The National Association of Home Builders recently published an article that outlines how the recent economic stimulus bills will add more than $6 Billion to the remodeling and renovation market.  The article references an Energy Star report that has a very convenient table listing all of the benefits that homeowners can apply for on their taxes.

Remodelers trained in and experienced with making energy-efficient upgrades are well-positioned to take advantage of increased consumer interest in consuming less power. They can also use the tax credits to encourage home owners to undertake a more complete renovation that can be certified under the National Green Building Standard as part of NAHBGreen, the NAHB National Green Building Program.

Over the course of the last year or so, we have been pulled by our customers to become more involved in their lighting retrofit projects.  This is in part due to the great prices we have on all of our T5HO High Bay Fixtures.  We're not only supplying the lighting fixtures, but we're also providing custom lighting layouts, assisting with state and utility rebate programs and even with Energy Policy Act Tax Incentives.  As a result, we've come up with a few points that seem to come up in every conversation we have with prospective retrofit project managers.  We list them here and hope they help you think through your project.

Determining a Need: Businesses consider a lighting retrofit for existing lighting systems for a variety of reasons. While the usual driving factors such as energy savings and paybacks are critically important, factors such as insuring that proper and safe foot-candle levels can be achieved and maintained and providing proper color rendition are also important. Using the latest in lighting technologies, building owners that have made the decision to retrofit end up with more pleasing and brighter lights that will remain bright for years, and most importantly, will cost less to operate than older lights.

System Audit: By using simple data such as the types and quantities of existing fixtures, annual system “burn” hours and local utility kilowatt hour rates, Electrical Marketplace can quickly calculate how much of your power bill is consumed by the lighting load and we can determine how much savings a new system will yield.

Picking the Right Products: Whether you are lighting a warehouse, gym, manufacturing facility or office, chances are we have the right light. Send us the dimensions of your facility and one of the Electrical Marketplace lighting professionals will help you select and layout fixtures to meet your needs. We can also help you determine if products like occupancy sensors, emergency ballasts and wire guards make sense for your application.

Light to the Proper Levels: One of the major problems with older lighting systems is light loss. It is not uncommon to lose 30-40% of a new lighting system's initial light output within several years while still consuming the same amount of electricity.  Advances in phosphor and reflector technology insure that light loss is minimized and facilities remain lit to specified foot-candle levels.

Installation of New Lighting System: Electrical Marketplace will communicate directly with your qualified lighting installer to insure that all necessary installation information is readily available. We have full specification sheets, wiring diagrams and mounting instructions for all of our lighting fixtures to insure that our products are installed properly.

We can also arrange for the proper disposal of old lamps and fixtures. We have partnered with major lamp recycling companies nationwide to collect and properly dispose of hazardous old lamps.

Warranty:  Electrical Marketplace will warranty any component of our Lighting products that fail due to a manufacturing defect and we will replace that unit at no cost within 5 years of the purchase date. Replacement will be for the failed component or a new unit at our discretion. All defective units are subject to manufacture testing. Should any failed units be found defective from misuse, improper voltage, or faulty wiring, the customer will be charged for the replacement. Under no circumstances will Electrical Marketplace be responsible for back charges of any kind, including, without limitation, labor charges, equipment rental fees or late penalties unless prior approval has been given.

To activate the warranty, the product must be installed and maintained properly. Damaged products must be reported to Electrical Marketplace, in writing, within 10 days of the invoice date.

Bimini Bay Resort is pleased to announce the recently completed first phase of an initiative designed to reduce energy consumption by evaluating and installing the latest energy efficient products. The first phase involved replacing over 1400 incandescent light bulbs with more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. The results were amazing. More light in the retail and common areas using 77% less electricity.

“Our interest in driving energy efficiencies at Bimini Bay Resort is driven not only by a desire for electrical cost savings and reduced maintenance” explained Arthur Hernandez President of Building Supplies Export  Corp “but also through the understanding that we must also be environmentally conscious to maintain the pristine Island environment in which we reside.”

The Bimini Bay Resort changeover is saving over 77,000 watts of electricity and has an enormous environmental impact. Carbon Savings for each CFL lamp installed is conservatively calculated to be 988.lbs. That would take two trees a year to absorb that amount. The total carbon reduction for the Bimini Bay Resort Phase I is 1.39 Million tons of CO2.

Detailed energy analysis, light level recommendations, and products were all supplied by Electrical Marketplace, a Pompano Beach supplier of energy efficient lighting and associated electrical materials.

About Bimini Bay Resort & Marina:  Bimini Bay Resort & Marina, located on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, provides affordable luxury Bahamas vacationing with a world class marina, luxury accommodations and miles of pristine beaches.

A recent article in the National Association of Home Builder's web site prompted me to write this post.  With the coming of a new year, we should remember to review the installation date of all of our smoke detectors and replace those that have been in service for more than 10 years.

Most smoke alarm manufacturers recommend replacing smoke alarms older than 10 years.  Smoke alarms have a limited life. Although each smoke alarm and all of its parts have passed many stringent tests and are designed to be as reliable as possible, any of these parts could fail over time. Therefore, you must test the devices weekly. The unit should be replaced immediately if it is not operating properly. The performance of smoke detectors older than 10 years is simply not reliable. To ensure your family's safety, all carbon monoxide and smoke/CO combination alarms need to be replaced every 5 years. All smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 year.

At Electrical Marketplace, we make it easy to replace all obsolete smoke detectors with the BRK First Alert 9120B Smoke Alarm.  This device can be used as a replacement for the obsolete 4120B Smoke Detector as well.  Since most homes use several smoke detectors, we sell this device in a case of six at a price of $8.55 each.  If you are replacing Smoke and Carbon Monoxide combination alarms, take a look at the SC9120B.  This device is available for $43.32 each.

You may have noticed we recently introduced a new section on the Electrical Marketplace site titled "Overstock Sale."  This corner will highlight items that Electrical Marketplace is offering at deep discounts in order to clear over stock inventory.  These items are also found in the Overstock Items category in our main store navigation.  We hope our customers will take advantage of these sale items.

3-Head Track Light in Brushed Pewter Finish

This attractive 3-Head Track Light will add a nice tough to any kitchen, bathroom or just about any other space in your home or office. The heads are adjustable and feature a frosted lenses. Overall length is 27". Requires 3x 60W A15 or R16 bulbs (not included).

175W Metal Halide Deluxe Wall Pack

We recently had the opportunity to purchase a large quantity of Deluxe 175W Metal Halide Wall Packs. These fixtures feature a die-cast aluminum housing with a bronze, fade-resistant powder coat paint. The fixture is UL 1572 listed for wet location and CSA certified for use in Canada.

These are just ten of the many reasons to buy T5 High Bay Fixtures from Electrical Marketplace:

• Confidence – all of our T5 High Bay fixtures carry a full Five (5) year warranty.
• Our ballasts use Programmed Start technology to insure longer lamp life.
• 95% precision-engineered reflector improves fixture efficiency.
• Our price includes lamps, mounting clips, chain and WAGO brand connectors.
• Multi-volt operation – 120/208/220/277 V.
• Occupancy sensor ready – long ballast lead wires and side knock-outs make occupancy sensor installation a snap.
• Less than 10% harmonic distortion – lights won’t interfere with computers and other harmonic-sensitive devices in the facility.
• Rigid housing construction eliminates fixture sagging.  Our fixtures are strong enough to be mounted with a single pendant.
• Our Ballasts are mounted on hinged access doors on top of fixture for easy access.
• Our Ballasts have an additional switch leg to allow for High/Low operation on 4-lamp unit and High/Med/Low on 6-lamp unit.
  

Did you know that you may be eligible for a substantial tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot for improving the energy efficiency of your building or designing energy efficiency into your new building?  If you’re already thinking of a retrofit project, this can significantly improve your Return on Investment.  If not, act quickly because this benefit is set to expire at the end of the year.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 includes a tax deduction for investments in “energy-efficient commercial building property” designed to significantly reduce the heating, cooling, water heating, and interior lighting energy cost of new or existing commercial buildings. To be eligible, the energy-efficient commercial building property must be placed in service between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008.  Warehouse and industrial facility owners can now reduce the payback period of investing in energy-efficient retrofit projects or new components with the added benefit of deducting up to the entire expense of these costs immediately instead of depreciating them over 39 years.

To qualify for the full $1.80/Sq. Ft. deduction, a building owner or tenant must reduce the total energy used by 50% or more.  A partial deduction of $0.60 per square foot is available for investments that reduce energy consumption by 16 2/3% in either the lighting system, heating and cooling system or in the building envelope.  These tax deductions reduce your overall taxable income with the value of the deduction dependent on your tax bracket.

How Can I Qualify For the Tax Deduction?

Before you can claim this deduction, you must obtain a certification from a qualified independent and licensed engineer stating that your retrofit project or new installation satisfies the requirements of 179D(c)(1) of the tax code.  There are several alternative ways a building system may qualify:

1. The whole building may qualify for up to $1.80 per square foot for a 50% reduction in energy consumption.
2. Individual building systems can each qualify for up to a $0.60 per square foot deduction for a 16 2/3% reduction in energy consumption.  These systems are:
   • Lighting systems
   • HVAC and water heating systems
   • Building envelope
3. Lighting systems may receive a $0.30 to $0.60 deduction for reductions in lighting power density from ASHRAE 90.1-2001 tabular values of 25 percent to 40 percent respectively, with linear interpolation between 25 and 40 percent.

Engineered Tax Services marries the science of engineering with the principles of tax and accounting to arrive at financial solutions that result in increased cash flow, minimized tax payments and increased ROI. These IRS sanctioned services include Cost Segregation Studies, Energy Tax Credits and Deductions, Development credits.

To learn more details related to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 please join the Engineered Tax Services webinar every fourth Thursday of each month at 3pm EST.  You can reach their offices at (561) 515-6014 for webinar details or to get further information on how they assist building owners to realize the benefits of these tax programs.

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!