LM&M April 2020

APRIL 2020 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 1

The magazine of the interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies, NALMCO®

Internet of Lights

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

William L. Sgro, CLMC, CLCP Eco Engineering, Inc., Simi Valley, Calif.

Phone: (805) 579-0777 bsgro@ecoengineering.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT/TREASURER Lighting Management & Maintenance is published by the interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies (NALMCO®).

Heather Tamminga, CAE – Editor Tonya Vitzthum, Associations Inc. – Advertising Happy Medium – Graphic Design Mittera – Printer Cover Credit – istock.com

QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK NALMCO HEADQUARTERS 1255 SW Prairie Trail Parkway Ankeny, IA 50023 Phone: (515) 243-2360 Fax: (515) 334-1164 Email: director@nalmco.org ADVERTISING Tonya Vitzthum Phone: (515) 669-3010 tvitzthum@associationsinc.us

Scott W. Mendelsohn, CLMC Imperial Lighting Maintenance Company, Chicago, Ill. Phone: (773) 794-1150 scott@imperiallighting.com

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Chris Frank, CLMC Colorado Lighting, Inc., Denver, Colo.

Phone: (303) 288-3152 cfrank@coloradolighting.com

VICE PRESIDENTS

Randy Allen, CALT Facility Solutions Group, Dallas, Texas Phone: (214) 351-6266 randy.allen@fsgi.com Erik J. Ennen, CLMC, CLCP Center for Energy and Environment, Minneapolis, Minn.

Phone: (612) 819-7245 eennen@mncee.org Monica Kristo, CALT, CLMC Rea Lighting Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

Phone: (952) 300-7110 monica@realighting.net Rob Wilson, CLMC Stones River Electric, Madison, Tenn.

Phone: (615) 885-0019 rwilson@stonesriverelectric.com

ASSOCIATE MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES Lighting Management & Maintenance publishes information for the benefit of its members and readers.

The sponsor (NALMCO), publishers and editors of Lighting Management & Maintenance cannot be held liable for changes, revisions or inaccuracies contained in the material published. For detailed information on the products, programs, services or policies covered in Lighting Management & Maintenance, it is recommended readers contact the appropriate person, company, agency or industry group.

NALMCO®, Certified Lighting Management Consultant®, CLMC®, Certified Senior Lighting Technician®, CSLT®, Certified Lighting Contols Professional®, Certified Apprentice Lighting Technician® and CALT® are registered trademarks.

Trademark filed and pending for CLCPTM.

Christina Calaway, CLMC Ashtabula, Ohio Phone: (714) 458-7903 Christina.Calaway@outlook.com David Errigo Acuity Brands, Ridgeley, W. Va. Phone: (877) 354-6522 david.errigo@acuitybrands.com

Ron Hughes Lighting Resources, LLC, Simi Valley, Calif.

Phone: (317) 513-4020 ron.hughes@lightingresourcesinc.com

EX-OFFICIO ADVISOR

Randy Breske, CLMC, CLCP Milwaukee, Wisc.

Phone: (414) 463-3857 randysbreske@gmail.com

LM&M | April 2020

3

18

12

20

APRIL 2020 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 1

NALMCO®

MEMBERSHIP RESOURCES & UPDATES 05

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

07

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES

08

CERTIFICATION RECOGNITIONS

10

NEW MEMBERS

LIGHTING MAINTENANCE, SALES & MANAGEMENT FUTURE TRENDS & BUSINESS

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT CASE STUDY 19

BOULDER CITY AND COUNTY CONSERVES ENERGY, REDUCES LIGHT TRESPASS, AND IMPROVES ILLUMINATION THROUGH LIGHTING UPGRADE

20

ARCONIC INDUSTRIAL FACILITY MAINTENANCE AND ENERGY SAVINGS UPGRADE

ADVERTISING INDEX Acuity, Back Cover

12

INTERNET OF LIGHTS

14

PRESENTING YOUR WINNING ONE-PAGE PROPOSAL

By Mark Jewell

Elliot Equipment, Inside Front Cover

17

COMMERCIAL BUILDING DEDUCTION IS BACK

Universal Lighting Technology, 11

By Craig DiLouie, CLCP, LC

By Craig DiLouie, CLCP, LC

SPECIAL SECTION 18

4

SPRING SEMINAR EXPERIENCES RECORD-BREAKING SUCCESS

LM&M | April 2020

EiKO Global, LLC, 6

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

OPENING THE NEW DECADE ON A HIGH! We are starting the new decade on a high with a recordsetting attendance at the Spring Seminar hosted by Acuity Brands Lighting in Atlanta, Ga. A total of 161 general and associate members participated in learning labs covering technology updates on the IoT of Things, data collection systems and LED retrofit updates. The event was topped off with a very successful site visit to the Acuity Learning Center in Conyers, Ga. Thank you, Acuity Brands Lighting and members, for your continued support!

As we enter the new decade, our industry continues its transformation to the new order in lighting, digital data collection systems and the IoT of Things. Consolidation, restructuring of companies around the new technologies, and exiting from traditional lighting products are becoming common place as our manufacturing and associate members maneuver to position themselves for the teutonic shifts that are taking place in our industry.

To paraphrase an old saying, these are the worst of times and they are the best of times.

We are seeing our business models impacted by this transformation, whether we like it or not. Here are a few interesting facts and figures I have encountered over the past several months as it relates to our industry and its direction.

A recent Deloitte study estimates that sensors in the commercial real estate market will grow at 78 percent annual growth rate between 2015 and 2020 with 1.3 billion sensors deployed by the end of 2020.

