Green Smart

Green Smart is the brand name for services Sun State Electric provides across our Construction, Special Projects and Service Divisions for new construction, interiors and existing buildings. We call it "Green Smart" because we believe these are energy efficient, cost efficient practical applications of electrical technology that are good business for bottom-line oriented decision makers. "Green" can mean environment; "Green" can mean "dollars", or "Green" can mean both. Either way, you are "Smart" to install these types of applications to reduce full-life-cycle-costs and to be more environmentally responsible as well.

Our Pre-Construction Estimators, Project Managers and LEED Accredited Professionals work with lighting representatives, key suppliers and manufacturers to assist General Contractors and Property Owners install energy efficient applications for new construction, commercial interiors and existing buildings. We also assist in a Design-Assist and Design-Build collaborative manner to help "Connect-the-Dots" between the owner's needs and practical, real-world technologies that work and that we install and service. We seek to find the balance between the customer's needs and the optimized solution balancing initial installed cost and on-going full-life-cycle costs and savings.

Lighting often amounts to about 30 to 40% of a building's energy cost. Examples of energy efficient applications we install and service as part of our Green Smart services from Sun State Electric Construction, Special Projects and Service Divisions include the following:

New Construction and Commercial Interiors
Key applications from an electrical standpoint (and can achieve 1 to 14 points for LEED Building Certifications) include:

• Energy Savings Lighting Controls:
  • Individual Room Occupancy Sensors - Accoustic or microphonic sensors listening for a certain sound level; infrared line-of-sight sensors looking for a heat blur or heat source; ultrasonic sensors that send out sound waves to see if motion occurred (using Doppler Effect technology) and can go around walls; and Dual Techonology (both infrared and ultrasonic).
  • High Bay Occupancy Sensors - For commercial, institutional, university and hospitals, use wall switch sensors, ceiling based sensors (for conference rooms and halls), wall mounted units, and self-adjusting sensors (digital based technology asking "If-Then" statements.
  • Daylight Harvesting Solutions - Use windows as if a working light fixture. Photocell next to the window working in tandem with a ballast to dim down lights based on natural lights coming in; or works with on/off zones to avoid the need for dimming ballasts.
  • Relay Control Panels - Networked lighting controls to control entire floors or building wings or even an entire building. Uses sophisticated clock installations and occupancy sensors that are set on the network.
  • Smart Panel Technology - Programming for controlling different schedules depending on the day of the week, after hours sweep functions, flash alerts, or remote access into the system to control the system from a Service Desk located in another location (such as a Regional or National Service Desk located in a different city).

Existing Buildings
The following are examples for existing buildings such as Big-Box Retail, warehouses, distribution facilities, manufacturing production, schools, gyms and Churches:

• Removal of older non-energy efficient lighting (such as T-12 or Metal-Halide lighting installations with newer high energy efficient T-8 and T-5 I-Beam light fixtures.
• For those who have already installed these high energy efficient fixtures, next step may be to install occupancy sensors to take energy savings to a new level.
• Or, rather than replace with high energy efficient fixtures, retro-fit T-12 or Metal-Halide lighting installations with High-Bay Controls and Infrared Occupancy sensors. If no motion is detected, the direct line of sight sensors drop down to 50% voltage and about 50% light (about a 50% energy savings). Once motion is detected, it instantaneously increases back to 100%. For some customers, this may be a practical application for many retro-fit jobs due to the relatively low cost of installation while keeping the reliability of Metal-Halide lights; making the most of the existing Metal-Halide asset in place while achieving very material energy savings. Schools, gyms, manufacturing production, warehouse, and distribution facilities are candidates for this application.
• Occupancy Sensors - Wall switch sensors that do not require a neutral conductor to work especially well in older existing buildings and are economical cost efficient installations.
• For more pragmatic solutions for Existing Buildings, click here (Lighting Tips)