How to Reduce Your Business Lighting Bills (The “Green” Way)

Posted on June 27, 2019July 2, 2019 by Stephen Shickadance in Energy News

A popular image on the internet has circulated the past few years that contains a simple phrase: “My favorite childhood memory is not paying bills.” We think every reasonable adult would agree that not having to pay bills would be a wonderful thing, but that only exists in a utopia where money isn’t a concern. However, if you by chance are looking to install external lighting for your business, there’s a lighting technology we specialize in that can help you reduce how often you get bills in the mail. It’s said that bills travel through the mail twice as fast as paychecks, but we’re here to inform you how you can reduce your business lighting bills–the answer is through outdoor solar lights. Stick around for this 5-minute read, and you’ll be wiser!

How Can I Reduce My Business Bills Through Outdoor Lighting?

It’s simple, actually. We manufacture outdoor solar lights. What this means for you (and your wallet) is that each light in a lighting system utilizes the power of the sun through the photovoltaic effect, essentially turning light into power. Each photovoltaic cell is composed of pure silicon, and on average pulls about 25% of the total potential power from light. This power, in turn, is stored into a lead acid deep-cycle gel battery for proper storage until the light fixture needs to turn on. The power drain on the battery is minimal since the light fixture uses highly efficient Light Emitting Diodes, saving as much energy as possible while still illuminating the public area in question. Ultimately, that means you can reduce your lighting bills since solar power is free (and clean).

Aren’t Solar Panels Super Expensive?

They used to be! Vox reports that the price of solar panels has dropped 99 percent over the past 40 years. Whereas in the 1970s solar panels were nearly unheard-of, they’re much more common than before. Businesses of all sorts are starting to turn towards solar lighting to reduce their energy bills. Admittedly, the price of a solar light is more expensive up front than traditional lighting (typically about 10% more when the solar panels are included), but the savings over time are well worth the initial investment. Long-term results show a savings of over 50% when compared to traditional lighting installations. And that’s not the only way to reduce your business bills…

Do I Need to Trench for Solar Lights?

Nope. That’s one of the cost-benefits of solar lights. Not only will you see a reduction in bills since you’re saving on energy, you’ll likely see a reduced bill total. Often times the hidden fees for lighting are skyrocketing because of trenching and wiring that you’ll need for traditional lighting (those costs are about 80% of the price per light). We’ve serviced customers in the past that were faced with breaking up an entire parking lot already paved with concrete. We were able to reduce their business lighting bills by several thousands of dollars. We’re sure they celebrated with their bill reduction and probably even used some of the budget to throw a party.

How Else Can I Use Solar Lights?

Solar lights are more versatile than you might think. We’ve got plenty of customers that use solar sign lighting. These are smaller systems that have high applicability since power isn’t immediately available where a business might erect a sign. They’re incredibly l0w-maintenance too–since the panels themselves aren’t very high, you can brush off the solar panel with a cloth every now and then to keep optimal charge rates for the battery. Battery life typically lasts about 5 to 7 years, so there’s almost a “set it and forget it” mentality. Typically, these lights come in three forms–either spot, bar, or canopy in order to direct the light properly. Armed with beefy batteries and mono-crystalline panels, these lights are able to light signage for up to a week without recharging. Rest assured your time and money spent on this specific lighting technology won’t go to waste.

Are There Other Money-Related Benefits?

Definitely! For 2019, the solar investment tax credit earns you 30% percent back on solar installations, so if you have an entire solar lighting installation that costs 30 thousand dollars, you’ll receive 9 thousand back in addition to saving money on reduced bills. We think it’s a particularly beautiful thing–earning money through a lighting system. This doesn’t touch on the several state-level benefits you can research. Be sure to check DSIRE to see what incentives are available for your state. That way you can address more bills as they come.

What It Means to “Go Green”

In addition to reducing your bills and bill total, “going green” is a trend within a lot of businesses and cities that draws a lot of attention. Movements towards using alternative energy sources sometimes catch the attention of the media, potentially drawing in customers for your business–so in addition to reducing your bills, saving over 50% on your lighting installation, and earning money through solar tax credits, your business can be in the spotlight for going solar. We’ve always said positive publicity for using alternative energy is a fantastic thing!

The benefits with solar lighting clearly reduce your business bills by primarily saving you money on trenching and energy usage. Why not take advantage of the power that the sun has to offer? Unfortunately, we can’t get rid of all the bills headed your way–we aren’t wizards in that department–but we might be able to make your business future a touch brighter by reducing your bills through solar lighting. Contact us to learn more.

solar lighting projects and lighting for parks

4 Solar Power Misconceptions Clarified

Posted on April 15, 2019August 21, 2019 by Stephen Shickadance in Energy News

There are definitely some misconceptions “in the wild” when it comes to solar power, but the experts under our roof have worked in solar lighting for several years and can quell those misconceptions. Here’s 4 of them we commonly hear and why they are actually far from the truth.

Four Solar Power Misconceptions

Solar Power Doesn’t Work Outside of the Sun Belt

You may have heard of the term the “Sun Belt” tossed around every now and then. It’s used to refer to an area in the United States that gets the most sun and has the hottest climate. It’s often characterized as an area with long, hot summers, mild winters, and frequent pool parties. The largest metropolitan areas are located here–Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, and Miami are just a few. Solar power thrives in these areas, but a common misconception is that these solar projects (such as lighting for parks) won’t thrive since they don’t get much access to the sun. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to solar lighting projects. The facts are that plenty of solar installations across the US operate fine, even without constant sunlight. The darkest days in winter provide at least some light to charge up the solar batteries, and even some frigid climates up north have plenty of solar projects that draw power. Even though the sun belt typically thrives on the sun being out more in comparison to the rest of the US, plenty of solar lighting projects are well-equipped to combat the sun’s greatest enemy: clouds. Larger panels, heftier batteries, and back-up power sources can help remove worries when a stratus cloud rolls in, blanketing the sky. Lighting for parks, streets, parking lots, pathways, and other public areas can remain on when the sun doesn’t. It’s just an uncommon fact about solar power that we love to share with others so that the “switch” to solar is a little easier to digest. We’re sure many project managers are worried about what happens when the sun doesn’t shine, but fret not–that problem has already been solved.

It Doesn’t Hold Up to Bad Weather

Mother nature can be unkind, especially to areas that are prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, and torrential downpours. We don’t like it when it rains either, trust us. While we can’t claim any lighting for parks or public areas are invincible, what we can claim is that several solar lighting projects we’ve backed have no problems culling power from the sun while exposed in high or low temperatures. Plus, the solar lights are equipped with behemoth light poles. These massive lighting poles can withstand gusts up to 145 miles per hour and have remained resilient in extreme weather–high heat, freezing temperatures, arid or wet environments, you name it. So rest assured that when the weather is a problem, the lights won’t be.

Not Worth the Money

We’ll admit solar power can be expensive, but what’s hidden with traditional power is the additional costs of trenching and wiring. On one of our projects for lighting parks, our customer saved over 20 thousand dollars not having to dig trenches to connect the lights to the main power grid. Plus, the park grounds remained intact! Several factors go into something as simple as lighting, and solar lights help avoid those factors–especially when it comes to the price.

There’s Poor Return on Investment

It may have been the case decades ago that the power efficiency for solar lighting projects was far too low in order to justify costs. That’s not the case anymore. Solar power technology has developed to a strong point so that every generation has had improved technology and more efficient energy returns. An average panel returns about 30 percent of the light it draws from the sun. With the latest solar technology, the return on investment time span has shrunk from 25 years down to less than 10. We think it’s nice not having to spend money on using energy bills, especially if you’re the lead for a lighting project. It’s counter-intuitive to spend money in order to save it, but the numbers are there–that’s the reason why we’re in business.

Whether you’re in need for lighting for parks, or you’re opening a store and need to illuminate your parking lot, or perhaps you’re in city planning and have a street that needs to be lit, consider going with a solar lighting project. We’ve been around the block for several years and have the staff with the know-how to develop something for your needs at the drop of a hat. Take a look at our customer case studies if you so desire, or contact us to learn more. The future of lighting lies in solar, and we’re getting better every day at saving money for businesses and cities. Thanks for reading.

Cost Effectiveness: Traditional Street Lights VS. Solar Energy Lights

Posted on November 26, 2018August 21, 2019 by Ryan Vintage in Energy News, Greenshine's Guide, Industry News, Solar FAQs, Solar Outdoor Lighting Trends

When thinking about solar energy, what comes to mind first?

NEW? GREEN? SUSTAINABLE?

It can’t be denied that, in an era of such energy scarcity, solar power will become a hot commodity of the future. In the city planning process, it is necessary to consider the efficient use of energy, which accounts for why more and more cities in the United States are starting to launch solar outdoor lighting projects.

Solar street lights have a huge advantage over traditional street lights. But when city planners choose streetlights, the main reason that stops them from choosing solar powered light is the high price. People take it for granted that the price of solar products is higher than that of ordinary products. But is that really the case? Let’s compare the cost effectiveness of ordinary street lights and solar street lights.

Facts About Solar Street Lights

Purchase Cost

Generally speaking, in the purchase process, we look at price first. From this point of view, solar street lights do not have much of an advantage, because the price is usually twice that of traditional street lights. Due to the capital investment in scientific research and the manufacturing of special materials, the high price of solar street lamps is understandable. However, the purchase price alone cannot be the only means by which to measure the cost effectiveness of solar street lights, and we need to consider the costs incurred in other aspects of the purchase process.

Installation Cost

Installing traditional street lights cost a lot, especially for areas with insufficient electrical infrastructure, such as remote areas or disaster areas. This is because traditional street lights require cabling and trenching to connect to grid lines. In contrast, solar street lights are off-grid, making them much simpler to install.

Operation Cost

The biggest difference between traditional street lights and solar street lights is the energy source. Traditional street lights are powered by electricity (limited and costly), while solar street lights rely on solar power (sustainable and free). City streetlight projects usually require a large number of street lights. And the increased electricity usage adds up fast when using traditional street lights. Therefore, solar powered street lights have the advantage in operational costs.

Maintenance Cost

Maintenance costs must be considered in the planning and construction of urban street lights. Traditional street lights use sodium bulbs, which have a lifespan of about only 5 years. In addition, traditional light bulbs and some electric wires also require frequent maintenance due to thunderstorms or other extreme weather. Solar street lights are far superior in durability to traditional street lights. While they do require eventual battery replacement—the battery has a lifespan of about 5-7 years.

In conclusion, the installation cost, operation cost, and maintenance cost of traditional street lights per unit ranges from $7,000-8,000 over a 10 year period, while solar street light cost is estimated at $3,500-5,000 over the same period of time. The extra costs associated with traditional street lights make their advantage of lower purchase price disappear.

After comparing the cost effectiveness of traditional street lights and solar street lights, you can now choose solar street lights with confidence. In fact, the savings are just one small benefit of solar street lights. The greatest benefit is that your city will start to use NEW, GREEN and SUSTAINABLE lighting.

What If Solar Powered Homes Were the Norm?

Posted on November 19, 2018August 21, 2019 by Ryan Vintage in Energy News, Industry News, Solar Outdoor Lighting Trends

Solar Powered Homes & California’s New Build Home Legislation

Here at Greenshine New Energy we are big fans of all things solar, after all it’s great for the environment, saves energy and lowers energy costs.

With the recent legislation passed in California requiring every new build home to have solar power which will take effect in the next two years, we wondered what would the impact of this be if every state adopted this legislation?

To answer this question we looked at new build home data and calculated the average new build house size and amount of solar panels able to fit on its roof to determine power generation capabilities for each major city. We then looked at the average electricity rates and use by city to determine potential electricity bill savings.

The average new build home in America could fit a total of 18 solar panels on its roof. With four hours of sunlight a day and each solar panel being able to generate 250 watts each, this would generate 18 kWh of electricity per day, 540 kWh per month and 6,570 kWh per year.

Throughout America, Houston is the city that would benefit the most from California’s legislation requiring all new build homes to have solar panels installed. Houston has the highest amount of new build homes with 17,881 built-in 2018 so far and these homes could fit a whopping 321,858 solar panels generating over 9 million kilowatt hours of energy per month resulting in monthly electricity bill savings of over $1million for the city.

Other cities saving big include Dallas with savings of $905k, Atlanta with over $723k, Phoenix with over $624k, and Austin with just under $396k.

Hartford is the city that would benefit the least from California’s legislation requiring all new build homes to have solar panels installed. Hartford is building the least amount of new build homes with only 285 built-in 2018 so far. With such a small number of homes built the Hartford would see monthly savings of $19k with 5,130 solar panels producing 153,900kwh per month.

Other cities with small monthly electricity bill savings from new build solar panels include Buffalo with savings of $23k, Rochester with $24k, Pittsburgh with $26k, and Grand Rapids with $55k.

With the new California legislation coming online in 2020 we wondered what the impact would be on California if it was in place since the start of the year. California to date has built 16,698 new homes and these homes could fit over 300k solar panels generate 162 million kWh for the state.

When we look at the cities with the highest electricity bills, Birmingham leads the way with an average monthly bill of $140.46. Jacksonville follows closely behind with a monthly bill of $139.25 and New York City with a monthly bill of $136.85.

Looking at cities across America which could save the most on their electricity bills with solar panel installation on new build homes, New York City tops the list with a gigantic monthly saving of over 90% dropping their average household electricity bill from $136.85 to $12.65.

Sacramento homes, whilst not having the highest amount savings throughout the US, would see their monthly electricity bill become nearly $0 with a monthly bill of $0.89, thats a 98% saving!With such tangible savings, hopefully in the near future we’ll see multiple cities adopting this new legislation and solar power become a mainstay in cities from new houses to streetlamps.

Category: Energy News