Osram recently reported in Research and Markets Report that more than 80 percent of new construction incorporates at least one type of IoT or related smart building technology. And it is anticipated that the smart building market with grow nearly tenfold within the next five years to $51 billion globally by 2023. North America will lead this growth with approximately 36 pecent market share by 2023 with especially strong growth in offices, warehouses, hotels, and retail spaces. The report goes on the say that 90 percent of legacy buildings in developed economies have issues that will require substantial retrofitting to integrate smart building technologies.

The other key findings in the report are smart building automation systems will grow at 48.3 percent CAGR from 2018–2023 and mobile edge computing (MEC), 5G, real-time IoT data analytics, and asset tracking are key solution areas (potential new business opportunities for NALMCO members).

In the retail market segment, a recently published Microsoft hypothesis IoT Signals Retail Spotlight reports: • Almost all respondents are using or looking to use IoT solutions and the majority say IoT is critical to their company’s long-term success.

• In the US, IoT is widely adopted in retail and more often used for security. In Europe, supply chain/store optimization are the more popular uses.

• Ninety-two percent of the respondents indicated that they have at least one project in either the learning, proof of concept (POC), purchase, or use phase.

LM&M | April 2020

5

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE • Sixty-nine percent of respondents indicated that IoT increases operational efficiency while 64 percent cited cost savings as a significant benefit, 62 percent felt IoT helps increase their competitive edge, and 56 percent felt IoT opens up new revenue streams.

• A conclusion of the research was that retailers view IoT as indispensable to their business success and that their use of the technology will continue to grow in the coming years.

These industry segments are the heart of our business models, and we will either be prepared to meet the challenge or not. But, as in past industry transformations, NALMCO members have taken a leadership role in providing competent, professional, and effective service and support to the new technology. Smart building technology is more expansive and outside our comfort zones, but with foresight and a recognition that the markets are changing, a commitment to training and education, and outreach programs, we will be prepared to provide trained, knowledgeable technicians, engineers, and sales personnel to effectively assist our client base in executing the IoT of Things in their buildings and facilities.

And, again, paraphrasing that old saying: these are the worst of times and they are the best of times. The choice is ours to make.

C O M M I S S I O N I N G M A D E E A S Y.

See you in October.

Bill Sgro, CLMC, CLCP NALMCO President bsgro@ecoengineering.com

X E L E U M ® by EiKO is a technology platform of intelligent fixtures with the Xi-Fi® wireless control system—featuring an intuitive interface that makes commissioning and operating a breeze.

eiko.com 6

LM&M | April 2020

MEMBERSHIP

UPDATES

NALMCO ROADSHOW

YESCO

You may not know this, but NALMCO invests in promoting its members at events and trade shows throughout the year.

2020 DOE Lighting R&D Workshop

L to R: Mark Lien, IES; Diane Borys, Noctluca Lighting Design/ H+W Engineering; Megan Carroll, New York Digital; Erik Ennen, NALMCO VP Certification; and Bob Preston, Capital Electric/ Sonepar

Next up was celebrating YESCO’S 100th Anniversary, February 19–20, in Las Vegas. YESCO has over 100 locations throughout the US. The company adopted NALMCO certifications as standard training for technicians, sales and office staff. It is a great way for YESCO to emphasize safety, training and expertise to their customers and potential clients. We appreciate their commitment to NALMCO and enjoy being a part of their business model.

In January 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) partnered to advance the quality and efficiency of lighting through science and engineering. At the R&D Workshop, top lighting scientists and industry experts gathered to share the latest on lighting science and technology advances.

NALMCO’s Erik Ennen, CLMC, CLCP, VP Certification, was a panel presenter for “The Business of Lighting.” Panel members included Mark Lien, IES; Diane Borys, Noctluca Lighting Design/H+W Engineering; Megan Carroll, New York Digital; and Bob Preston, Capital Electric/Sonepar.

The panel explored how lighting is designed from both a lighting design and a design and build perspective.

LM&M | April 2020

7

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES

NALMCO OFFERS EXTENSIVE WORKFOCE DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES NALMCO offers exams, training modules and study manuals online, removing all barriers to workforce development.

Train your workforce using NALMCO’s four certification programs developed by lighting industry experts.

NALMCO’s training programs are annually reviewed to ensure programs are relevant to industry changes.

Professionally narrated training modules, electronic manuals and online exams assure that training is easy to access and fit into any busy schedule.

NALMCO training programs: 1. Offer cost-effective resources to train your staff.

2. Are convenient – study manuals, training modules and exams are offered online.

3. Increase efficiency and reduce liability – trained technicians are effective and have fewer accidents.

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

CLCP

™

CERTIFIED LIGHTING CONTROLS PROFESSIONAL®

Assures that experienced professionals are highly educated about lighting controls based on curriculum designed by the Lighting Controls Association.

CERTIFIED LIGHTING MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT®

CLMC

®

Lighting management professionals who have demonstrated superior knowledge and technical expertise in the areas of design, lighting, controls and sustainability. *Qualifies for Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional (CLEP) reciprocal certification through partnership with Association of Energy Engineers (AEE).

4. Provide credibility – stand out as a leader and acknowledge your achievements in the industry.

PLAN AHEAD AND EARN YOUR CLMC

TECHNICAL CERTIFICATIONS

CALT

™

CERTIFIED APPRENTICE LIGHTING TECHNICIANTM

Basic lighting terminology and lighting management operations.

Prerequisite to the Certified Senior Lighting Technician (CSLT).

CERTIFIED SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANTM

CSLT

™

Experienced technicians reinforce the principles of basic and advanced lighting and lighting management operations. The Certified Apprentice Lighting Technician (CALT) is a prerequisite.

The Certified Lighting Management Consultant (CLMC) certification recognizes members of the lighting management industry who have demonstrated superior knowledge and technical expertise. Obtaining the CLMC certification is one of the industry’s greatest achievements. It is the oldest nationally-recognized lighting certification program in the nation, as well as the first to be accepted by EPA’s ENERGY STAR®.

