Lighting Controls (30 posts)
Prairie Island Ice Arena- Lighting Upgrade [Video]
A lighting upgrade at Prairie Island Ice Arena created maintenance savings, energy savings, and improved light quality.
December 28, 2022
Maintenance Savings at Red Wing Schools [Lighting Before & After Video]
District-wide maintenance savings with LED lighting upgrade at Red Wing Schools, 800,000+ sq ft and $250,000 utility rebate through Xcel.
September 30, 2022
Jerry Gamble Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities- Lighting Project (with Video!)
Retrofit Lighting & Design upgraded the exterior lighting & interior lighting at the Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities. We were able to improve the lighting quality and create a better environment for the kids, while also lowering the energy costs for the building. This upgrade created a $7,000 a year savings on an energy basis!
August 9, 2022
Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities Lighting Upgrade Sneak Peek (Video)
Retrofit Lighting & Design upgraded the exterior lighting & interior lighting at the Jerry Gamble Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities! The costs for this project were cut in half through rebates, grants, and partnerships. We were able to not only improve the lighting quality and create a better environment for the kids, but also lower the energy costs for the building.
July 27, 2022
Powerful Results of Full Color Lights in Special Ed Classrooms
Faribault Middle School, in Faribault, Minnesota, shared the powerful results of the full color tunable lights in their Special Education classrooms. Retrofit Lighting & Design upgraded the entire facility to LED lighting and installed full spectrum color tunable lights in both rooms, including a wall-mounted iPad and app based control systems. Teachers from Faribault Middle School share that they have observed reduced problem behaviors, increased patience in their students and staff, as well as more interest in their special education programs.
October 5, 2021
Warehouse Lighting Upgrade (Video)
Retrofit Lighting & Design upgraded the warehouse lighting & office lighting throughout a 30,000+ sq ft building for GNW Machine; a custom manufacturing business in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. The LED retrofit solutions have a payback on investment of approx. 1.7 years, include a large rebate from the utility company, provide increased accuracy, efficiency, overall productivity and a notable boost in employee morale.
September 3, 2021
Tax Benefits for Installing Energy Efficient Lighting
These tax benefits on installing energy efficient lighting are sometimes overlooked and can really make an impact to the bottom line.
June 22, 2021
Brighten Up Senior Living Lighting (Video)
The surprising ways we saved this Senior Living facility over 50% of their project costs while upgrading their lighting, relieving eye-strain, and reducing trip and fall hazards for senior citizens.
May 17, 2021
Color Tuning Lighting in Schools (Video)
Color tuning lighting technology in schools, especially Special Education classrooms, have significant positive benefits for students and staff.
April 28, 2021
Reasons Why Exterior Lighting Should be Installed in the Summer
Scheduling exterior lighting work during the summer can greatly reduce the time it takes to install a project versus doing it in the winter.
April 8, 2021
How to Disinfect the Indoor Air at Your Business (Video)
Ventilation, air purifiers and air filtration systems are part of a safe and proactive plan to protect yourself and your business in this new age of heightened. We worked with Northern Force Dance Company in Blaine, MN to install 2 types of airborne virus and pathogen defense, killing >90% of airborne and surface viruses in 30 minutes.
December 7, 2020
Top 10 FAQ (List)
The Retrofit Companeis, Inc. had the pleasure of working with Johnson, Doerhoefer & Miner P.A. (JDM), at their Owatonna location, to improve their interior office lighting with a simple LED refresh. The Partners at JDM recognized the importance of proper workspace lighting and during, what some are calling, an economic recession, these financial gurus easily concluded that this efficient lighting was a no-brainer.
October 5, 2020
Office Lighting: Upgrading to LED During a Pandemic (Video)
The Retrofit Companeis, Inc. had the pleasure of working with Johnson, Doerhoefer & Miner P.A. (JDM), at their Owatonna location, to improve their interior office lighting with a simple LED refresh. The Partners at JDM recognized the importance of proper workspace lighting and during, what some are calling, an economic recession, these financial gurus easily concluded that this efficient lighting was a no-brainer.
September 24, 2020
Retail Lighting: Small Business Owners Support Each Other During Pandemic (Video)
TRC supports a local small business in Owatonna, MN with improved retail lighting, finding the best options for their budget, excellent rebates from local utilities, and huge savings during a tough time for businesses both small and large.
August 7, 2020
Tunable Lighting Improves Performance and Morale in Workplace
Advanced Masonry Restoration, of St. Paul, Minnesota, worked with TRC, custom Lighting and Design experts, to upgrade their office to the latest LED Tunable Lighting, fully equipped with customized controls in every room. Full color tuning available in every office allows employees to customize their settings to their personal preferences and increases productivity throughout the workplace.
