What Can Solar Lighting Do For Me?

We are all looking for ways to cut cost as the price of living continues to rise. And, with the recent push to more green power sources, we look for ways to do our part in saving the environment. One of the best ways to accomplish both of these aspects is to switch to solar power. There are so many different ways to implement the renewable source in our daily lives, and with a few simple questions, you can find the right one for you.

Perhaps you have a dock, and are always worried that something will cause your light to malfunction. What can you do? Consider installing a solar light. These illumination devices are available as track lighting along the edge of the dock or as pillars that can also serve as mooring. They are reliable even if the power goes out.What can you do for outdoor lighting at your home? There are numerous styles and designs for home outdoor lighting needs in sun powered options. You can find cute little pathway lights to illuminate the walk to your door. You can choose decorative lighting for your gazebo or patio. And, you can even install solar powered security lights to make dark corners of your yard feel safer. With outdoor lighting the options are endless. And, installing these solar systems will save you both money and time.Are all of those warning lights and traffic notifiers using up electricity? In most cases, these lights, like speed indicators, school zone lights and flashing warning lights do depend on electricity. The good news is that more and more localities are switching to solar power for these signs too. Again, this is a great money saver and another step toward green living.Have you always wondered about parking lots and street lamps and the power they use? They are needed, but they seem so unreliable, going out at the worst moment. Are there more reliable options? Solar powered lamps for these cases are more than reliable. They are each self contained, meaning that, if one was to malfunction, and the others will continue to glow brightly. The cost of installation of such a lighting system will pay itself off in a matter of months, since the lights use no electricity and need little or no maintenance.It seems like those city bus stops must use a lot of energy with those lights, but you wouldn't feel safe without some sort of illumination. Are there any other options? Yes! In fact, there are a whole line of lighting systems that depend on solar power. And, some of these systems offer this neat little motion detector, so when a passenger steps under the shelter, the light automatically comes on. These systems could save a city thousands of dollars in electrical bills.As you can see, there are so many excellent solar powered lighting options. These seven above are just a few of the many uses for these lighting systems. For anyone looking to save a great deal of money on power bills or for those looking for green power options, then a solar light system is definitely a great choice. You will not be dissatisfied, and you will love the drop in your electric bill.

As you can see, there are so many excellent solar powered lighting options. These seven above are just a few of the many uses for these lighting systems. For anyone looking to save a great deal of money on power bills or for those looking for green power options, then a solar light system is definitely a great choice. You will not be dissatisfied, and you will love the drop in your electric bill.

The Uses of Track Lighting

Track lighting is used primarily as display lighting. It is ideal for the places that need continuous sharp lighting throughout the room. It provides excellent lighting and can be used to highlight clothes in a shop, paintings in an art gallery of displays in schools. Track lighting can be run from both mains and low voltage options too so it doesn't cost a huge amount to run. There are a large number of scenarios in which track lighting would be used which will be highlighted here in the article.

Track lighting can be run in any direction or used in any combination so even very odd shaped rooms can benefit from it. In a museum there are often displays on the walls. Track lighting can be situated in front of the display with the actual lights pointing onto it. Visitors to the museum then get constant and sharp lighting throughout their journey and are able to view the displays, pictures or other props being used. Art galleries benefit from track lighting too for this reason. The track lighting can be used as very effective lighting for each and every painting or picture displayed on the walls. To appreciate each painting it needs its very own light (or several depending on its size) and track lighting enables just that.There are many reasons to use track lighting as these examples show. Most public buildings can benefit too and it is especially good in places with very high ceilings where ceiling lighting just won't work. It can light paths, be used to highlight displays or products and is very versatile and easy to fit. When you are looking to purchase good value track lighting you should visit your nearest lighting wholesalers where you will find the best prices. Whether it is floodlights for the school pitch you are looking for or track lighting for a display, buying from a reputable lighting wholesalers is the best move to make.Museums are a good example of where display or track lighting would most definitely be needed. There is often a very distinct path through a museum which people are to follow. Above this path track lighting can be used to light the way. Museums are often housed in very large buildings. This is especially true of museums such as the Natural History Museum (how else would a dinosaur fit in?) When the ceiling is very tall it is not possible to have traditional ceiling lights because these would have little effect. Instead it is important to use lighting that is attached to the ceiling by long poles. In other words the lights are situated at a much more useful and appropriate height. Track lighting can be used in this way which also makes it ideal for museums and large buildings with high ceilings.

There are many reasons to use track lighting as these examples show. Most public buildings can benefit too and it is especially good in places with very high ceilings where ceiling lighting just won't work. It can light paths, be used to highlight displays or products and is very versatile and easy to fit. When you are looking to purchase good value track lighting you should visit your nearest lighting wholesalers where you will find the best prices. Whether it is floodlights for the school pitch you are looking for or track lighting for a display, buying from a reputable lighting wholesalers is the best move to make.

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Open-and-shut laundry and sewing room

Open-and-shut laundry and sewing room

Capitalizing on an open second-story hallway, this tiny (7- by 8-foot) laundry and sewing room seems anything but claustrophobic. Sliding cabinet-type doors on three tracks open to let air and light in through a 4 1/2- by 8-foot "window'--or close to conceal work in progress.At each end of the joint shop, pillars support overhead department signs, and display presentations with graphics-- such as "Pastel Essentials" in juniors--key the customers to the latest trends.Here, merchandise is taken to the ceiling with face-outs. All of the upper display merchandise is also located at customer accessible levels, and according to Herbruger, the stock is changed frequently.In the area, rock music blares, lights are more subdued and an invisible line divides the categories, which share a common register area.The Model T doesn't live here any more. Fold back the faded blue doors on this World War I-era shed-roofed garage, and instead of a horseless carriage you see a well-organized home office.

Photo: Tall closet, only as deep as the wall studs, holds the ironing board

He works where the Model T was - remodeling garage for office use

He works where the Model T was

Photo: Opened, the room is ready for everything--from stains to repairs. Towel bar above sink can hold wet drip-dry clothesThese "shops" do indeed accomplish what the Hayward, Calif.-based retailer desired of its new prototype--the appearance of a group of specialty stores under one roof. (See DSN, Dec. 14, 1987.)Within the racetrack, the store's length--instead of width--is now bisected, and this center path winds through the newly created "Young World" shop, which houses young men's and juniors together.Photo: Weathered exterior of old garage gives no hint of high-powered transformation that took place insideIn home fashions, Mervyn's again used trend centers and the pillar support of overhead signage to indicate the shop entrances. While the design left domestics similar to the past, housewares is vastly different with the use of European-inspired white fixtures with pastel accents. Some product is taken to the ceiling and the entire area is tiled.Much of the new store has been well received by customers and company alike, but Herbruger said she expects the retailer will make some alterations with its prototype, such as allowing the floor-to-ceiling sweats in men's and women's to be displayed only above a given height. The display of men's denim may also have to change, as in its present location in young men's, many regular men's customers can't find it, she added.

Photo: Bold as bolts of cartoon lightning, jagged plywood brackets were cut on a jigsaw following cardboard patterns

Mervyn's prototype reflects new image with 'Trend Shops.'

Mervyn's Prototype Reflects New Image with 'Trend Shops'

Mervyn's new shoe shop uses low-profile white fixtures. The plan provides space for displaying shoes on the top of the fixture at eye level, with the stock stacked below.The wall-hugging, wraparound desk is made of hollow-core doors supported by filing cabinets. Above the desk, a shelf of predrilled 2-by-8s slips over 3/4-inch threaded steel rods set into holes drilled in the wall studs.Photo: With sliders closed, second-floor laundry room is hidden from hallway, and from two-story living room and entry hall belowPhoto: L-shaped work area runs around two walls of converted garage. Narrow shelf above desk holds supplies out of the wayWhile the manager said inventory levels are not necessarily higher to accommodate the face-outs, she did say other Mervyn's may feature shorter face-outs, with the depth effect still maintained.He added plywood wainscoting around two sides of the room; it acts as a sort of corset to stiffen the walls. For additional reinforcement, he designed a simple truss: 2-by-3 rafters run from wall brackets made of 2-by-6s sandwiched between angled cutouts of 1/4-inch plywood. He covered walls and ceiling with gypsum board and added track lights overhead. Pastel and white paint brightens the 12- by 20-foot space.Although Mervyn's maintained its racetrack layout, the track has been moved out to where it new bisects several of the outer departments. So instead of a deep department, where merchandise in the back might get lost, the aisle now splits the area, putting more merchandise closer to the customer and creating the individual "shops."Customers were first introduced to the new prototype late last year, and initial response to the changes has been favorable, said store director Doreen Herbruger.Above the white tiled aisles, Mervyn's has dropped the ceiling, which Herbruger said she believes the company will not do in future remodels. Other stores, she said, will pick up some of the best features of the Dublin prototype and incorporate them into their stores.New Shoe DepartmentOne step into the new Mervyn's prototype here and it's clear the promotional soft goods retailer has abandoned its stodgy image.The updated look may also help bolster the 199-store chain's sales, which have been lackluster in recent quarters. Mervyn's, division of Dayton Hudson, is a highly promotional soft goods retailer which competes vigorously with many discount stores for apparel and home goods sales.Although the rotation of wall display merchandise is labor intensive, Mervyn's new prototype has managed some labor savings in its new shoe department. Larger--with space, Herbruger said, taken from lingerie--the department is now self-service, except for a register area.Supplementing natural light from the window are recessed down lights, fluorescent lamps above a perimeter soffit, and track lighting over the work table.Photo: Bold as bolts of cartoon lightning, jagged plywood brackets were cut on a jigsaw following cardboard patternsThe garage needed repair anyway, so when architect Glenn Lym decided to remodel it as a temporary office, he put extra structural support into his design.Photo: Mervyn's, Dublin, Calif.

Photo: Mervyn's, Dublin, Calif.

Author: Pamela Krein

Charlotte's ventures into Manhattan frontier

Charlotte's ventures into Manhattan frontier

Avoiding the cliches of Mexican and Tex-Mex food, Rothman's menu offers grilled chicken breast with pineapple served with salsa and beurre blanc; grilled fajitas with pico de gallo, guacamole, and flour tortillas; bay scallops and leek enchilada with chipotle tomato sauce; and other similarly unexpected entrees.Appletizers include chilled cream of avocado soup, grilled roulades of prime beef, and flautas--corn tortillas wrapped around chicken and fried. Rothman will also offer five daily specials and a South of the Border Bouillabaisse every Friday."I feel it in my bones," she declared. "in a year this will be the leading restaurant in New York City." Schaeffer forecasted $100,000-a-week sales after the first year."This is probably the only Mexican restaurant in New York with a pizza oven." Rothman said.Mexican pizzas are available with a choice of toppings: mesquite grilled onions, pickled jalapenon, roasted garlic, red salsa, black refried beans, and chorizos.Charlotte's Cafe, her 150-seat, $1 million showplace specializing in Soutwestern food, has joined the nearby Gulf Coast, Sunset Strip, and Pasta Pot casual restaurants in staking a claim on the West Village waterfront.Chef Rothman, a Southern California native, made some changes in the kitchen which was designed and constructed before she was hired. She removed several stoves (the kitchen had too many, she said), ordered the pizza oven, had a walk-in installed where a service bar was inconveniently located, and changed the straight-line dishwasher area to a more efficient horseshoe shape.West Street used to be in the shadows of the elevated West Side Highway, which was removed, along with some old waterfront warehouses, a few years ago. The city is considering building a new superhighway and parks on West Street from nearby Battery Park City to midtown.Charlotte's Cafe's waterfront neighbors are drawing customers from outside the area--crucial for any restaurant in the still-desolate area.La Grand Corniche, an expensive tablecloth restaurant a few doors from Charlotte's, closed last year, and the small hotel in which it was situated has been converted to Bailey House, a group home for AIDS sufferers.With its pale green, pink, and black decor in an airy multi-level dining room filled with track lights, cacti, and ficus trees, Charlotte's Cafe is the most upscale of the lot, a beautifully appointed tablecloth restaurant that anticipates an influx of young professionals drawn by the neighbrohood's new apartments and shops. The restaurant's projected $30-a-person average ticket is high for the West Village but moderate for New York.Construction activitiesNEW YORK -- Charlotte Schaeffer is the latest urban pioneer to open a culinary outpost in a restaurant-deprived neighborhood of Manhattan--in this case, lower Christopher Street near West Street and the Hudson River.Despite the gentrification process that has already begun, the neighborhood retains its seedy characteristics, including numerous drug peddlers and their customers. It is also several blocks from the hearts of Greenwich Village.The 5,000-square-foot restaurant occupies a multi-level space on the ground floor of a new apartment building. Schaeffer said she has the room to add another 50 or seo seats in the main dining room.The entire West Village waterfront area, however, is bustling with construction crews erecting apartment houses and converting older buildings to cooperative apartments.Cindy Rothman, former sous chef at Safari Grill and supervising chef at Cafe Marimba, has assembled a menu for Charlotte's Cafe that she described as basic American food seasoned with Mexican herbs and spices. "With Mexican food it's sometimes hard to have a finedining experienceM so I'm combining only the best of Mexican technique and product," she explained a week before the restaurant opened.Dinner entrees are priced from $11.95 to $19.95. Rothman said she is developing a special light-foods menu for the bar are and the sidewalk cafe, which will open in warmer weather. Charlotee's Cafe has a Saturday and Sunday brunch and will begin serving weekday lunch in April.Sunset Strip at West and Horatio streets opened last May and offers an electric menu (chili, tacos, snails with garlic in cream sauce with puff pastry, fried chicken, grilled fish, barbecued ribs, and stir-fried foods) in a whimsically garish setting. Next door, the Pasta Pot features moderately priced Italian food and live jazz.On weekends tourists and shoppers from the suburbs crowd the neighborhood's streets. Among the renovation projects--the conversion of the huge, old Federal Archives Building to rental apartments a block away from Charlotte's Cafe. Schaeffer said the construction activity bodoes well for herlatest venture.Schaeffer, who also owns the Campus Coffee Shop on West Fourth Street near New York University and Charlotte's Island Gourmet Deli in Jensen Beach, Fla., is bluntly optimistic about her new venture.Gulf Coast is a popular Text-Mex restaurant on the corner of West 12th and West streets that recently opened an upstairs room to accommodate its nightly crowds.

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant occupies a multi-level space on the ground floor of a new apartment building. Schaeffer said she has the room to add another 50 or seo seats in the main dining room.

Author: Joe Edwards