NALMCO offers the CLMC Content Review Session and Exam at the Spring Seminar and Annual Convention. The Content Review Session is a two-hour formal presentation followed by two hours of open study. There is no fee to participate in the Content Review Session. If you plan to take the exam, however, you must complete and submit the CLMC Application in advance to ensure all exam qualifications are met.

Application and Exam Registration: $500/members; $1,000/Non-Members Application and payment must be submitted and approved in advance. Walk-in candidates cannot be accepted.

8

LM&M | April 2020

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES Register online, www.NALMCO.org under the Certification tab.

Don’t forget, once you earn the CLMC certification you are eligible to apply for the CLEP certification through our reciprocal agreement with AEE. Another great value to distinguish yourself in the industry.

EXAM DATES October 4, 2020 Glendale, Ariz.

67th Annual Convention and Trade Show March 2, 2021 Orlando, Fla. NALMCO Spring Seminar Hosted by Lighting Resources, LLC October 10, 2021 ChampionsGate, Fla. 68th Annual Convention and Trade Show

CERTIFICATION

RECOGNITIONS Congratulations to the following individuals for earning their professional designations!

CERTIFIED APPRENTICE LIGHTING TECHNICIAN™ (CALT™) ALL ELECTRIC SUPPLY, INC. Heather Linton Hightower, CALT

CANDELA SYSTEMS CORPORATION Ana Pavon, CALT Esther Perez, CALT DECA SOUTHWEST Qassim Al-Qattan, CALT FACILITY SOLUTIONS GROUP Raven Brown, CALT Kendahl Cole, CALT Heather Duckworth, CALT

Eric Evridge, CALT Hannah Halphen, CALT Destanie Jones, CALT Brendan Napoli, CALT Megan Schoonover, CALT Aleda Thorpe, CALT Matthew Zitney, CALT LAMP AND LIGHT ELECTRIC Tate Eugene Cooper Holmes, CALT LUMATECH William R. Simpson, CALT Christopher Wennberg, CALT RANIS ELECTRIC INC. Samuel Leung, CALT STAY-LITE LIGHTING, INC. Vincent Alessi, CALT John Boucher, CALT Mark Davidson, CALT Devin Quello, CALT SUNSET LIGHTING Brennan J. Kelley, CALT THINKLITE Sean Troy, CALT VISTA UNIVERSAL, INC. Mark Anthony Avila, CALT YESCO, LLC Jerry Harps, CALT YESCO - DELAWARE Zach Adams, CALT INDIVIDUALS Dustin Badman, CALT Riley Joseph Bulger, CALT Nathan Daniel Clark, CALT Jeffrey Farrick, CALT An Ho, CALT Drew Kreutner, CALT Caleb McCarthy, CALT Catherine Mendoza, CALT Jason Molter, CALT Joseph C. Scott, CALT, CLCP Garret Smith, CALT LM&M | April 2020

9

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES

CERTIFIED SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIAN™ (CSLT™) CANDELA SYSTEMS CORPORATION Chris Wells, CSLT D&S ELECTRICAL SUPPLY Dave Bennett, CSLT DECA SOUTHWEST Raphael Palasi, CSLT ENERGY MANAGEMENT COLLABORATIVE Joshua Hertzer, CSLT

NEW CERTIFIED LIGHTING MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT® (CLMC®)

ENERGY CONSERVATION & SUPPLY/ECS GLOBAL SERVICES Elliot Levy, CLMC Gretchen Sanchez, CLMC LIGHTING SERVICES, INC. Hannah P. Netto, CLMC V Z ELECTRIC & GENERAL CONSTRUCTION INC. Kyaw Zay Ya, CLMC, CLCP

MIDSTATE ENERGY Robert Coy, CSLT, CLCP YESCO DELAWARE Scott Eyler, CSLT

NEW CERTIFIED LIGHTING CONTROLS PROFESSIONAL® (CLCP™) ILLUMETEK CORP. Kristen Cooke, CLCP

NLCAA Mario Martinez, CLCP PERFORMANCE LIGHTING SYSTEMS Brandon A. Kiernan, CLCP Sean Nichols, CLCP SESCO LIGHTING Joe Braithwaite, CLCP THE RETROFIT COMPANIES Jacob Friederichs, CLCP WESTBURNE (DIVISION OF REXEL) Kevin Roy Sumner, CLCP WSP USA Nicolas Hasegawa, CLCP INDIVIDUALS Sterling Bridge, CLCP Collin Jones, CLCP 10

LM&M | April 2020

NEW

MEMBERS

GENERAL MEMBERS

Eclipse Lighting & Electrical 1260 S. Simpson Cir. Anaheim, CA 92806-5530 Phone: (714) 871-9366 Contact: Scott Storms, Director of Corporate Strategy, scott@eclipselightingservices.com HB Retrofit LLC II 3725 Nowlin Rd. NW Kennesaw, GA 30144-1034 Phone: (678) 755-6494 Contact: Trevor Brown, CEO, ceo@hbretrofit.com

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

HiLumz USA 1335 Ridgeland Pkwy, Ste. 150 Alpharetta, GA 30004-5760 Phone: (770) 289-0010 Contacts: Marc Noland, mnoland@hilumzusa.com John Weishaar, jweishaar@hilumzusa.com

MEMBERSHIP UPDATES Luminance Brands/Magnum Innovations 1945 S. Tubeway Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 Phone: (425) 344-1249 Contacts: Devon Anderson, Director of Connected Lighting, danderson@luminancebrands.com Miguel Galicia, South RSM, mgalicia@luminancebrands.com Ken Hines, Director of Sales, khines@luminancebrands.com

LM&M ONLINE SEARCH BY TOPIC

Do you remember reading a past article in LM&M about incentives, controls or ballasts but can’t recall the issue?

