customerservice@westernecs.com   |   (858) 564-0233

It’s a New Year: How About Some New Lighting Solutions?

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Jan 7, 2014 4:30:00 AM

It's a new year how about some new lighting solutionsIt’s a brand new year and chances are that your clients are looking for some brand new lighting solutions. Whether your customers are looking for residential or commercial solutions, it’s a safe bet that they don’t want to settle for the same old styles and solutions.

While LED lights may still be the hot new item in the lighting world, your clients are looking for more than just the newest development in bulb technology. Whether you specify, design or install lighting solutions, your clients are looking for ways to bring out the character of their homes or offices. They’re looking for ways to enhance ambience or to improve efficiency and productivity. Oh yeah, they’re also looking to conserve energy and save money in the process.

There’s a lot more to providing great lighting solutions than just plugging in the newest bulbs. And that’s where you can be a huge asset to your customers. You can offer them systems that will help them create the environment they want—in individual rooms or throughout their whole home or business.

Here are just a few of the features your residential clients may be looking for:

  • Integration and Home Automation
  • Energy Savings
  • Safety and Security
  • Pathway Lighting
  • Remote Lighting Control
  • Multi-room Control

If you have commercial clients, many of them will be asking about:

  • Commercial Smart Grid solutions
  • Centralized Controls
  • Scheduling Capability
  • Reporting and Trending Capability
  • Daylight Control
  • Heating and Cooling Cost Reduction

Of course providing a great lighting solution doesn’t stop at the lights. Shading solutions can also play a significant role in managing light and comfort in both residential and commercial environments. And quality shades add a whole new aesthetic to any home or office.

So how can you offer all these options to your clients? We’ve got you covered! There are great Lutron products to meet all of those needs—and we can help you put together just the right solution for your clients. And if Lutron doesn’t offer what you need we’ll help you find what you need as proud distributors of the best manufacturers in the business, including Cree, FXLuminaire and Juno.

We’d love to help you provide the same kind of outstanding light and energy control for your commercial and residential clients. If you’d like to talk about commercial solutions for your clients, shoot me a note at matt@westernecs.com. And if you’d like more information about residential solutions, contact Jimm Reifsnyder at jimm@westernecs.com.

It’s a brand new year. It’s a great time to give your clients some brand new solutions for their lighting needs!

Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions, Southern California lighting, new ideas, lighting integration

Commercial Lighting Solutions: Can You Ever Have Too Much Light?

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Oct 11, 2012 9:38:00 AM

commercial lighting caliWhen it comes to commercial lighting, some people think, “more is better.” After all, you can never have too much light—right?

Lighting in Commercial Spaces

Wrong! Believe it or not, having too much light can be just as much of a problem as not having enough. In fact, most commercial spaces are over-lit, and that costs companies money. That’s a big deal in an economic environment where companies are trying to conserve every dime.

 

Just how significant can these savings be? When The New York Times Company wanted to create an "energizing work environment" and reduce energy consumption, it chose Lutron light control strategies. With light level tuning, daylight harvesting and occupancy sensing, the company saved over 70% of its lighting energy and over $600,000 in electricity costs each year. The results you get for your customers may not be that dramatic, but they can certainly make a marked improvement.

 Click me

As important as they are, energy savings are only part of the equation when it comes to the benefits of proper lighting in commercial settings. Though typical lighting is fine for paperwork, it is usually 2 to 3 times brighter than is ideal for computer work. Studies show that proper lighting control can translate to a 5–10% increase in productivity. That can mean a significant impact on a company’s bottom line—and it may be something your commercial customers aren’t thinking about.

 

So how can you help your customers realize energy savings and increased productivity? Lutron EcoSystem® and Quantum® offer remote controls so individuals are able to adjust the light over their space. RadioTouch® and GRAFIK Eye® QS controls are ideal for meeting rooms and classrooms. Lutron controls allow people to set lighting levels for different tasks, from cube to office to conference room.

 

Can you ever have too much light? Sure! But you can help your customers make sure they have the right amount of light in their workspaces. It will save them money, make them more productive—and make you look like a hero!

Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Commercial Lighting Systems, Commercial Lighting Control

Save Money and Improve Productivity with Commercial Lighting Solutions

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Sep 20, 2012 9:01:00 AM

commercial lutron lighting solutions california resized 600

Commercial Lighting Solutions

The businesses that own commercial properties are always looking for ways to improve their bottom line. Whether these companies manage their buildings themselves, or employ a professional property management service, they’re looking for ways to cut costs—and increase productivity.

