliminated. Also, motion control sensor technology as well as integration with other security systems can automate your floodlights. Again, these are custom configurations which we can better address with an onsite consultation from an outdoor lighting contractor.
Illuminations Lighting Design is the only “One Stop” destination for lighting design, engineering, landscape lighting services and installation in the state of Texas, and remains unrivaled by any lighting firm in the United States for lighting that is art. As homes grow larger and needs become more complex, having a single resource provides home owners with peace of mind. This translates into a smoother process, reduced costs and a better product.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and lighting design in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.
You can reach us toll free at 800-863-1184 or locally at 713-863-1133. Labels: Community Security Lighting, Houston Texas Landscape Lighting Services, Landscape Community Lighting, Outdoor Apartment Community Lighting
Townhome communities are in many ways a blend of residential communities and luxury apartment community living. Most townhomes are privately-owned, making them for all intents and purposes small houses that the homeowner can decorate, renovate, or upgrade at will. Deed restrictions apply in much the same way as they do to houses. Certain guidelines mandated by the homeowner’s association what can and cannot be done to an individual unit in terms of how it will affect the surrounding units. Most townhome exterior lighting, as a result, must be coordinated and paid for by the homeowner’s association that governs the townhome community. In order to fully satisfy both the needs of residents and an increasingly regulated industry, it necessary to work with a company like Illuminations Lighting Design that has both the electrical engineering expertise to safely and properly install equipment, and that also has the design background to create and aesthetically pleasing end result.
Parking areas in townhome communities require sophisticated parking lot lighting solutions that must meet with a variety of regulatory standards. One is foot candle minimums. By law, all parking lots must have a minimum of 4 foot candles per foot to be considered safe for vehicle and human traffic. In addition, the homeowner’s association should invest in commercial grade lighting fixtures with advanced optics engineering that will limit glare and spill light. In the future, we anticipate almost every city in the United States, regardless of size or geography, to adopt some form of dark sky legislation. Regardless of the current presence of such legislation in the surrounding city or countryside, it is wise for a townhome community to invest in outdoor street lighting that will illuminate the parking area without blinding the eyes of motorists and pedestrians, and without shining unwanted light into the windows of sleeping residents. In high-end communities where looks matter almost as much as safety and performance, decorative poles and fixtures can be installed that will comply fully with all governing codes and simultaneously create a better sense of home and comfort than the standard commercial lighting poles used to light the typical apartment complex or retail center.
Most townhome communities also invest a good percentage of their homeowner’s association fees in landscaping and gardening. Lighting design service professionals can help accentuate the many features of a landscape so that residents and guests can enjoy them throughout the evening and early morning hours. It is never a good idea to take the cheap route and attempt to have the lighting maintenance crew install retail-grade lighting fixtures in these areas. For one thing, cheaper lights have a shorter lamp life and will ultimately cost the association more in the long run when one factors in the replacement costs. They also tend to lack the necessary engineering required to for more sophisticated angles of light distribution. Certain elements of landscaping require very precise angles of incidence that only a commercial grade fixture can produce. Tree lighting, for example, requires specially-made mercury vapor lights designed to specifically emulate moonlight. It is almost impossible to find a retail equivalent of the type of fixtures we can obtain directly from world-class manufacturers. Other landscaping elements such as walkways and pathways can be effectively lit by outdoor path light fixtures that require only minimum power to produce exceptional safety and aesthetics. For the townhome community that is looking for lighting that can produce a long-term savings in the form of reduced replacement and energy costs, there really is no other option than commercial-grade, professionally installed fixtures.
Virtually every townhome complex has a community center that requires lighting in and around buildings and common areas. This is perhaps the most important aspect of townhome and apartment community lighting, because the community center is the very heart and soul of the complex and a hub for its many activities. A typical community center will have one or more sports areas, a swimming pool, a picnic area, and an office area for professionals and crew on staff. Very large town house complexes may have one or more tennis or volleyball courts for residents, and they may even have a meeting hall for resident meetings and indoor events. All of these areas in the townhome community will require lighting installation from an outdoor lighting contractor on a professional scale. Architectural and building should be carefully planned in such a way as to minimize replacement costs and to avoid excessive power consumption. Any sports lighting indoors or out will no doubt require commercial grade fixtures in order to create the necessary levels of light for safe play and to ensure a reasonable life expectancy for the fixtures themselves.
Because every townhome community is unique, any lighting system installed must be highly customized to meet the specific challenges of the environment and the personal tastes of the residents. It is almost impossible to create such a system without a photometric analysis of the property and an advance plan for design. One of the many advantages that ILD offers over competing contract firms is the ability to produce sophisticated layouts of commercial lighting systems for homeowner’s associations to review in advance prior to the initiation of the project or the installation of any equipment. New communities can trust Illuminations Lighting to not only do the job right, but to let them know up front the specifics of that job, the actual costs of labor and materials (without surprises), and the estimated return on investment in the form of lower maintenance and reduced power costs through superior technology which is longer lasting and much more energy efficient that short-cut, store-bought solutions.
Striking such a difficult balance between décor and safety is something that our commercial lighting projects have been doing in townhome communities, corporate office parks, residential neighborhoods, and private residences for over 27 years now. With a skillful blend of science and art, Illuminations Lighting Design can help any apartment or townhome community light its world with the highest level of quality and the best energy saving equipment available in today’s market.
Illuminations Lighting Design is the only “One Stop” destination for lighting design, engineering, landscape lighting services and installation in the state of Texas, and remains unrivaled by any lighting firm in the United States for lighting that is art. As homes grow larger and needs become more complex, having a single resource provides home owners with peace of mind. This translates into a smoother process, reduced costs and a better product.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and lighting design in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Labels: Community Security Lighting, Outdoor Apartment Community Lighting, Outdoor Community Lights, Townhome Community Lighting, Townhome Exterior Lighting
We have lived in our current home for over 4 years. The previous owner had installed a low voltage lighting system on the house. However, our trees are quite large and we would like to consider a moonlighting system in our back yard. Will you make house calls to another town?
Of course we will travel! A proper landscape lighting system using moonlighting fixtures is the best way to illuminate your property. As specialists in the landscape lighting industry, we have a thoroughly understanding of fixture selection, fixture placement and electrical techniques.
Here at Illuminations Lighting Design
we specialize in outdoor landscape lighting using mercury vapor lighting fixtures. Under the supervision of
professional lighting designers, our tree climbers mount lights to create magical lighting effects and our electricians hide the equipment for a finished look.
We have been illuminating fine homes, country clubs, hotels and mansions for years here at
Illuminations Lighting Design. Our
customer roster is second to none. If we can help you with your home or office please give us a call toll free at 800-863-1184 or online at
http://www.illumuninationslighting.com/. Don't be fooled by electricians who say they do landscape lighting. It is an art form that requires a special talents and skill set.
Labels: Commercial Landscape Lighting, houston landscape lighting, Houston Outdoor Lighting Maintenance, Outdoor Apartment Community Lighting, Residential Landscape Lighting