We have you covered! Under the Publications tab of NALMCO.org, you can search for past articles by topic and post them to your social feeds including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, or you may email them directly to others on your team who would benefit from the knowledge. Archived articles begin with the February 2017 issue through the current issue. Digital archives of full LM&M issues are found on the site, starting with the 2012 volumes.

Ryan Kornblatt, rkornblatt@luminancebrands.com Dominique Manriquez, SW RSM, dmanriquez@luminancebrands.com Michael Mariscal, SE RSM, mmariscal@luminancebrands.com George Morales, Accounting Master, gmorales@luminancebrands.com Tony Sasala, tsasala@luminancebrands.com Duane Swonger, Midwest RSM, dswonger@luminancebrands.com

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS

Tom Foran Principal & Sales Representative – Lighting Products Roadway Management Products 3403 W. Cherokee Avenue Tampa, FL 33661 Phone: (904) 703-1090 tjforan@gmail.com

RETROFIT

AWAY. We want to make a confession.

We like

EASY.

YEAR 140K+ 7 WARRANTY

HOUR LUMEN MAINTENANCE

CALCULATED AT L70

Universal’s SOLUTIONS put you in CONTROL. Learn more at https://unvlt.com/products/led-retrofit-kits-luminaires/ or call 615.316.5322.

For a list of DesignLights Consortium ® QPL listed products please visit www.designlights.org/qpl/en/saved/UBU24XJ

LM&M | April 2020

11

INTERNET OF LIGHTS

BY CRAIG DILOUIE, CLCP, LC

By now, most lighting pros are familiar with the basic promise of the Internet of Things (IoT): Driven by miniaturization, technological advances, and falling costs in microprocessors, sensors, and wireless communications, we now have the ability to connect and streamline building systems and sensors in an intelligent network to gain the benefits of automation, sensor-driven data, and data-driven services.

The lighting industry was quick to see a central role for the luminaire in this vision. Lighting is used everywhere in the built environment, is always powered, is evenly spaced, and typically doesn’t move or suffer damage. The installation of LED lighting in existing buildings provides an opportunity to install onboard sensors and connectivity as part of the retrofit.

While the luminaire offers valuable potential real estate for the IoT, networked lighting control also has a role to play

12

LM&M | April 2020

both as a potentially IoT-friendly building system and as a limited application of the IoT itself. Driven by maturing wireless networking, simpler commissioning, and growing digitalization, networked lighting control counts wireless communication, bandwidth, intelligence, and software as core competencies. With these capabilities, networked lighting control can do much of what the IoT can do, which is programmable control, data sharing between devices, measuring, monitoring, and performance optimization. This gives us an Internet or Intranet of Lights, or, put another way, IoT Light or Lite.

The IoT has a number of challenges as it struggles in its infancy, one of which is the customer has yet to decide with the IoT means to them. Because few customers are exactly alike, the IoT will not be a single monolithic market. In some projects, the lighting control system may provide the needed benefits, while in others, it may serve as part of a larger solution in an overarching IoT system.

FUTURE TRENDS & BUSINESS It’s all about talking to the customer and discovering what they need.

managers capture where and how people use the space as real-time and historical information.

For lighting management companies, all this brings a degree of uncertainty. Some may wish to look for opportunities that most easily actionable, pairing the value a networked lighting control system can provide to projects wanting no more, no less. This may involve a conversation that goes beyond energy into data. Below are five applications that are actionable today with advanced luminaires and networked controls.

Asset tracking. Another potential real-time location services application for Bluetooth LE is asset tracking.

Using an app, hospital staff, for example, can find the correct floor, area, and room to locate people and equipment, such as crash carts. This is accomplished with radio-frequency ID tags on people or equipment, which periodically transmit a signal that is caught by BLE beacons embedded in luminaires. The frequency of the signal is based on how mobile the asset is expected to be and how close to real-time the location estimate must be.

Together, they can provide a compelling business case for networked controls, and can offer value-adds for a light as a service contract.

Energy optimization. This is typically the starting point of the conversation and an opportunity to present a hard ROI. The networked lighting control system can automate lighting operation based on programmable profiles, finetune control strategies to optimize savings, and report this information for software viewing. Further opportunities may be gained through integration with other building systems, such as the HVAC system adjusting setpoints based on occupancy status.

Space utilization. Many large property management firms use integrated workplace management systems. By sending occupancy data to a server whenever a change is detected to build historical usage profiles, a networked lighting control system can put this capability in the hands of smaller facilities and multisite enterprises, helping them to take the guesswork of how to optimize the use of space. Data can be used to support space planning, manage resources required to support traffic, manage meeting room availability, optimize cleaning schedules, and manage leases and utilities.

While occupancy sensors are binary (the space is occupied or not occupied), new technologies are enabling the counting of how many people are in the space, such as Bluetooth LE beacons embedded in luminaires, which interact smart phones and count them to produce an occupancy estimate.

Maintenance. Many centralized networked lighting control systems are able to monitor connected luminaires and devices, producing alarms and notifications about abnormal operation or failure along with the device’s location. This is obviously helpful for maintenance, particularly for complex applications like roadway lighting.

Otherwise, the data can be processed by third-party apps for a variety of purposes, whatever the owner needs.

While the IoT continues to develop, networked lighting provides immediate opportunities for building owners to optimize energy savings and realize benefits that go far beyond energy, via the Internet of Lights.

Craig DiLouie, CLCP, LC, principal of ZING Communications, Inc., is a consultant, analyst and reporter specializing in the lighting and electrical industries, and a regular contributor to LM&M. You may contact Craig at cdilouie@zinginc.com.

