Fifty buildings and 100 cases of CFL lamps later, what did I learn?  Success is in the details, upfront planning, experience, energy and economic analysis and that there is more to a successful lighting retrofit than installing new lamps in the existing fixtures.  At the end of the day a successful energy retrofit is measured by the occupant’s comfort, the energy saved and the reduction in maintenance costs associated with the new lighting system that you have provided.

Regardless of how much energy your lighting design saves, unhappy end users and maintenance personnel can unravel that entire savings as fast as you install it.  What have I seen?  I have seen the new energy saving CFL lamps yanked back out and incandescent lamps put back in, the new lights that I specified turned off to make way for high wattage halogen task lamps on every desk, often from their own home, and the maintenance department replacing the new hi-lumen fluorescent lamps with whatever was in there hidden stockpile or was a better bargain.

So what makes a successful lighting retrofit?  They included coordination with the end users, building owners and maintenance personnel and provide the right amount of lighting where it was needed with a mix of economical lighting technologies tailored to each applications needs and often times utilizing the latest modeling software to develop new lighting layouts with retrofit kits or new fixtures.  They also included a realistic and conservative approach to energy/ economic analysis in conjunction with specifications and construction documents tailored to the projects existing conditions and specific scope.

Lighting has also become high tech and shares many components with the mobile electronic devices that are so common in our everyday lives such as cell phones, touch pads and mp3 players.  As we all know, today’s newest hi-tech gadget can be tomorrow’s obsolete paper weight.  The same can be said about some of the latest lighting technologies available today.

 At first blush, it’s pretty obvious with the fast pace growth of lighting why some people are still on the fence about retrofitting their old, inefficient and sometimes obsolete lighting in their buildings that continues to drain their energy budgets but still work.   There is no sign of the lighting industry slowing down anytime soon, so it’s time to jump in and start saving money on your building lighting.

 So when is the right time to do a lighting retrofit?  What technologies are the best to spend your hard earned dollars on, will it be obsolete after it is installed and will the energy savings really payback the cost of the lighting retrofit?  These are some of the topics that we will discuss in future posts and are usually the first questioned that need to be asked when considering a lighting retrofit project.

 An experienced lighting designer who is well versed in lighting retrofits, design tools and current lighting technologies will provide the most energy savings and occupant comfort utilizing the right mix of lighting technologies throughout the project. 

Do you take pride in the quality of work you produce?

Do you enjoy and excel in a team environment?

Do you want to grow yourself and your career to the next level?

Responsibilities:

• Electrical design from start to finish of lighting systems, power systems for buildings (non-residential) and low voltage systems
• Makes electrical calculations, using engineering formulas, software and skills
• Prepares point by point lighting calculations and energy code compliance calculations
• Prepares project specifications
• Researches code requirements for projects
• Maintains project schedule and is responsible for on time deliverables to clients

Qualifications:

• 5 to 15 years experience as Electrical Engineer/Designer with some Project Management experience
• Must have design experiencewith:
  • o Lighting Systems
  • o Power Systems for Building
  • o Low Voltage Systems
• Client interface experience
• General knowledge of National Electrical Code

Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation depends on experience
• Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
• 401(K) with Company match
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Sick Days
• Paid Holidays
• Profit Sharing
• Great team environment
• Fun company events

If this sounds like you, please send your resume to:  mhallett@pkelectrical.com

No phone calls, please.

WBENC’s national standard of certification  is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

To learn more about PK Electrical, Inc., please visit www.pkelectrical.com 

PK Electrical, Inc. is a self-performing electrical engineering firm that provides a broad range of services from low voltage, medium voltage distribution design to electrical and lighting design.

In 2011, Purcell also wrote and published a book and launched a nonprofit, STEMspire, to encourage young women to go into science, technology, engineering and math careers. Her goal is to help young women take advantage of rewarding career opportunities in STEM fields.

Congratulations to Karen Purcell, Alan Wiskus and the entire PK Electrical team.

Lighting Trends

PK Electrical, Inc. is a self-performing electrical engineering, design and consulting firm. Since our inception, the firm has done public and private sector work ranging from $5,000 to $76,000,000. Our commitment to innovative electrical designs has lead to tremendous growth and repeat clientele.

Our team has provided electrical experience to assure quality design of more than 3000 projects. Projects have included military, medium voltage design, universities, healthcare, utility, sustainable projects, roadway lighting, industrial, schools, religious facilities, libraries, airports, office buildings, parks, site lighting, traffic signals, master planning, fire alarm systems and power distribution.