UV-C is a well-established, proven technology that is becoming popular in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but one question about UV-C is how to use this light at your rental store. How can you use it for your equipment sterilization? How can you use it to protect your rental customers?
It’s increasingly important today for construction companies to pay attention to jobsite carbon footprints. After decades of wasteful practices that are destructive to the environment, using purpose-built LED jobsite lights is a proactive step toward reducing the carbon footprint of construction sites.
Most are familiar with the benefits of LED lighting: reduced energy consumption, lower total cost of ownership, longer service life and safer for the environment than traditional bulb-based lights. However, it is often overlooked how concentrated the savings are on a construction site – where temporary lighting is typically run 24/7 for months at a time.
The quick rise of LED technology has led to the inception of innovative purpose-built jobsite lighting which can replace all traditional bulb-based lighting typically used on jobsites. The status quo on temporary lighting on construction sites hasn’t changed much over the last few decades. Most projects still use the typical 50 foot or 100 foot bulb-based stringlight. It’s a well-known fact in the industry that stringlights bring a myriad of challenges to any jobsite. They are cumbersome, time-consuming to install, get blocked by HVAC work, require constant upkeep and sadly, most often end up in a landfill after their first use. Over the years, manufacturers have continually brought quality down in order to meet customer pricing demands. Therefore, bulb-based lighting has become a disposable product rather than an asset, creating increased waste and costs. There is a misconception that by simply replacing old bulbs with new LED bulbs, contractors are achieving their energy reduction goals. While their intentions are well placed, by not addressing the underlying inefficiencies, status quo continues to have a negative impact on project productivity, safety, costs and the environment.
Advancements in LED technology have made it possible for lighting manufacturers to design temporary lighting solutions specifically suited for the construction market. The form factor of LED jobsite lights are not constrained by the inefficiencies of their bulb-based counterparts. For example, one 100-watt 360 degree LED jobsite light can illuminate 2,500 square feet, replacing 250 feet worth of stringlights to light the same sized area. This reduces required installation points from 25 to just one, drastically driving down labour costs along with energy consumption. In addition, there are LED jobsite lights on the market that will include a preinstalled daisy-chain cord that will match the recommended spacing for the lights. Adopting more efficient operating strategies to reduce installation and maintenance time will also help contractors fight today’s skilled labour shortages.
Waste is also significantly reduced by reusing LED jobsite lights from project-to-project. They contain no hazardous chemicals or toxic heavy metals such as the mercury present in compact fluorescent and metal halide bulbs. LED lights can be built to be extremely durable and weatherproof which enable them to withstand water and impact on the jobsite to ensure reusability across multiple projects. Over the lifetime of the single 360 degree LED light mentioned above, over 150 lbs of construction waste will be prevented. If just one single light can provide such positive returns, consider the impact if LED adoption rates can scale up across the country.
A real-life example of the energy savings that can occur by using purpose-built LED jobsite lighting can be seen on a four million square foot mixed-use sports and entertainment complex in Edmonton, Alberta.
Five years ago, LED lighting in temporary applications was still a relatively new concept. Yet, the progressive decision-makers on this project recognized the energy savings that LED would provide and committed to adopting the new technology. The decision certainly proved to be beneficial. The first set of LED jobsite lights were deployed in early 2015. Over the subsequent four years, LED jobsite lights were used during the construction of 5 buildings, amounting to 4.2 million square feet, and resulted in a 90% reduction of energy consumption. Project electricity costs were reduced by a staggering $3,203,573. Compared to bulb-based lights, the use of LED jobsite lights avoided over 32,000 metric tons of CO2, an environmental impact equivalent to removing 6,939 cars from the road or powering 4,847 homes per year.
Through lighting simulations and prospective energy consumption calculations, the estimated cost and environmental savings on a project can easily be seen before the project begins. Not only does this help to increase likelihood of adoption, but the contractor can also incorporate the benefits into communication with their stakeholders giving them a competitive advantage to win more jobs.
The energy savings that result when switching from bulb-based lighting to purpose-built LED jobsite lighting are often underestimated. However, it’s clear that it can be one of the simplest sustainable innovations to implement to have a meaningful impact on our collective fight against climate change.
Contractors who can bring high levels of safety and savings to a job, along with significant environmental benefits through efficient and reusable temporary lighting equipment, are elevating the standard in sustainability across the construction industry.
By Dina Panos
A common issue for every contractor is the incessant number of tools and equipment needed for each task imaginable. A generator mobile light tower is needed for remote area jobs, an electric mobile tower is needed for indoor work, and a diffuser light tower is also needed for night road side construction work. Not anymore. Lind Equipment, a multi award-winning company, has created a simple lighting solution that provides you with all the functionality of these three separate lighting needs in one award-winning package. The All-in-One Beacon LED Tower can be used as an electric powered light tower, a generator powered light tower, and as a no-glare diffuser light tower.
The innovative, All-in-One Beacon LED Tower alleviates the need to own three separate towers for different types of jobs. If you need to illuminate remote construction sites with a full-power light tower, the Beacon LED Tower can do that with an onboard generator as small as 1000W. The Beacon LED Tower has proven its durability and ruggedness on construction sites all over North America, including in the far north, on the ocean, and in the desert. You won’t sacrifice light levels, run time, or durability when replacing your traditional generator fed light towers with the All-In-One Beacon LED Tower. If you need to illuminate an indoor site, or want a light tower that can run quietly without fumes on an external power source, the exact same Beacon LED Tower can do just that. With its extremely efficient Lind Equipment LED light heads, the Beacon LED Tower uses 80 percent less electricity than a traditional light tower without any reduction in light output. This means you can run two All-In-One Beacon LED Towers on a single 15A circuit. They fit through man-doors and a single person can move them around a jobsite with ease. Lastly, if you need to illuminate areas that require diffused, no-glare lighting, such as events or roadside construction, the exact same Beacon LED Tower can do that too. Just clip on our no-glare diffuser frames in under one minute, and your all-in-one Beacon LED Tower provides the glare-free light that you need.
The no-glare diffuser frames are the feature that makes the Beacon LED Tower the All-in-One. The biggest issue found with balloon lighting is that the unit produces light in all directions—including straight up. Not being able to direct the light where you need it is a major flaw with the original design. Lind Equipment’s award-winning designers recognized the flaw and constructed the no-glare diffuser frames to cover the light heads on the Beacon LED Tower. These frames tightly clip onto the back of the powerful, 30,000 lumen floodlights to prevent any movement while in use. Now you have the ability to not only diffuse your light, but the ability to adjust the light heads in the direction you need it; providing your jobsite with the ample amount of light you require. The no-glare diffuser covers are designed to be easy on the eyes and, although still providing bright light, anyone can stare at the light straight on without difficultly. Once your diffuser needs are completed, the frames simply come off as quickly as they went on. Stack them on top of one another with the covers still on and place into our carrying case
Lind has always focused on being innovative and solving the common issues found with traditional lighting equipment. The first (and second) generation of the Beacon LED Tower won numerous awards for its innovation in the light tower market. It solved issues with maneuverability, maintenance, and provided multiple power options to expand its lighting applications. These features plus much more are what made the tower a welcome change in the market. Now, by adding in the diffuser tower mode, this full brightness LED tower is the only solution needed to service all lighting applications.
https://mcsmag.com/all-in-one-beacon-led-tower/
Brian Astl, President of Lind Equipment, writes an impressive article how ‘Improving Batteries and LED’s Drive Light Tower Development’. Also in this issue, the Beacon LED Tower boasts it’s plug in power options: two towers can run off a single 15-amp circuit. Unheard of from traditional metal halide towers! The Beacon 360 Blaze also makes an appearance, replacing any need for traditional bulb-based string lights with it’s powerful light coverage.
Electrical Products and Solutions explain the benefits of the LED Jobsite in the featured article, ‘Purpose-built LED Lighting is a Better Choice of Jobsites’. Brian Astl writes about the ways to save both time and money on a jobsite. Contractors invest in efficient and reusable temporary lights for a productive work environment.
