It's no secret that rising energy costs are affecting all of us, and at times like these it seems everyone is looking for ways to spend less at the pump and on monthly electric bills. Energy conservation is about changing habits, and as professionals in the electrical industry we have a responsibility to teach and inform our customers about new technologies that can help them to conserve as well.
 
Having returned from Light Fair in Las Vegas last month, it was no surprise that almost every manufacturer represented was showcasing new energy saving technologies like LED Lighting, new induction technologies, and more efficient fluorescent lighting.
 
One very effective and quick way to reduce electric bills is through the utilization of energy efficient lighting. At Electrical Marketplace we are helping our customers present and sell these new technologies to their clients.
 
One of the most popular new products that we are offering is the new T5-High Output Fluorescent High Bay lights. These super efficient fixtures, available is 4- or 6-light models, are an ideal option for warehouse, manufacturing, schools and industrial facilities. In addition to local utility rebates, the IRS is offering tax deductions of up to $.60 per square foot for lighting retrofits!!

We recently helped a client qualify for an $18,000 tax deduction under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by simply switching out old 400 Watt Metal Halide fixtures for T5-Hi Bays with occupancy sensors. Our office provided an analysis that included point by point light levels with proper fixture spacing to insure that that facility was properly lit.
 
If you've ever installed standard Metal Halide Hi-bay lights now is a good time to reconnect with those customers to let them know that there is a better alternative! Paybacks, including labor are almost always less than 3 years...a 33% return on investment!! Visit our website and read the "FAQ" section on T5's or call us to get more details.

May has been a busy month for us as usual at Electrical Marketplace.  We've added a number of product categories to our catalog and will be adding more as soon as LightFair is over.  Here is a summary of the new products we're now offering on our site:

Fluorescent Emergency Lighting Ballast

We have added a new category, Fluorescent Emergency Lighting Ballasts, with five new products to round out our fluorescent lighting offering.  These emergency ballasts allow the same fluorescent fixtures currently installed in your facility to be used for both normal and emergency operation. In the event of a power failure, the ballast switches to emergency mode and operates one or two of the existing lamps for a minimum of 90 minutes. Each unit contains a battery, charger and inverter circuit in a single package and is UL listed for factory installation or retrofit applications.  These ballasts can be mounted in the wire way or on top of the fixture.

Vapor-Tight Fixtures

Our new Vapor-Tight Fluorescent Fixtures category currently contains only one product, but more will be added soon.  The T8 Wet Location Linear Light is perfectly suited for applications where the fixture is subject to moisture or humidity.  The fixture is made from injection-molded plastic and is UL listed.  I'm sure you'll agree that our pricing for this unit is very aggressive.

Screw-less Decorator Wall Plates

Electrical Marketplace now offers Screw-less Decorator Wall Plates in sizes ranging from single gang to three gang.  We will have more sizes available in the coming weeks.  These wall plates add a very elegant touch to any environment and can single handedly change the mood of any room.

Power Cords and Strips

Many new products have been added into the new Power Cords and Strips category.  This includes dryer, range and food disposal power cords; extension cords; power adapters; power strips and the ever popular trouble lights.

Since 1970, the US has been celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd.  This holiday is intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment.  Planting a tree is a great way to observe Earth Day, but there are many other things that you can do that will significantly lessen your impact on the environment.

Studies estimate that artificial lighting consumes over 40% of the total electricity produced in the US.   All of us can help reduce this figure by switching to more energy efficient lighting alternatives such as compact fluorescent bulbs.  Eiko Energy Star rated Compact Fluorescent lamps consume less power than standard incandescent bulbs and can last longer, too.  Eiko's Energy Star rated lamps provide the following features:

• Energy Efficiency - uses 75% less power than standard incandescent lamps
• Cost Efficient - saves up to $30 in electricity costs over the life of each lamp
• Environmentally Friendly - reduces the emission of pollutants, including mercury
  

Energy Star is a government-backed program that offers information on ways to protect the environment through energy efficient products.  The Energy Star website asks you to join the fight against global warming by taking the Energy Star Pledge.

Regardless of whether you're a homeowner, facilities manager or electrical contractor, by choosing the right fixtures and lamps, you can lighten the load we place on our planet and ensure that the resources we have now will last long into the future.

After four years serving the residential and commercial wiring devices market, Cobra Electric is proud to announce that their products have been successfully evaluated, approved and installed in many prestigious high rise building projects such as: 900 Biscayne, 1800 Club, Asia, Epic, Trump Towers, ICON, Latitude, Onyx, Midtown # 2, Marina Blue and DUO to name a few.

Cobra Electric understands the needs of the contractors it serves, that's why they currently maintain approximately two million dollars of wiring devices in stock at all times to prevent customer's back orders. When using Cobra Electric wiring devices, projects savings run between 15% and 20% below the lowest package deals offered by Cooper, Leviton and P&S; without sacrificing quality. Please feel free to verify Cobra Electric's UL certifications at the Underwriters Laboratories website by searching for Cobra Electric Inc.

