More electrical contractors are publicizing their knowledge of LED to offer new lighting options. With 60 to 80 percent of electrical contractors now directly influencing or specifying lighting brands, a creative blend of traditional lighting with fast-emerging LEDs solves lighting challenges and meets green requirements.

According to John Maisel, publisher, Electrical Contractor by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), 40 percent of our readers’ lighting projects are design/build. They educate how to bring value to their customers.

MS Electric Inc.'s hotel projects have included the design work for Chicago’s historic Blackstone Hotel in 2006 and a Wit Hotel in 2008. LED technology had really advanced with lower costs, improved white light balance properties and increased applications. the actual costs using LED ended up much lower at approximately $4,000 per month than initial Wit designs focused on load with a projected $10,000 monthly electrical bill.

San Francisco’s Decker Electric Co. faced many challenges during a nine-month design/assist for the Contemporary Jewish Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. Decker’s work included the detailed installation of 70 types of custom lighting fixtures throughout the exhibit area, conference rooms, a 200-person theatre, restaurant areas, a 4,000-square-foot retail store, loading dock, administration offices and a mechanical room.

Controls are considered the largest contribution to improving efficiency through sophisticated addressable ballasts along with daylight and motion sensors. Help them much better.