Surge protectors vs. circuit breakers—what’s the difference?

We all have our limits, and the wiring in our buildings, computers, peripherals, and appliances is no different. Fortunately, devices exist to detect when those limits have been surpassed and protect against damage. Today we'll look at two mechanisms: the circuit breaker and the surge protector. Each of these devices works differently and does different...

There’s More to Lighting than Lumens

The humble lumen is one of the most commonly referenced specifications for comparing the output of light fixtures. However, it may not always be the most accurate measurement to consider. Read on to learn what we recommend using instead when evaluating your lighting options. Simply put, a lumen (Lm) measures the amount of illumination emitted...

Illuminating the mysterious jargon of lighting

As any architect or designer can tell you, lighting has its own lingo and terminology. So we've put together this glossary of basic lighting terms for you to access any time you need to differentiate a lux from a lumen or decipher the difference between a light source's CRI and CCT.  Ampere (Amp): The basic unit...

Brighten your bottom line with these energy-efficient lighting upgrades

Did you know that lighting consumes close to 35 percent of the electricity used in commercial buildings in the United States? Lighting can also affect other building systems, such as heating and cooling, that may work harder than necessary to mitigate the waste heat that inefficient lighting can produce. Upgrades to a building's lighting plan...

How to conduct a lighting survey to improve the office experience (and productivity!)

As workers continue to return to the office and leave the comforts of their home environment, they bring with them new expectations of what comfortable working should be. The lighting in the workplace is something most office dwellers assume is static and unchangeable. And if employers consider lighting at all, they may assume that if...

More than meets the eye: How lighting affects our biology

Lighting—whether at work, at home, or outdoors—impacts physical and emotional well-being in many ways that can go beyond vision issues. The lighting in the environment in which you live and work can significantly affect your cognition, performance, mood, sleep, and more.  Impact on Moods and Emotions Researchers are just beginning to understand how lighting can...

3 easy checks to detect glare in your workspace

Finding and eliminating glare not only decreases the risk of long-term vision damage but doing so can also improve the employee experience and even increase productivity. If you find yourself routinely experiencing headaches and/or sore or tired eyes at the end of the day, or find yourself squinting to see clearly— glare may be the...

Got a Glaring Problem? How to Fix Glare in Workspaces

Glare is not only annoying and distracting— but it can also be bad for your health. In addition to being a major contributor to eyestrain and headaches, glare can also cause back or neck strain if we’re unwittingly adjusting our posture in order to get a more comfortable view of the task at hand. Think...

Not all Lighting is Created Equal: Choosing between Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Task Lighting

When developing a comprehensive lighting plan, it’s easy to overlook the role of task lighting. Task lighting varies from ambient (general office) lighting in that it provides the necessary, focused light for a particular task, such as reading, computing, and note-taking. One important factor to consider when determining the appropriate level of task lighting is...

6 Tips for a Better Day Working from Home

I’m willing to bet many of you are reading this article from your home office today. And I use the term “home office” loosely because the truth of the situation is that for many of us that really means a corner of a spare bedroom, the dining room table, or even perhaps a converted closet....