More and more savvy property managers are looking at energy consumption—and specifically at lighting solutions to accomplish both. And you can play a big role in helping them achieve those goals.

Importance of Efficiency

Some of these property managers may not be aware that in the majority of office buildings, lighting accounts for 39% of that building’s annual electricity use. Usage can actually be higher than that in specialized settings such as healthcare facilities, where it’s 43% and in hotels where the figure jumps to 55%. It’s no wonder that having an energy-efficient workplace is increasingly important to businesses today.

What can you suggest to your clients who manage commercial properties?

Start With Dimming the Lights: A business that dims its office lights can really save measureable amounts of money. Installing a single Lutron dimmer can actually save a business more than $85 each year. And the good news is that these commercial dimmers are designed to last at least 10 years. Not only does adding dimmers improve workspace comfort—it also improves the building owners’ return on investment.

Take It a Step at a Time With Individual Rooms: You can suggest installing single-room systems in heavily trafficked spaces to maximize energy savings and enhance that room's comfort level. You can then add features such as sensors that are integrated with lighting to further reduce operating costs. And you can even suggest a solution for the age-old problem of employees who forget to turn out the lights, by installing occupancy and vacancy sensors that will turn the lights out after periods of non-use—automatically.  

Give Clients the Big Picture: If you have a client who is really serious about energy savings, you may want to suggest a total light management solution for full energy efficiency. Of course it’s a bigger investment, but it produces correspondingly big results. The New York Times cut $600,000 from its annual lighting costs after installing the Lutron Quantum® system. And after installing EcoSystem®, a commercial property in Houston saved $50,000 on its electric lighting bill—and trimmed $16,000 off their bill due to a reduction in air conditioning expenses.

Click meLight control also decreases HVAC energy costs. Shading systems reduce the amount of solar heat gain that enters a space while reducing glare. Shades can also be controlled by Hyperion™ to automatically adjust shades based on the sun’s position throughout the day based on the season and building location and façade.

What’s really great is that when companies reduce uncomfortable hotspots and eliminate glare, they also improve productivity. It’s a win-win proposition!

 

You can help your commercial property management companies face some big challenges by recommending solution from a wide variety of solutions you have at your disposal.

 

Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Commercial Lighting Systems, Energy Efficiency, Energy Saving Lighting, Commercial Lighting Control

The Right Lighting Solution Can Extend Your Living Space

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Jun 12, 2012 7:26:00 AM

Summertime seems to lure us outside. As the weather warms up we increasingly find ways to linger a little longer outside. Whether it’s an outdoor party, grilling with friends, or simply enjoying some solitude on the terrace or patio, we enjoy being outside until the dark drives us back in.

The Right Lighting Solution

With the right lighting solution, you can actually extend your living space outside and make it as comfortable and inviting as the inside of your home. And you don’t have to let the darkness drive you back inside until you’re ready.

Click me Lutron Lighting Control

With a Lutron Radio RA 2 solution you can control your landscape, patio, or terrace lighting automatically, or manually—the choice is up to you. And a lighting control system allows you to do so much more than simply turn lights on or off. You can set your lights for grilling on a warm summer evening or adjust them for relaxing next to your fire pit on cooler nights.

You can also set lighting to highlight your landscaping or accent foundation plantings or water features, such as fountains. You can use the time clock to automatically dim your landscape lighting at night, and turn it off at sunrise.

Lighting Automation

An automated lighting system is also a great security feature—whether you’re at home or on summer vacation. And unlike old-fashioned controllers that had to be reset if they lost power, Radio RA 2 solutions retain their settings.  So whether you’re home, or on vacation, your lights will continue to come on when you want them to—keeping your home beautiful and secure.

Wireless Solution

Because the Radio RA 2 solution uses Lutron’s wireless technology, it’s an ideal solution whether you’re looking to build it into a new home construction or install it in an existing home.

 

More information about how a Lutron Radio RA 2 solution can extend the living space in your home—and put more fun in your summertime—is just a click away. Request more information here.  

Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, lighting solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions

When It Comes to Everything Electrical—Do Your Customers Think You’re a Wizard?

Posted by Matt Sedlock

Apr 13, 2012 7:54:00 AM

electric solutionsSome people say that knowledge is power. That may be true, but at Western Energy Control Solutions we like to think it’s a bit more than that. The more knowledgeable you are about lighting solutions the better you can help your customers. And the more help you provide, the more they will turn to you for all their control solution needs.