We're happy to report that Electrical Marketplace now offers a full five-year warranty on all of our Exit and Emergency Lights.  This includes all of the products in our Exit Sign and Emergency Light category such as Exit Lights, Exit and Emergency Combo units, Tritium Exit sings, Edge Lit Exit Signs and even the Remote Heads for our Emergency Lights.

To celebrate this occasion, we have reduced the prices on all of our tritium exit signs.  We have also created a new Tritium Self-Luminous Exit Sign Product Builder that lets you configure the exit sign to meet the exact requirements of the job.  Be sure to check out the warranty details and if needed, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Silicon Valey based Luxim Corporation recently announced a new solid state high-intensity light source that can be used in a variety of applications.  The video below shows a Luxim bulb in a street lamp application.



In this video, the Luxim luminary is clearly producing more light than a 400W bulb while only consuming 250W.   The Luxim bulb is filled with Argon gas that gives off visible light when heated up by electricity.  Luxim claims that they can achieve 140 lumes per Watt.  By comparison, high end LEDs output 70 lumens per Watt.  If this is true, that 250W system in the video is outputing 35,000 lumens at a temp of 6000K.

Luxim will be at the upcoming LIGHTFAIR International Trade Show in Las Vegas.  We'll be sure to check out their products up close and report on what we find.

ZDNet via 3nglish.co.uk

My name is Tom Haggerty and I am the owner of Electrical Marketplace. If you’ve had a chance to navigate through our website you will see that we are a large lighting and electrical supplier in Pompano Beach, FL.

I started my company in 2002 with the crazy notion that electrical contractors would buy electrical and lighting equipment online in the comfort of their homes and offices and eventually directly from the jobsite. Thanks to the dedication and hard work from our team of employees this concept has been working for hundreds of electrical contractors and maintaince personnel nationwide.

It was during my 13 year career at General Electric that I learned firsthand that businesses must operate in a global economy and those companies that could become a low cost provider of their products and maintain product quality were winning the game.  Purchasing managers at GE were trained on how to utilize the internet to identify global low cost producers of key materials. As an innovator in global sourcing techniques, GE had an enormous competitive advantage in the marketplace. That experience taught me that all that buyers really needed to have was enough information to be sure that the product that they were going to buy online was going to be of high quality, it would be shipped quickly, and the cost savings would justify the planning of materials deliveries to coincide with the needs of the job.

It was on that concept that Electrical Marketplace was founded.

These days I still spend a good portion of each day talking to electrical contractors around the country and getting a sense of what is happening in their local construction markets. There is no question that our national construction forecast is weak and some areas of the country and markets are getting hit particularly hard. I have spoken with large residential contractors in areas of the country that were booming two years ago that today have downsized huge percentages of their workforce. Smaller contractors face a different challenge and find that they must adapt to the changing construction climate.

In order to adjust your business to this 2008 construction environment it is necessary to understand where the construction dollars are flowing and prepare your business to thrive. For many of our customers that has meant exploring ways to capitalize on growth opportunities with lighting retrofits, commercial and industrial construction, and remodeling.

So the question that I would like to put out is simply this…

What (if anything) is your company doing differently in 2008 to maintain or grow profitability?

Some of the staff from Electrical Marketplace will be travelling to Las Vegas later this year for the 19th Annual LIGHTFAIR International Trade Show and Conference.  LIGHTFAIR is North America’s premier annual lighting industry event for architectural and commercial lighting products and services.  The trade show portion of the event will run from Wednesday, May 28th, until Friday, May 30th.

You can bet we'll have our eyes and ears open to any new products or trends that we think you'll be interested in.  We'll be walking the aisles of the show gathering information on products that can help you win more business.  If you're planning on going out to Vegas, let us know in the comments section.  We would love to meet some of our customers out there if we get the chance.

2007 marked a year of extraordinary change in our industry with housing starts declining to a 15 year low of 1.2 million units, a wild ride in the copper market, and a record number of private label electrical products manufactured by third party companies entering the market.

The good news for 2008 is that if single family housing is excluded from the latest McGraw-Hill 2008 construction forecast, construction activity will be up an estimated 3%. This growth will be mainly in construction of shopping centers, office buildings, hotels and health care facilities. Construction of educational buildings and manufacturing will see a robust growth in 2008 of 5%.

At Electrical Marketplace we have tailored our product mix to meet the demands of this changing market by expanding our inventory of commercially oriented products like Exit and Emergency lighting, Fluorescent High Bay lights, and commercial occupancy sensors to name a few. With over 25 years of combined experience in the lighting industry and access to some of the most recognized brands in the industry, the Electrical Marketplace staff can provide you with the right lighting package for your next project.

2007 was also a year that saw increased demand for Green Building products like energy efficient lamps, ballasts, lighting controls, fixtures and dimming products. New government legislation and utility rebates offer building owners financial incentives for the design of energy efficient buildings. Electrical Marketplace is equipped to help your company present a custom lighting energy analysis for your customers that calculate lighting and HVAC savings using the latest lighting technologies.

As always our commitment is to provide products of the highest quality at competitive prices. Our continued growth, success and customer satisfaction are proof that we are accomplishing these goals.

We want to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous 2008!