May 5, 2020
5 Ways to Save Money When Your Building is Empty [checklist]
The Retrofit Companies, Inc., Lighting Designer and Contractor out of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides suggestions on how to save money with a temporarily empty or semi-occupied building.
March 30, 2020
Advanced Lighting Controls: CLCP Certified
TRC’s Team of Lighting Professionals Recognized by NALMCO CLCP Official! TRC’s entire Project Development team has received their Certified Lighting Controls Professional (CLCP) designation, placing them at the top of the competitive market within the lighting professionals industry. As lighting and controls become increasingly complex, TRC is proud to provide our customers with […]
March 13, 2020
Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives Renewed Through 2020
An enormous and much needed boost to domestic green buildings was just pushed through congress, most notably supporting energy efficient commercial buildings.
January 20, 2020
5 Ways Lighting Reduces Operating Costs
Reducing Operational Costs Through Lighting Plans By: Bret Wobschall Despite cost savings being just one of the many benefits of an LED retrofit, it is typically the primary justification of an organization doing an LED retrofit. What many people don’t know is that there are still many cost savings that are not typically accounted […]
November 6, 2019
Importance of Proper Light Levels
Whether in industrial or office settings, lighting in your workplace is very important. Believe it or not, proper light levels may increase productivity and alertness in the workplace, whereas poor light levels could cause less productivity, along with health concerns. The perfect level of light can be measured by using foot-candles. Making sure the light-levels […]
September 16, 2019
Flicker Effect with LED Lights
Thought the days of flickering lights were over? As lighting sources have evolved from fluorescent lighting systems to the highly efficient LED lighting systems, many thought the days of light flickering were over, but that’s not the case. Although LED lights have less flickering than fluorescent lighting systems, there are so many different LED tubes […]
September 3, 2019
Annual Peacock Open 2019
TRC Keeps Company Culture and Customer Relations a Top Priority at Annual Golf Outing Southern Hills Golf Course The Retrofit Companies, Inc. has hosted an annual golf outing for nearly 20 years, bringing employees, customers and vendors together to celebrate successful partnerships. For nearly the past decade we have held our Peacock Open […]
August 30, 2019
LED Lighting – Understanding Color Temperature
Have you ever noticed multi-colored light coming from a light fixture and wonder why part of the fixture is yellow and part is blue, or white? Being in the lighting industry, the staff here at The Retrofit Companies, Inc, notices far too often, that the color temperature of lighting solutions is overlooked. Lighting color […]
August 16, 2019
Supporting The Interior Lighting Campaign
The Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC) is a recognition and guidance program from the U.S. Department of Energy designed to help facility owners and managers take advantage of energy-saving opportunities from high-efficiency interior lighting solutions. TRC is a proud supporter of this campaign!
May 20, 2019
Xcel Energy Efficiency Award Recipient – 2018
Energy Efficiency Partner Award Once again, The Retrofit Companies, Inc. is proud to accept the Energy Efficiency Partner Award as a Business Lighting Efficiency Program Winner. It is always an honor to be recognized as a top-tier trade partner and to be considered one of the most effective lighting trade allies. Thank you Xcel […]
April 29, 2019
TRC Lighting Experts Receive Prestigious Certifications
Digger Anderson, TRC’s Lighting Project Development Director, and Chris Wendling, TRC’s Project Developer, receive Lighting Certified (LC) Professionals certifications in January, 2019. Digger is one of approximately 62 individuals with this certification in the state of Minnesota, and Chris Wendling is one of 41 individuals in Iowa.
January 9, 2019VIDEO of LED Motion Sensor Test in Warehouse
This space was redesigned to include energy-efficient LED fixtures on a system of motion sensors that control the on/off of fixtures as people and equipment, like the forklift seen in the video, move through the spaces. Take a look to see the both the rapid movement and slow movement tests.
February 23, 20167 Great Energy Saving Tips You Can Use Today
We talk a lot about how businesses can start saving energy and resources by retrofitting their lighting systems. This can seem like a humongous project if you aren’t a business owner, or if you aren’t the person at your company who is responsible for finding this type of savings opportunity.
May 23, 2013Safety & Savings: Parking Ramp Lighting Retrofits
There really should be a funnier punch line to the joke, “how many lighting contractors does it take to change a light bulb?” – But in all honesty, every single lighting contractor you talk to will likely have a different answer for how to save energy and reduce your overhead.
April 23, 20135 Ways to Control Lighting for Maximum Energy Savings
These five ways to control lighting for maximum energy savings are all relatively easy to implement alongside your lighting upgrade to increase savings, but most of them can also be installed or carried out after a lighting project is completed.
April 23, 2013