Chances are your customers already think you’re kind of a wizard when it comes to helping them find the right lighting solutions. Don’t disappoint them! You need to stay a step ahead of your customers so that you can offer them the very best lighting solutions on the market. Making them successful is what will make you successful!

That’s why it’s so important to keep up to speed with training on the latest industry trends and solutions. And that’s what our Lighting Training Classes are all about. We’re committed to making sure that you have the answers and the skills you need to give them the highest level of support.

We’d love to have you participate in one of our live local training sessions that cover selling, specification, installation and programming. Check out our calendar to see when the next sessions are available.  If you can’t make it to a live session, you can take advantage of on-demand training through Lutron. You can find more details here.

The more knowledge you have, the better you can serve your customers. That will make you look like a wizard—and that’s business magic!

Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, lighting solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions

Your Customers Are Looking for You: Are They Finding You?

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Feb 28, 2012 9:48:00 AM

searching for lighting solutionsIt doesn’t really matter what your business is. You may be a builder or contractor. You might be a designer. You could be someone who specifies what systems get installed in new residential builds or commercial builds. Or maybe you’re a property manager that takes care of commercial or residential properties. Whatever you do, you’re always looking for new customers.

Things have changed over the past few years, however. Your potential customers are no longer waiting for you to come to them. They’re out there looking for you! And where are they looking for you? Fewer and fewer are turning to the yellow pages. They’re not watching TV or listening to the radio in hopes that your ad will pop up. So where are they looking?

You guessed it; they’re looking for you online. As a matter of fact, according to a 2010 tracking study done by BIA/Kelsey, 97 percent of consumers go to the Internet first to do their research before they buy. After they’ve done their research online, they buy locally. That’s a trend that’s only going to increase. Your customers are looking for you online. Are they finding you there?

Some people in business—especially businesses like the ones we’re all in—may argue that they don’t really do business online. They do their business face-to-face. That may be true, but if your potential customers can’t find you online, you’ll never get that face-to-face meeting.

Does that mean you have to suddenly become a website marketing and Internet guru in order to get the kind of business exposure you need? Fortunately, there are people and programs set up to help businesses like yours. You can have them work to make sure your customers are finding you online—and you can focus on running your business. One service we highly recommend is Netsertive Online Ad Program. They help businesses like yours get found online—and that leads to offline sales. We invite you to download a free brochure that explains how the Netsertive program works—and why it’s important for your business.

Why are we recommending this? What’s in it for us? The way we look at it, the better you do in your business, the better we do in ours. It’s that simple. If we can help you increase your sales, we benefit, too. So we invite you to check out Netservice to see if they can bring more business to you door.

Click me
Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Residential Lighting Control, Residential Lighting Solutions

How to be a Super Hero Property Manager - Save Money With Energy

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Feb 21, 2012 9:41:00 AM

how to be a superhero property manager save money with energyIf you’re a property manager, you may not think of yourself as super hero material. It’s probably been a while since your clients—or their tenants—have referred to you that way. In their minds you may be “just the guy they call when things are broken.”

Maybe you’ll never achieve super hero status, but there are some things you can do that will boost the respect your get—and that can lead to more referral business.

Whether you specialize in commercial or residential property management, part of your responsibility is to maintain the property and to replace materials and systems that no longer function properly. You can suggest solutions that will save your clients money and make their tenants happier. For most landlords, there’s nothing better than contented tenants and more cash in their pockets.

Lutron has a lot of energy-saving lighting and electrical system solutions for both commercial and residential use. In many cases, their commercial lighting and shading solutions actually improve worker performance while saving energy and money. And their residential solutions provide increased comfort and safety while reducing energy consumption.

Your customers look to you to solve their property management problems. If you can exceed their expectations and provide them with solutions that make their lives better (and their tenants’ lives as well), they’ll think that’s super.

We can help you deliver the solutions that will make you look like a super hero property manager. Shoot us an email and let us know if you’re looking for ideas on commercial solutions or if you’re interested in residential solutions. We’ll be happy to help.

Maybe you’ll never get to wear that cape and mask, but when you need to ask your clients for referrals, there’s a good chance that they will give you super reviews!

Click me
Read More

Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Energy Saving Lighting, Residential Lighting Solutions

Southern California Lighting Blog

This blog provides the latest news and information about Western Lighting & Energy Controls, its product lines, and other information to the lighitng industry.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

see all