Indoor positioning. Bluetooth LE can further be used for indoor positioning. By analyzing signal strength to different beacons indicating distance, the system can triangulate to determine occupant location. Occupants can use this with an app for wayfinding and locating items, while facility LM&M | April 2020

13

PRESENTING YOUR WINNING ONE-PAGE PROPOSAL

BY MARK JEWELL

14

LM&M | April 2020

FUTURE TRENDS & BUSINESS Concise communication is vital to virtually any winning sales process. For this reason, you need to make a thoughtfully drafted one-page proposal a no-exceptions best practice. That one-pager needs to focus on the “why” more than the “what,” “how,” “how much,” or “when.”

It’s the document that gets your prospect motivated to move forward.

driving or walking! Eliminating the effort required for visual processing frees up your brain for incredibly active listening. With a little practice, you’ll find that keenly listening to your prospect’s choice of words, their volume and tone, the relative amount of time it takes them to answer each of your questions, etc. can provide a valuable edge as you’re navigating your way to “yes.”

I’m often asked what’s the best way to present that onepage proposal to your prospect. Should you deliver a hard copy in-person, walk the prospect through it, and offer to field questions and comments? What if distance or scheduling makes it impractical to present your proposal in-person? Could you just email the one-pager and then follow-up with a phone call to close the deal?

Returning to our main topic of whether you should present your one-page proposal in-person or over the phone, I would say that if you have a properly crafted one-page proposal and active listening skills, it shouldn’t matter.

Let me preface my answer with two observations.

First, most of the selling I’ve done in my career has been via phone and email rather than in-person. That’s been especially true in recent years given that our clients now span multiple continents.

Second, the amount of face time that takes place before the final proposal stage can impact whether the proposal itself needs to be presented in-person. The complexity of the offering can also be a factor.

BUILDING RAPPORT AND GAINING INSIGHT Many salespeople prefer interacting with prospects faceto-face regardless of what they’re selling or how much time they’ve already spent meeting with the prospect.

They say it helps build rapport. Some maintain that you can learn a lot from observing a prospect’s body language if you know what to look for.

That may be true; however, think about the practicality of insisting on in-person presentations. The travel. The need to get everyone in the same room at the same time.

Rescheduling meetings with prospects who suddenly need to cancel. The in-person presentation may have its advantages, but wow, it’s hardly time-efficient.

Surely there must be other ways to build rapport and gain insight into what your prospect is thinking besides watching them speak. What if you kept your eyes closed while they were speaking? Seriously. The next time you’re speaking with your prospect on the phone, try keeping your eyes closed—provided you’re not also

For starters, a winning one-page proposal has to be compelling enough to convince your prospect. Plus, it has to provide that prospect with a strong enough case to persuade anyone else in the organization whose approval is needed.

And realize that even if you get a face-to-face meeting with your internal champion to present your one-pager, there’s no guarantee you’ll get similar face time (or even a phone conversation) with all those other folks who also have to agree.

Bottom line, if you’ve crafted a truly concise and compelling one-pager, you won’t have to worry about whether you get to present it in-person or over the phone. You should feel confident that your message is sufficiently powerful to make the sale even if you don’t get to speak with every decision-maker or influencer. Your one-pager should be robust enough to carry the day, even if your internal champion simply circulates your proposal internally and recommends approval.

PRESENTATION TIPS TO REMEMBER Assuming you do get to present your one-page proposal, here are some tips to remember, whether you’re doing it in-person or over the phone: 1. Send your one-page proposal in advance. Allow several minutes at the beginning of the interaction for your prospect to assimilate what you’ve written, especially if it becomes obvious that they haven’t read it yet!

2. Whether you’re on the phone or in person, you needn’t read the one-pager aloud word for word. Instead you might say, "As you can see from the title of our

LM&M | April 2020

15

FUTURE TRENDS & BUSINESS one-page proposal, we're talking about ‘x’," where “x” would be a paraphrased version of your one-pager’s title. You might continue by focusing on the three or four quantitative targets you’ve highlighted with bullets at the top of the page.

3. Ideally this introduction should take less than a minute or two. The intention is to grab the prospect’s attention. For example, you might say, "You’ll notice some references to your recent vandalism and even a purse snatching last month in your parking lot.

We've done a survey of supermarket parking lots within a 10-block radius and found nighttime lighting levels two to three times higher than yours at all but one of them. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (who sets standards for this sort of thing) recommends ‘y’ footcandles (which is how illuminance is measured). Your lighting levels are presently a third of that. I’m sure you’d agree with me that adequate lighting is a powerful tool for deterring crime. We also mentioned in our proposal that other retailers have noticed a link between brighter lighting and better nighttime foot traffic, which leads to higher sales. In our technical appendix, we’ve included those references for you and your colleagues to review if you’re interested."

4. Continue by briefly summarizing the highlights of the one-pager. Remember to focus the prospect’s attention on the most compelling aspects of the proposal—the “why”—which in most cases will be the non-utility-cost financial benefits (e.g., higher sales) and/or non-financial benefits (e.g., improved security) rather than the more obvious utility-cost financial savings.

5. Keep your verbal summary concise. Remember, your prospect should be able to read your well-written one-pager from top to bottom in four minutes or less.

It would be silly to think that your summary of that one-pager would take much longer than that!

6. Be sure to leave time to address their questions and comments. And if they don’t volunteer any questions when given the opportunity, feel free to reclaim any remaining time by saying something like, “One of the questions I typically get asked is...”

7. When you sense the timing is right to ask for the order, you might say something like, “Now that we’ve reviewed benefits ‘a’ and ‘b’, how soon would you like

16

LM&M | April 2020

to start enjoying them?” That’s a polite way of saying, “How soon will we receive your notice to proceed?”

