laadmin, Author at Los Angeles Lighting Mfg. Co.

Key Considerations for Lighting in Schools

Smart, Durable, and Flexible: What Lighting Professionals Need to Know About School Projects

When it comes to lighting school environments, there is a unique combination of technical, architectural, and logistical challenges. For over 35 years, L.A. Lighting has worked closely with school districts to meet those challenges head-on—providing reliable, long-lasting solutions designed with both performance and practicality in mind.

Retrofitting Fluorescents the Smart Way

Much of the current work in schools revolves around retrofitting inefficient fluorescent systems. Upgrading to LED can save schools significant amounts on energy costs, in addition to lowering maintenance expenses by ending the need to regularly change fluorescent bulbs.

With limited time and funding for school renovations, an LED retrofit product should be easy to install. Our retrofit kits are designed to be installed in as little as five minutes by simply removing existing fluorescent components and screwing a pre-wired LED board and driver assembly into the housing using self-drilling screws. Features like safety cables, rounded corners, and driver disconnects reduce accidents and help speed up the process even further.

Sensors and Controls are the Key to Greater Savings

Smart sensors and controls open up a world of possibilities for schools to save energy. A typical school fixture like our BCL100 canopy luminaire may feature both a motion sensor and a photocell, enabling automatic daylight harvesting and bi-level dimming. For example, a luminaire equipped with our MSHSD sensor can adjust lumen output based on both motion and ambient light, providing full brightness only when someone is present and daylight is insufficient.

One often-overlooked detail in school lighting is the importance of sensor placement. In school environments, vandal resistance is key. Traditional sensors mounted externally on fixture end caps can be easy targets. That’s why we’ve designed several fixture models, like the WHO200 impact-resistant wraparound, that have space behind the lens to mount microwave motion sensors. These specialized sensors detect motion through low-density plastic, allowing them to be hidden from view and protected from abuse, while still providing effective motion sensing. It’s a detail that enhances durability without compromising functionality.

Meeting District-Specific Specs and Prioritizing Flexibility

Another area where we’ve refined our approach is in meeting hyper-specific district requirements. From gauge thickness and tamper-proof screws to door frame materials and hinge types, schools often have specific requirements intended to increase durability, and L.A. Lighting is delivering. In fact, some of these tailored configurations have resulted in exclusive, district-specific SKUs that allow us to hit the precise specs schools require.

Flexibility is another key ingredient when working with schools. Whether this means creating a custom housing or using specialized component, L.A. Lighting maintains a flexible approach. For example, we’ve seen increased demand for DMX drivers for use in theater applications. Providing these advanced systems has allowed schools to use L.A. Lighting fixtures with existing DMX-based lighting controllers- a perfect example of how lighting manufacturers must remain agile and ready to pivot based on application-specific needs.

Logistics and Labeling—Not Afterthoughts

The logistics of working with school districts requires attention to detail. We’ve accommodated requests ranging from color-coded box labels (to differentiate contractor vs. in-house installations) to specialized job packing. For local projects on tight timelines, we offer shrink-wrapped pallet delivery—cutting down on packaging waste and installation time when fixtures are being installed immediately.

We also support direct will-call pickups for maintenance staff, helping them bypass distributor deliveries when time is tight. These small operational tweaks can make a big difference for facilities teams coordinating complex renovations on tight schedules.

Conclusion: Lighting for Schools is all About Versatility

Lighting for schools isn’t just about illumination—it’s about designing systems that meet evolving technical standards, endure physical demands, and integrate seamlessly with modern control systems. By focusing on retrofit versatility, control compatibility, and logistics flexibility, we’re helping districts transition into the next generation of lighting—one smart fixture at a time.

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Total Cost of Ownership- LA Lighting vs Imports

Uncategorized / laadmin

When it comes to selecting lighting products, up-front costs are just part of the picture. For the full story, we need to take a deeper look.

INTRODUCTION

When selecting lighting fixtures for commercial, industrial, or institutional projects, it’s common to focus solely on the sticker price. However, the true financial impact of a lighting solution is better understood by analyzing its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)—a calculation that factors in not only the initial cost but also energy usage, maintenance, component reliability, and operational risks over the fixture’s lifetime.

LA Lighting, a leading U.S. manufacturer based in El Monte, California, produces all its fixtures domestically using premium, top-tier components. In this article, LA Lighting will compare the 10-year TCO of one of its fixtures, the STW100 3’ 28.8W 4000 Lumen Strip, to an imported fixture from an undisclosed brand (referred to here as Brand C), the 4’ 40W 4000 Lumen Strip.

We’ll explore and quantify costs across three primary topics:

Up-Front Fixture Cost
Energy Cost Over 10 Years
Maintenance and Component Failure Costs Over 10 Years

We’ll also explore other costs which can create significant premiums hidden in import fixtures without adding them to the final TCO. For helpful links, see the Appendix at the bottom of the page.

FIXTURE PRICE: UPFRONT COSTS VS. LONG-TERM VALUE

LA Lighting fixtures often come with a higher upfront cost when compared to imported alternatives. This is especially evident when not accounting for recent and upcoming tariff increases in 2025, which significantly impact the final price of imported goods.

The cost premium on LA Lighting fixtures is not primarily due to higher U.S. labor rates, as commonly assumed. Instead, it reflects the use of superior components:

Name-brand, UL-listed LED drivers
High-efficacy LED boards with solid metal cores
Premium U.S.-sourced steel and plastics
Advanced sensors and emergency battery systems

While imports may seem cheaper, the investment in quality components pays off in reliability and long-term savings.

FIXTURE SIZE AND DESIGN EFFICIENCY

A major cost advantage of LA Lighting is its compact, high-output designs. Thanks to advanced LED boards and metal core technology, LA Lighting can achieve:

4000 lumens from a 3’ strip
Up to 6000+ lumens from a 2’ or 3’ fixture
Up to 50% higher efficiencies

By contrast, Brand C needs a 4’ fixture to achieve the same output. This not only increases material costs (steel, plastic, shipping) but also limits design flexibility.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION: SAVINGS THAT COMPOUND YEAR OVER YEAR

Energy efficiency is a defining feature of LA Lighting fixtures. While Brand C uses LEDs with a 105 lm/W output, LA Lighting delivers 135 lm/W—a 28% increase in delivered efficiency.

Power Consumption Details

LA Lighting STW100: 28.8W (.028kW)
Brand C Strip: 40W (.04kW)
Delta: 11.2W (0.0112 kW)

Assuming 2000 annual operating hours, based on a facility with 4000 hours but using occupancy sensors to cut runtime by 50%, here are the annual savings:

10-Year Energy Cost Savings (@ $0.15/kWh):

Total 10-Year Energy Savings per Fixture: $50.71

These calculations do not include additional savings from LA Lighting’s high-performance occupancy sensors, which further reduce operating hours due to better detection and longer durability—often cutting usage by another 10–20%.

Year	Annual Cost Savings
Year 1	$4.03
Year 2	$4.23
Year 3	$4.45
Year 4	$4.67
Year 5	$4.90
Year 6	$5.15
Year 7	$5.40
Year 8	$5.67
Year 9	$5.96
Year 10	$6.25

MAINTENANCE AND COMPONENT QUALITY: RELIABILITY THAT PAYS OFF

One of the largest hidden costs in lighting systems is maintenance, especially when using low-cost, unreliable components common in imported fixtures. LA Lighting uses only UL-listed, name-brand components with 5-year minimum warranties.

Maintenance Cost Over 10 Years (Per Fixture)

Driver Replacement: $25 part + $100 labor = $125 (10% failure rate) → $12.50 avg.
Battery Replacement: $100 part + $100 labor = $200 (10% failure rate) → $20.00 avg.

Total 10-Year Maintenance Savings: $32.50 per fixture

Note: These values are conservative. Real-world data suggests import failure rates can exceed 30-50%, particularly for drivers and batteries. This value of $32.50 was also downgraded to $12.50 to show a conservative total value.

BUILD QUALITY: STEEL AND PLASTICS THAT LAST

Steel

Many fixtures claim to use “22Ga steel,” but imports often cut corners, using lower-grade or thinner steel. LA Lighting uses true-gauge U.S.-made steel, offering greater impact resistance, less deformation during maintenance, and better longevity under stress.

Plastics

Imported plastics frequently contain unregulated additives like styrene or recycled acrylics, which degrade over time. This leads to yellowing, brittleness, and cracking under minor pressure.

In contrast, LA Lighting uses virgin acrylic with DR (durability reinforcement) additives for a long-lasting finish that holds up over decades.

PROJECT RISK: DOWNTIME IS EXPENSIVE

Project rollouts involving overseas components introduce significant supply chain risks:

Product discontinuation
Delayed replacements
Manufacturer shutdowns

These risks can easily create costly delays stemming from missed deadlines, fines, liquidated damages, and idle labor and rental equipment costs. While these aren’t included in the TCO calculation, they pose real-world financial risks.

CUSTOMIZABILITY: GET WHAT YOU NEED, NOT WHAT YOU’RE FORCED TO BUY

Imported lighting fixtures are mass-produced in a few standard models. If those don’t meet your needs, you’re out of luck.

LA Lighting offers true customizability:

Custom lengths and widths
Specific lumen packages
Tailored drivers, LEDs and sensors

This means you can purchase a smaller, more cost-effective fixture that perfectly matches your application instead of overspending on stock options.

CONCLUSION

While imported fixtures may seem appealing at first glance, the Total Cost of Ownership tells a different story. With LA Lighting, customers benefit from:

Superior efficiency and durability
Lower maintenance and repair costs
Customizability and risk reduction
A reliable domestic supply chain

The upfront cost is an investment—one that pays dividends in performance, reliability, and long-term savings. So choose smarter. Choose American-made. Choose LA Lighting.

APPENDIX

STW100 Cut Sheet

STW100 IES files

L.A. Lighting LED Product Guide

Find Your Local Sales Representative

Request a Quote: quotes@lalighting.com

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mwConnect and LA Lighting Collaborate to Light Up Innovative Car Culture Event Space

Case Study / laadmin

Case Study: mwConnect and LA Lighting Collaborate to Light Up Innovative Car Culture Event Space

Showcasing the best and most unique automobiles while creating a vibrant ambience for Auto Conduct’s exhibitions, events and storage complex challenged the best of LA Lighting and mwConnect’s product portfolios and expertise. The result? A unique LED lighting installation with fingertip wireless control for light level and white color tuning.

Background

Car culture is alive and well in Los Angeles, fueled by the creative vision of organizations like Auto Conduct. This company has created a unique, one-acre car exhibition, event and storage complex in DTLA (downtown LA) with year-round events for auto enthusiasts of all kinds. When the company began work on the complex’s 10,000-square foot storage facility, AC BUNKER, they were looking for innovative lighting solutions to highlight the exceptional vehicles that would be rolling through the facility. Partnering with All-Phase Electric Supply for product support and distribution, LA Lighting and mwConnect created an LED lighting system, controlled by a Bluetooth mesh wireless network (TruBlu, developed by mwConnect and its technology partner Silvair), to bring the Auto Conduct space to life.

Showcasing the Auto

To create a responsive lighting system capable of showcasing a range of vehicles during different times of day and night, the project team created a flexible, white-tunable LED lighting system with embedded Bluetooth mesh controls in each fixture. In total, the project included 48 of L.A. Lighting’s 8-ft STW100 surface-mounted LED luminaires with TruBlu Bluetooth mesh controllers installed at their Los Angeles factory. The project team designed the control network in advance of installation, using the TruBlu web portal, to determine how the fixtures would be positioned in the warehouse space and where wireless wall switches would be located to provide manual control.

After close consultation with All-Phase and the end user, a total of 12 lighting zones were created with four luminaires in each zone. Each zone as well as each fixture can be controlled independently from the TruBlu mobile app. Two wireless switches were installed at opposite ends of the event space for convenient white tuning, manual ON/ OFF and dimming control.

The LA Lighting fixtures are white tunable from 2700 – 6500K, and their integrated mwConnect TruBlu controllers enable event managers to highlight specific zones or individual fixtures with color changes within this range.

Facility events range from special model launch events to community toy drives and “roll in” events for car clubs. Auto enthusiasts may also lease storage space at the AC BUNKER facility.

Fingertip Control at the Wheel

One of the key drivers for selecting a wireless control system was the ability of event producers to effortlessly change the ambience of the event with light level and white tuning on a moment’s notice. Ezekiel Wheeler, Auto Conduct’s Founder and CEO, notes, “We wanted to instantly change the mood of an event or be able to showcase a specific area of the floor for a specific vehicle. The goal was to make anyone’s car feel special. This system allows us to do just that.”

Event producers can access specific pre-set control scenarios that include white tuning and light level changes from the mobile app. Currently, the pre-set scenarios at the wireless switches provide white tuning, manual ON/OFF and dimming controls for individuals who do not have access to the project via the web or mobile apps.

Download the PDF case study here.

LA Lighting is a leading American manufacturer of commercial and industrial luminaires. Known for its quality products, short lead times, and BAA-Compliant fixtures, the company offers a standard product line, modified products, retrofit solutions, and custom luminaires. For more information, visit www.lalighting.com.

About Auto Conduct

Auto Conduct is a car culture community experience company that started in 2017 as a monthly nomadic pop-up car show in Los Angeles, California. Today, Auto Conduct has expanded its community touchpoints to include not only car meets, but an online media presence, a one-acre, 30,000+ sq.ft. complex of buildings. Visit www.dtlaautostorage.com to learn more.

mwConnect, based in Sacramento, California since 1984, marries its historic expertise in lighting and control components with advanced wireless control technologies to offer future-proof networked lighting control solutions. For more information, visit https://mwconnect.us/.

For over 60 years, All-Phase Electric Supply has been proudly serving California with high-quality products and reliable services. Their products are sourced from reputable manufacturers that are dedicated to innovation and evolving industry requirements. Visit www.allphaseelectricsupply.com to learn more.

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LA Lighting Develops Cost-Saving Solution for Public Utility

Case Study / laadmin

Case Study: LA Lighting Develops Cost-Saving Solution for Public Utility

Energy and maintenance costs drop dramatically with introduction of sensor-controlled LED luminaires.

The Challenge

Like any large metropolitan area, Los Angeles has hundreds of miles of underground tunnels providing utility workers with essential access to critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, many of these tunnels continue to employ inefficient fluorescent technology for illumination.

With safety concerns due to poor visibility from non-operational luminaires, as well as the high maintenance cost of servicing the aging
fluorescent system, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) required a more affordable, dependable source of illumination.

L.A. Lighting’s Solution

Working with MWD’s facility management team, L.A. Lighting set out to deploy an LED lighting system that would not only meet the lighting requirements set by OSHA, but also reduce costs. The solution required selecting the right luminaire for the job and pairing it with a controls plan that would amplify the benefits of LED.

The team’s ultimate choice: L.A. Lighting’s WSE201 LED wraparound luminaire, a sturdy, efficient luminaire with an integrated motion sensor. Commonly used in parking structures, corridors, and stairwells, the WSE201’s optional polycarbonate lens, tamper-proof screws, and wet location rating made it an ideal replacement for the tunnels’ 4-foot, 32W fluorescent fixtures.

But what really set the WSE201 apart was its ability to reduce energy costs through the clever use of sensors. For the 23 hours per day when the tunnels are vacant, the luminaires dim to just 20% of full power (drawing only around 5W of power), enough to meet OSHA illumination requirements while cutting excess energy use. When the integrated motion sensor detects movement, the luminaire immediately increases to 100% output for 30 minutes, providing full illumination for workers to pass through the area or perform maintenance.

Adding to the WSE201’s versatility, the precise lumen output and dimming behavior of the luminaire can be easily customized, allowing the end user to specify the luminaire’s exact performance depending on the application.

Luminaire Type	T8 Fluorescent	WSE201 LED
System Watts- Full Power	32W	26W
System Watts- Dimmed	N/A	5W
Annual Power Use	280kWh	51kWh
Annual Electricity Cost	$70	$12.75
Note: Estimates based on 1 hour/day at full power, 23 hours/day dimmed. Electricity cost estimated at $0.25 per kWh.

Benefits

By operating at 20% lumen output for most of the day compared to the previous fluorescent system’s constant full power, each WSE201 saves almost 230 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, while providing MWD over $5700 in savings per 100 fixtures.

In addition, the reliable illumination of the new LED luminaires has helped make the tunnels safer for MWD’s workers as they keep the water flowing to millions of Los Angeles area residents.

Download the PDF case study here.

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