8. Whether you’ve presented your one-pager in-person or over the phone, be sure to send minutes of your conversation afterwards via email. That follow-up will not only anchor the case for approval, but also memorialize the action items that you and your prospect agreed to take as well as the timelines for doing so.

This article recently appeared in Selling Energy’s daily blog.

For more blogs to help you grow your business, visit www.sellingenergy.com/blog or download the Selling Energy app from the Apple or Google Play store.

NALMCO, SELLING ENERGY COLLABORATE TO DELIVER RESULTS Thanks to our recently announced collaboration with Selling Energy, NALMCO is now able to deliver awardwinning, lighting-solutions-focused sales training to its members in many forms. This issue’s article on “Presenting Your Winning One-Page Proposal” is just one example of that valuable content. Selling Energy also presented a Learning Lab called “Expressing the True Value of Energy Projects Using Your Customers’ Own Yardsticks” at Spring Seminar and will speak at the Annual Convention & Trade Show in October 2020. Soon you’ll be hearing about free NALMCOonly webinars featuring lessons taken from Selling Energy’s award-winning in-person trainings. And then there’s Selling in 6™, hundreds of six-minute lessons on how to grow your revenue and margins that viewable on any smartphone or other internetconnected device. NALMCO members receive a discount on Selling in 6™ licenses and all of Selling Energy’s other training tools and resources.

For more information, visit www.sellingenergy.com or email info@sellingenergy.com.

COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS DEDUCTION IS BACK

BY CRAIG DILOUIE, CLCP, LC In late December 2019, President Trump signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR1865) into law, which extended the Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction (CBTD) retroactively to January 1, 2018 onward to December 31, 2020. This revives a financial incentive that lighting management companies can use to promote adoption of energy-efficient lighting retrofits anywhere in the United States.

The CBTD, which was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, modifies Section 179D of the Federal tax code to provide an accelerated tax deduction of $0.60-$1.80/ sq.ft. of installed area as an incentive to install energyefficient interior lighting, HVAC/hot water systems, and building envelope.The CBTD was allowed to expire several times, only to be revived. Like a zombie, the CBTD keeps coming back in appropriations bills, usually retroactively to the beginning of the current or previous year. This latest appropriations law extends it to include the years 2018-2020.

The CBTD is important because it allows building owners to claim a tax deduction for installed improvements in a single year instead of spread out over a period of years, as required by tax law. This is subject to a cap of $0.60/ sq.ft. for installing an individual system (lighting, HVAC/hot water, building envelope) or $1.80/sq.ft. for installing all three. Whatever cost is left over is then deducted normally.

If the building is publicly owned, the party or parties that created the technical specifications for the installation can claim the CBTD. Religious buildings do not qualify because religious organizations are exempt from taxation.

Now let’s get into lighting. There are two ways to get the deduction, the “normal” CBTD and the Interim Lighting Rule, which despite its misleading name has endured as a CBTD option since the beginning. To get the CBTD, interior lighting must be installed that gains sufficient energy reductions compared to a baseline, which is the ASHRAE/ IES 90.1 energy standard. The CBTD was once based on the 2001 version but is now based on the 2007 version, making it more difficult to achieve. These reductions must

be demonstrated using energy modeling and qualified software. Because of these requirements, the CBTD may be better suited to new construction and renovation rather than existing building upgrades.

For the latter market, the Interim Lighting Rule may be more suitable. Owners install energy-efficient interior lighting that reduces lighting power density by 25-40 percent compared to ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2007, and is rewarded with an accelerated tax deduction of up to $0.30-$0.60/sq.ft. to cover its cost. An exception is warehouses, where the new lighting must achieve a 50 percent lower LPD to gain a deduction up to $0.60/sq.ft.

Besides reducing lighting power density, the owner must also install bilevel switching controls in a majority of occupancies, which may be dimmable LED lighting. The project must achieve minimum light levels prescribed in the Ninth Edition of the IES Lighting Handbook.

After installation, per IRS Notice 2008-40, the project must be certified by a contractor or engineer properly licensed in the jurisdiction in which the building is located, and who is not in the owner’s direct employ. This party certifies the project in writing, stating it achieves the necessary energy savings, features bilevel switching, and realizes appropriate light levels. Any software can be used to calculate the energy savings. The certification letter must state the certifier’s qualifications and that the project was field-inspected in accordance with the Energy Savings Modeling and Inspection Guidelines for Commercial Building Federal Tax Deduction. Finally, the letter must list all energy-efficient lighting components, explain these features, and include the projected lighting power density.

While the CBTD has ridden a rocky road, it has endured to offer commercial building owners across the United States a strong incentive to upgrade their interior lighting systems. With today’s LED technology and dimmable drivers, lighting management companies can derive the necessary savings. Learn more at https://bit.ly/2ML3RA4.

LM&M | April 2020

17

SPRING SEMINAR EXPERIENCES

RECORD-BREAKING SUCCESS • Micro-learning: Driving Learning with Gamification, Lighting Resources • The Compelling Case for Wireless Bluetooth Mesh Lighting Control, Linmore LED • Controls and the IoT: We All have to be Better!, Luminance Brands • Doing More with Less (Lumens), MaxLite • Using Networked Control Lighting Systems and IoT to Increase Service Revenue and Win More Projects, Retrolux This year, a record-breaking 160+ lighting experts gathered at Spring Seminar, hosted by Acuity Brands, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga. The excitement and buzz throughout the 1.5-day event left attendees ready to navigate and lead the future of IoT. The pinnacle event was a facility tour at Conyers Center for Light & Space. Housed in the Acuity Brands Corporate Campus, the Conyers Center for Light & Space features multiple classrooms and product display areas including industrial, outdoor, commercial, residential and various retail settings. NALMCO attendees walked through the center and experienced real-world applications, heard from and visited with the product marketing teams and members of Acuity’s senior management team who shared insight on the business environment, the company and its strategic direction.

Attendees left Spring Seminar with these topic take-aways: • Lighting Industrial and High Demand Spaces with LED Technology, Acuity Brands, Inc. • Emergency LED Lighting, Aleddra LED Lighting • Wireless Controls for Light Intensity and Colors, Espen Technology

18

LM&M | April 2020

• Expressing the True Value of Energy Projects Using Your Customers’ Own Yardsticks, Selling Energy • Finding New Market Opportunities in 2020 and Beyond: How Software and Online Marketplaces are Becoming a Growth Driver for the Retrofit Business, SnapCount • Benefits of Networked Lighting Beyond Energy Savings, Synapse Wireless • Lighting Trends in the Retrofit Market, TechBrite Spring Seminar is THE go-to lighting event for hands-on, fast-paced, technical training. Gear up and plan to join us next spring.

Spring Seminar 2021 March 2–4, 2021 Orlando, Fla. Hosted by Lighting Resources, LLC If you are interested in presenting a Learning Lab in 2021 or hosting the NALMCO Spring Seminar in 2022, contact Denise Hoffman, CMP, event management professional, meetings@nalmco.org.

PROJECT

SPOTLIGHT

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE FROM NALMCO MEMBERS The power of NALMCO is when members share practical experience from the field. Submit your Case Study for publication. Contact NALMCO Headquarters at director@nalmco.org to request a copy of our submission guidelines.

BOULDER CITY AND COUNTY CONSERVES ENERGY, REDUCES LIGHT TRESPASS, AND IMPROVES ILLUMINATION THROUGH LIGHTING UPGRADE Submitted by NALMCO General Member Colorado Lighting, Inc.

The City and County of Boulder selected Colorado Lighting, Inc. as a consultant and contractor to design and install a new lighting system. The City and County of Boulder has the one of the most stringent outdoor lighting code requirements in the country. This project presented many technical and compliance challenges. Some of the challenges included the following: 1. The City and County of Boulder did not allow the addition of light pole inside the tennis court. Any additional light pole must be added along the perimeters of the court.

2. Poles height cannot exceed 20 feet.

3. The project has budget constraints and the City preferred that existing steel mounting structure be reused for the new lighting system.

4. New light fixtures needed to be full cut-off and could not be mounted at any angle to eliminate projecting light into the sky.

5. The maximum allowable lumen output per fixture could not exceed 23,500 lumens.

Tennis Court before lighting upgrade

The City and County of Boulder frequently receives high rankings in sustainability, health and quality of life. The North Boulder Recreation Center is dedicated in providing a pleasing recreational environment for their active residents while conserving energy. Their tennis court lighting system was inefficient and provided inadequate illumination for playing tennis in the evenings. The existing lighting system consisted of forty (40) 2-lamp F96T12 high-output strip fixtures with louvered lenses.

The fixtures were mounted on a fabricated steel structure at a 30-degree angle. Not only was the existing system outdated and inefficient T12 fluorescent technology, but it was also spilling light into the atmosphere due angled mounting position.

6. The average allowable foot-candle was 20 footcandles with a 3 to 1 average to minimum ratio on the playing surfaces.

7. The light levels could not exceed 0.1 foot-candles at the property boundary which was only 10 feet away from the lighting fixtures.

8. The maximum correlated color temperature is 3000K. 9. Any new poles must withstand the wind gust requirement of 150 mph vult design pressure.

Colorado Lighting, Inc. proposed utilizing the 225-watt Eaton Galleon full cut-off area light fixtures which provided 17,000 to 20,000 lumens (depending on the distribution patterns). The fixture was an ideal choice due to its availability in a multitude of optical distribution lighting patterns. Each fixture has four LED light squares LM&M | April 2020

19

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT that can be individually specified to optimize the direction of the lighting to maximize court illumination and minimize light trespass. Colorado Lighting, Inc. installed 24 Eaton Galleon fixtures on the existing steel structure.

In addition, four new lighting pole and Eaton Galleon fixtures were added at the edge of the court. Lastly, we installed a black privacy netting mesh fence screen on the existing property boundary fence to further minimize light trespass. Throughout the design process, Colorado Lighting worked closely with the City of Boulder permitting department to ensure that the proposed designs were following all city code requirements.

distribution to an evenly lit court. We were also able to reduce energy consumption and minimize light trespass and light pollution. Most importantly, the tennis players who frequently play on these courts were ecstatic with the results. Many provided positive feedback that the playing conditions are significantly improved and that they can now track the tennis balls better than ever before.

ARCONIC INDUSTRIAL FACILITY MAINTENANCE AND ENERGY SAVINGS UPGRADE Submitted by General Member Stones River Electric

Before Average Foot-Candle: 6 foot-candle Color Temperature: 4100K Total System Wattage: 8,400W

After Average Foot-Candle: 20 foot-candle Color Temperature: 3000K Total System Wattage: 6,300W

In conclusion, Colorado Lighting, Inc. successfully designed and installed a new lighting system that transformed a tennis court with uneven lighting 20

LM&M | April 2020

Stones River Electric was selected to deliver a turn-key energy saving LED lighting installation for the Arconic manufacturing site located in Cleveland, Ohio, plus a 10-year maintenance agreement. The heavy industrial site incorporates 1,615,651 square feet of various aluminum production stages, warehousing of raw and finished materials plus on campus administrative offices. This project involved the replacement of the antiquated HID and fluorescent lighting systems with a variety of new energy saving LED options.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Each area of the facility was designed to meet the stringent requirements of the production environment found in various buildings throughout the plant.

Occupancy sensors were specified in areas where deemed safe to personnel operating machinery, and where sensors made viable financial sense.

The designers of the project had to contend with existing operational conditions when selecting the replacement LED luminaires. Some of these conditions included high ambient temperatures around the preheating ovens, plus corrosive environments in many of the testing, product finishing, and inspection quality control areas. All luminaires were precisely selected to meet or exceed the requirements each of these harsh environments demanded.

Stones River Electric also brought the financing package for the project upgrade with the investment principle being paid back from the guaranteed energy savings component. The project facility designed to serve the aerospace and automotive industries, had a very aggressive installation schedule. Stones River Electric installed 7,615 new LED fixtures in less than 10 months.

One challenge facing the installation team was the 24-hour 7 day a week operating schedule functioning throughout the majority of the manufacturing areas.

Another obstacle for fixtures installation was access up to the 80 and 100 foot mounting heights plus working over heavy fixed machines of varying types and processes. Plus, another trial included working in high ambient temperatures throughout the various areas of the manufacturing processes. However, Stones River Electric was successful in delivering the completed project to Arconic one month ahead of schedule while exceeded the projected energy savings by $99,121.00 per year. This additional financial savings equated to another $999,470.08 in positive cash flow to the client over 10 years. This reduced installation time also resulted in less downtime in the revenue generating production areas. This energy saving upgrade project also resulted in a delivered total annual savings of 11,295,901 kWh or 38,543 MMBTU. This measured energy reduction equates to an annual energy savings dollar amount of $689,049.97 which previously had been paid to the utility company year after year. Annual maintenance costs to Arconic were reduced an additional $46,632.30 in material costs and $99,804.48 in labor costs. We also calculated additional air conditioning savings of $14,723.87 which were

realized in the climate-controlled areas of the facility due to less BTU being emitted into the space from the lower wattage LED solutions. This reduction is realized due to the existing air conditioning system not having to overcome the heat load which existed with the older removed less efficient lighting system. These bundled guaranteed savings, along with the 10-year financing package and maintenance program, resulted in the client seeing real positive cash flow immediately upon project completion.

One of the main items this project focused on was communications with accurate and timely project status reporting to the owner. This communication which was an extremely important aspect which resulted in delivering the better than estimated project savings and performance. Weekly updates were communicated with Arconic management to provide project status reports, schedule updates and percentage of completion. Personnel safety was obviously very paramount to the project’s success. We held installation team daily and weekly tool box talks and that preventative effort resulted in zero incidents during the installation phase. The measurement and verification portion of the project included a guarantee for the customer in all areas within the scope of this upgrade. This included a sampling rate of the primary fixtures with individual pre and post wattage measurements. Additionally, for this lighting project, all light levels were guaranteed so we performed numerous measurements for both pre and post project implementation. Numerous detailed lighting layouts and calculations were conducted in order to guarantee the project would meet the client’s expectations and light level requirements.

LM&M | April 2020

21

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Our 10-year planned maintenance program offered to and accepted by the client, continues to deliver great value to Arconic while simultaneously assisting in maintaining the high degree of visual safety required through the entire facility. Because the extended maintenance program is funded by the guaranteed energy savings of the project, valuable financial resources are now available for other Arconic needs.

Also, our funding facilitated a situation where this lighting project did not have to compete with other internal capital projects that are not self-funding.

Stones River Electric technicians visit the site quarterly and diagnose any issues with the installed LED lighting system. Any lighting issue observed is repaired and failed components replaced as needed. Additionally, Stones River Electric manages the warranty and owner stock programs for Arconic. This provided service in turn frees up a large portion of Arconic’s labor force which previously expended considerable man hours to maintain the antiquated lighting system. The freshly installed LED lighting system along with the extended 10-year maintenance program ensures a safer and healthier working environment for the plant and all of the Arconic employees. This project exceeded all the client’s expectations!

22

LM&M | April 2020

SAVE DATES NALMCO SPRING SEMINAR MARCH 2–4, 2021

NALMCO ANNUAL CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW

67 TH

October 4–7, 2020 Glendale, Arizona

Orlando, Florida Sponsored by Lighting Resources, LLC

October 10–13, 2021 ChampionsGate, Florida

67TH NALMCO ANNUAL CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW October 4–7, 2020 Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa 9495 W. Coyotes Blvd.

Glendale, Arizona 85305 (623) 937-3700 https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxgrrenaissance-phoenix-glendale-hotel-and-spa/

Charming, authentic and anything but ordinary, Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa is ready to help you discover the greater Phoenix area in unforgettable fashion. We're just minutes away from attractions including: • Gila River Arena • State Farm Stadium the home of the NFL Arizona Cardinals and

68 TH

high-quality education sessions and top-notch exhibitors to help you get your work done when you need it done.

EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

From the opening reception to being in complete control of your One-on-One Appointments, you have several chances to connect with attendees and friends including: • Networking breakfasts in the Exhibit Hall.

Free time to enjoy breakfast, visit exhibits and chat before activities begin.

• Networking receptions. Fun and interactive receptions designed for casual interactions on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evening.

• Networking Event. A fast-paced networking event designed to have each General Member speak to each Associate Member for two minutes.

• The Westgate Entertainment District shopping and entertainment, http://westgateaz.com/

• One-on-One Appointments. Three One-on-One meeting times are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday.

The 67th NALMCO Annual Convention and Trade Show offers choice networking opportunities,

• New for 2020 – General Member Connections Pod. Space carved out for General Members to meet and connect.

Energy Efficient Solutions Reducing Energy Usage. Saving Money.

Saving Install Time.

Whatever your motivation, Acuity Brands offers a wide range of energy efficient lighting, controls, and daylighting solutions to meet the needs of any environment.

Visit www.acuitybrands.com for more information.

© 2019 Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc. All rights reserved. | AB_9823_1119

Dedicated sponsor and supporter of: