It may be too cold for the playground, but there are plenty of spots in NJ where kids can climb and slide all winter long. From giant mazes to wall-to-wall trampolines, check out these great places for indoor play.

Fun Force

551 Main Ave., Wallington

973-777-0767; funforcenj.com

An afternoon spent racing around a roller rink, battling it out in laser tag and flying through the air in a bounce house is just what your restless brood needs. Theres also Gaga Ball, where players duke it out in an inflatable ring, plus plenty of arcade games. Fri: 411 pm,Sat: 111 pm, Sun: 17 pm.

The Big Playhouse

316 Kinderkamack Rd., Westwood

855-343-7529;thebigplayhouse.info

This out-of-the-ordinary, tech-free playground for kids six and under is all about make-believe. Kids can play chef at Caf Main, nurse animals back to health at Doctors at Main, and get their hands dirty at a pretend construction site. TuesSun: times vary.

Play Your Way

Mill Race Shopping Center

72 Hamburg Tpke., Riverdale

862-248-0410;playyourwaynj.com

This mega activity center and playground helps adventurers 16 years old improve their agility on the climbers, balance beam and in a sensory playhouse, while older kids can brave it out on a mini rock wall and an obstacle course. Tues: 11 am and WedSun: 9 am.

Elite Climbing

67 Old Kings Hwy., Maple Shade

856-273-1370; eliteclimbing.com

Your mini adrenaline junkie can spend the day zooming down the zipline, scaling up rock walls and running in races at this top-notch climbing center. No previous experience is required, so its a great intro to the sport. MonFri: 4 pm and SatSun: 12 pm.

Fun Time Junction

400 Fairfield Rd., Fairfield

973-882-9777;funtimejunction.net

Perfect for preschoolers, kids can climb around a huge jungle gym, get messy in a craft corner and take a spin on a ton of ride-on character vehicles. Theres also laser tag and plenty of carnival games for those a little older. TuesSun until 6 pm.

Pole Position Raceway

99 Caven Point Rd., Jersey City

201-333-7223;polepositionraceway.com

If your kid has a need for speed, hell love mastering the art of racing in the super popular Arrive & Drive program, where kids show up alone or in small groups and get to compete ingo-kart races that teach control, speed and endurance. There are also Junior Races for littles 4858"that teach new speedsters how to drive safely around the arena. Open MonThursat 1210 pm, Friday 12 pmmidnight, Saturday10 ammidnight and Sunday 10 am10 pm.

Wild At Play

125 River Dr., Jersey City

201-333-4244; wildatplay.com

This 2,300-square-foot jungle gym actually changes with the seasons. Its a tropical island in the summer and Olafs winter wonderland in the winter, so kids (ages 3 months12 years old) wont ever get tired of the action. Our favorite part? The STEM-focused play area, where kids can take a break from the mayhem and squeeze in some outside-the-classroom learning with educational toys, books and real, live animals. MonFri: 10 am1 pm, 36 pm,Sat: 9 am12 pm.

Jungle Gym'n Bounce

12 Minneakoning Road 104B, Flemington

908-236-7555; junglegymbounce.com

Kids big and little take their pick between dozens of gigantic inflatables (yes, that means slides, bounce houses and obstacle courses!) before sneaking in a round of laser tag or bazooka ball. FYI: There's open bounce sessions every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so it's a great way to keep your squad entertained on a rainy day.

The Jumping Jungle

10 Alvin Ct., East Brunswick

732-613-5867;jumpingjungle.com

Kids 2 and up can climb and slide on eight inflatables, play laser tag, go head-to-head in the arcade and see if they can survive the storm simulator. And no sitting on the sidelines for Mom and Dad! Adults get in on the action in the kids vs. adults laser tag games. Times and days vary.

Fun Time America

269 State Hwy. 35 N., Eatontown

732-460-0700;funtimeamerica.com

Have they gotten too old for baby rides? The newest attraction here, Grand Theft Laser Blast, puts a big kid spin on ordinary laser tag with bubble machines and special effects. Theres also the Viper Simulator, a virtual reality ride that sends passengers into 360-degree barrel rolls and a 22-foot-high rock climbing wall for kids 10 and up.MonFri: 12 pm and SatSun: 10 am.

iPlay America

110 Schanck Rd., Freehold

732-577-8200; iplayamerica.com

This gigantic space features a go-kart raceway (kids 10 and up can drive by themselves), a 6,500-square-foot outer-space-themed laser tag arena and a slew of classic boardwalk games. Who can say no to a few rounds of balloon darts and Whack-A-Mole? Dont miss iPlay After Dark on Friday nights from 7 pmmidnight, where teens get full access to unlimited rides, go-karts and laser tag, plus live music and a light show. MonFri: times vary.

House of Bounce

5100 Belmar Blvd., Wall

732-919-0999;houseofbounce.com

Looking to burn up some energy on an extra yucky winter afternoon? This 10,000-square-foot spot is packed with huge inflatables, climbers, and obstacle courses, and even has a gym where she can shoot hoops. MonSun: timesvary.

JerZJump

51 Stout Ln.,Monmouth Junction

732-438-5867; jerzjump.com

We love the just-for-toddlers room here where jumpers 3 and under can play without getting knocked around by the big kids. Theres also a 15-foot-tall jungle gym, a handful of gigantic slides and huge bounce houses for the older set.FriSun: 12 pm.

Junglerrific

600 Rike Dr., Millstone Twp.

732-577-1118;junglerrrificpartygym.com

Little climbers ages 28 can fly through the air on the trampolines, tumble on squishy inflatables and scale the highest heights on the indoor jungle gym. Big kids wont want to miss the zipline, which ends with a free fall into a giant foam sponge pit. MonFri: times vary.

The Funplex

182 Rte. 10 W., East Hanover

973-428-1166;funplexeasthanover.com

Kids take their pick from bumper cars, go-karts, laser tag and a 4-D motion theater in this 100,000-foot, everything-under-the-sun facility. Theres also MagicQuest (a gigantic, scavenger hunt game) and Wiggles and Giggles, a separate area perfect for toddlers.MonFri: 12 pm and SatSun: 10 am.

Bounce About

1 South Main St., Toms River

732-608-7108; bounceaboutlasertag.com

This brand new, underwater-themedspace is equipped with a two-story laser tag arena, basketball and volleyball courts, an indoor playground and inflatable slides for the younger set. Infants get to check outLou's Little Joey's, a soft play area for babies with an interactive discovery wall, merry go round and tug boat.

Kidnetic

2 Changebridge Rd., Montville

973-331-9001; kidneticnj.com

The three-level play structure is the biggest attraction at this fun zone designed specifically for 1-7-year-olds. Theres also a smaller toddler playground just for little hands, a ball pit and an area covered in mats of all colors and sizes. Big kids can test their skills on the rock wall and the zipline. MonFri: 9:30 am5:30 pm, Sun: 9 am11:30 am.

Billy Beez USA

Palisades Center

West Nyack

845-915-4709; billybeez.com

Get lost in Billys Rainforest, a 26,000-square-foot space that boasts dozens of safari-themed slides, bouncy trampolines and obstacle courses. Theres also a pint-sized sports court with basketball hoops, soccer nets and a Rainbow Wave Slide for races. Times vary.

Bounce! Trampoline Sports

612 Corporate Way,Valley Cottage

845-268-4000;bouncevalleycottage.com

Kids pick from two different dodgeball courts here (separated by age), practice their slam dunk on the basketball court or launch themselves into the sky on one of the trampolines. Plus, the big-kid-free Bounce Jr. Zone for the 5-and-under crowd, its own trampoline court, a foam pit and mini bounce castle. Days and times vary.

Laser Zone

Bridgewater Sports Arena

1425 Frontier Rd., Bridgewater

732-627-0006; bsaarena.com

Tons of fog and blacklight madness take modern-day capture-the-flag over the top. Adventurers five and up can play real-life Ghostbusters by hiding in the mazes nooks and crannies. Times vary.

Branchburg Sports Complex

47 Readington Rd., Branchburg

908-203-1600;branchburgsportscomplex.com

Bigger is betterespecially when it comes to play spaces. And this complex is hugeevery day, kids ages 312 explore the 82 different features (bridges, slides and tunnels) in the spots multi-level PlayMaze. And while the kids are having the time of their lives, parents can keep a watchful eye from the enclosed viewing section. Dont forget to bring the older crowdtheyll love the three indoor turf fields, four batting cages and 9,000-square-foot fantasy-themed laser tag arena. WedSun: times vary.

Laser One

Wantage Plaza Shopping Center

205 Rte. 23, Wantage

973-702-0500; laser1.us

Take his game of hide-and-seek up a notch in this 6,000-square-foot space with fog and crazy light displays. Players pick from themes like Infection, where one person starts out as patient zero and works to contaminate all of the others. Take a break between rounds with Highway 66 Bowling (a small version of the real thing), putt nine holes of mini-golf or compete in tons of arcade games (kids four and up). Mon, Thurs, Fri: 3:30 pm, SatSun: 11 am.

Kidz Village

131 South 31st St., Kenilworth

908-445-7220

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Best Indoor Play Places in New Jersey - NJ Family

Indoor LED Lighting & Ergonomics of WorkplaceLighting is an important aspect of the interior, as it not only offers ample illumination but also adds to the aesthetics of any space, resulting in making the environment productive and proactive. Indoor LED lighting helps create the perfect work environment, boosts productivity, reduces fatigue and frustration in employees.

How LEDs help in saving energyThe light projected by LEDs create a warm and cozy atmosphere for the employees. In addition, commercial LED lighting has a longer lifetime and uses up to 90% less energy than the conventional lighting sources. The low power usage and long operational life make them a lighting staple.

Why Buy from Wipro Lighting?At Wipro Lighting, we offer a broad range of indoor LED lighting solutions that are not only energy efficient but also help create a soothing and an inviting environment. Choose from a wide variety of LED Recessed Lighting, LED Downlights and more to create the perfect work environment for the employees.

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Indoor LED Lighting: Energy Efficient Indoor Lighting ...

More than 250 Indoor and Outdoor Tennis Lighting projects designed

Below are a few recent projects (Click on Image to enlarge or play Video)

Brite Court offers affordable state of the art, energy-efficient outdoor and indoor lighting for tennis and sports applications, featuring both indirect lighting and direct tennis lighting solutions for indoor courts as well as leading edge LED lighting for outdoor tennis lighting.Whether you are planning a new tennis court construction project, need to increase your current light quality, or are looking for ways to reduce your energy cost, implementing Brite Courts LED Tennis lights should be on your short list of capital improvements.

Brite Court offers the most energy efficient fixtures designed especially for outdoor and indoor tennis courts. Our indoor sports and tennis lighting systems will save you money, our customers typically save between 40-70% in energy costs while delivering higher light quality.

click to enlarge

We offer the latest in sports and tennis lighting fixture technologies including LED indoor and outdoor tennis lighting options. With More than 18 different fixtures specifically designed for tennis lighting no one offers a more diverse lineup of tennis and sports lighting solutions than us. In addition to tennis lights we also offer solutions for your Racquetball lighting, Pool lighting, Squash court lighting, Gym lighting, Parking lot lighting and office and locker rooms.

Pictured here is a great example of the performance of our LED systems, on the left of this picture is a court with 8 1000-watt Metal Halides 8,640 watts per court, right of that is our BC-BLX 434-watt Tennis lighting at 3472 watts per court resulting in a 60% energy reduction and significant increase in lighting quality.

Contact us for a NO COST lighting audit and lighting QUOTE and proposal for your Tennis or Sports faclity

Learn More

Based on 16 Hours per day

Standard T5 40,000 hours or 6.8 years

LED Tubes 50,000 hours or 8.5 years

Brite Court LED 100,000 hours or 17.1 years

About Brite Court and our experience

Brite Court is a division of Alternative LED LLC (ALED). The Founders of ALED developed the 1st T5 fluorescent indoor tennis lighting back in 2002 and since then they have designed lighting for more than 500 courts. All of the Brite Court tennis lighting is designed specifically for tennis use. As you can see we offer many different lighting options including Direct and indirect lighting for tennis courts. Brite Court is progressive in that we evolve as technology evolves as demonstrated with our new LED tennis lighting fixture options. With more than 20 years of Tennis lighting experience we deliver what others cannot

What product and services do you provide?

We offer tennis and Sports lighting fixtures as well as we will design the lighting system specifically to your facility (included with your FREE lighting quote). As you know the USTA and the AmericanSports Builders Assoc.(ASBA) has lighting Level and uniformity requirements for various levels of tennis play, this is often overlooked by companies not experienced in tennis lighting, with that said every project quote includes at no cost to you a tennis lighting design specific to your facility using state of the art 3D software. Contact Us for a free Quoteor call 800 330-0828

We do not provide the installation labor, that will be done by a local electrician of your choice, however we will work directly with you and your electrician to help reduce/control installation cost.

How much will it cost?

Sounds expensive right? not at all, Brite Court (ALED) has partnered directly with manufacturing to cut out the distribution channels usually associated with the sale of lighting fixtures. Like we have discussed, all of our lighting design services are at no cost you you and are included in every tennis court lighting fixture quote.

The reality of cost: Many regions of the US and Canada the ROI of replacing your old tennis lighting is one of the lowest hanging fruit in your facility. In most of the US and Canada there are rebates and and possible Tax breaks available. With the cost of energy skyrocketing we often find ROIs in the 1-2.5 year range especially when utility rebates are available. where else can you invest your money with that kind of return? Leasing is also an option in some cases (depending on the energy savings) you we lease the lighting system for a monthly payment actually less than the energy savings thus putting $$$ in your pocket every month. Contact us today for a free quoteor call 800 330-0828

What is involved in the FREE Lighting Quote?

Simply give us a call at (800) 330-0828 or email us. We will have one of our sports lighting design team visit your facility or we can also get the details from you to prepare a detailed lighting plan for your Tennis facility. Once complete they will meet with our design team to determine the best practices for your lighting design. Then we will do energy comparisons between your existing lighting and the new lighting proposed. Once that is complete we will deliver the detailed finished report to you and your team. Again this is a NO COST no obligation design and audit. If you feel that our findings are reasonable to pursue a lighting upgrade all we ask is to consider Brite Court and ALED when you are ready to do your project. Contact us today for a free quoteor call 800 330-0828

Energy efficieny, better light quality and reduce maintenance cost are all great reasons to installBrite Court Led Outdoor Tennis lighting for yourcourt(s)Learn More Outdoor Tennis Lighting

Indirect lighting has long been a popular choice for indoor tennis facilities. We have reinvented this category with the Only DLC certified LED indirect available today. Learn More Indirect Tennis Lighting

Brite Court specializes in sports lighting solutions, including Basketball, Racquetball, Squash, Pool areas, Ice Rinks, Gyms, Indoor Soccer, Baseball facilities and more. Other ther Sports Lighting Products

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Brite Court Tennis Lighting LED Tennis Lighting for indoor ...

Established in 1992 as two showroom locations in The Lighting District of New York, Lighting New York (LNY) has since evolved into a leading retailer in the eCommerce realm of the lighting industry.

At LNY, we offer architectural and portable lighting for any atmosphere and application, including wall and ceiling fixtures, fans, lamps, landscape essentials, recessed lighting, and cabinet lighting. In addition to light fixtures and lighting accessories, decor and furniture are also gaining momentum with the company and have contributed to LNY becoming a one-stop destination for all of your residential and commercial design needs.

Whether your style is traditional or contemporary, rustic or vintage chic, LNY has fixtures available in a variety of finishes, materials, and textures to complement any design aesthetic. Layer your lighting to illuminate and highlight all the right spaces, or indulge in a glamorous statement piece. Either way, LNY's vast product offerings from over 100 brands delivers limitless opportunities in finding the perfect light fixture(s) or decor to create the space you've always wanted.

As lighting experts in both residential and commercial settings, as well as indoor and outdoor environments, LNY provides outstanding customer care and over 100 years of combined Lighting Expert experience, ensuring that all of your needs will be met, concerns will be alleviated, and your home will be perfectly decorated and illuminated for years to come!

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Lighting New York - America's Residential and Commercial ...

Situated for easy access to New York City, our friendly hotel in the New Jersey Meadowlands offers a high-quality lodging experience with numerous professional services and on-site amenities. Explore nearby shopping centers and outlet malls when you stay at our Secaucus hotel, or hop on public transportation to travel into Manhattan. Our pet-friendly hotel features a variety of spacious guest rooms and suites, modern retreats with free Wi-Fi, microwaves, refrigerators and premium cable channels. We also offer a free Bright Side Breakfast buffet each morning to start your day right, along with a refreshing indoor pool, business center and fitness center.

Providing easy access to New York City without the price tag, this suburban community in the New Jersey Meadowlands ranks high for livability and is also a top shopping destination. Situated just 12 miles from Newark International Airport, Secaucus is only a short distance from Manhattan and with public transportation into the city right outside our front door, you can reach the Big Apple in a New York minute. Local attractions in the Meadowlands include outlet shopping, world-class performance venues and professional sports games with the Giants and Jets NFL teams. Travel to Manhattan to discover endless attractions and things to do, including the Bronx Zoo, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Times Square and much, much more.

Indulge in a fine range of professional services and modern amenities when you stay at our Meadowlands hotel. Enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout your stay, along with a free Bright Side Breakfast buffet each morning. Guests love our delicious morning meal, which features options like waffles, pastries, bagels, fresh fruit, coffee and more. We offer numerous on-site amenities, including an indoor pool, meeting space for events, fitness center, business center and guest laundry facilities for your convenience. Take advantage of free parking and free local calls. Our spacious guest rooms and suites offer a contemporary respite where you can rest and relax; each is equipped with refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker and premium cable channels.

This Meadowlands suburb in central New Jersey is known for amazing shopping, and youll find over 100 retailers including factory warehouses, mini-malls, outlet stores and national chains. Head to Harmon Cove Outlet Center for shopping, dining and a new state-of-the-art movie theater, or visit the Secaucus Outlets for bargains on designer merchandise. This area is also home to the Meadowlands Exposition Center and the Izod Center for music concerts, family fun and special events, and youll find the Meadowlands Racetrack for gaming action. Sports fans may want to check out the nearby MetLife Stadium a massive stadium center that is home to the Giants and Jets National Football League teams.

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La Quinta Inn & Suites Secaucus Meadowlands near ...

Master your decor with exciting new lighting and ceiling fans. More than any other update, your lighting choices do so very much to determine the type of mood a room has and how objects appear within it. With our huge selection of lighting products from all of the best brands at amazing everyday low prices, you'll find it easy to enhance the look and feel of any space in your home.

Just pick a room, and we have what you need. Whether it's updating your dining room lighting to add warmth and atmosphere, adding modern lighting to a living room to give an instant contemporary feel, or making your kitchen more inviting and functional with updated kitchen lighting, you'll find the best possible options to choose from in our lighting selection. You can also bring the fresh feel of the garden indoors with the addition of grow lights.

Don't stop there. Bring life to an old, dated bathroom. Start at the bathroom light fixtures! Consider choosing LED lighting for greater energy efficiency with a modern flair, or add the piece de resistance with a gorgeous crystal chandelier.

With so many splendid lighting styles and options to choose from, there's no better time to than now to shed some new light on every room in your home.

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Lighting - The Home Depot

There are many types of indoor lighting. Some lights are particular to commercial premises alone, whilst others are solely for the home environment. Generally though, most indoor lights are suitable for both. In this section we offer an extensive range of interior lighting, arranged into the following lighting types to make finding your required light fitting simple:

Our Indoor lighting range incorporates a wide range of technologies but if you're specifically after LED why not browse our exciting Indoor LED Lighting range.

Our overall indoor lighting range includes:

Safety is paramount in all business environments, whether they interact with the general public or not. Our emergency lighting range includes, fittings, signage and even convertor packs to upgrade your existing lighting to emergency regulation standard.

A popular office lighting solution, fluorescent lights have improved immensely over recent years. Flickering and buzzing are a thing of the past, ensuring that the working environment a distraction free productive one. Whether youre after surface mounted battens or recessed fluorescent lights we have the solution.

Covering a wide range of commercial needs our commercial indoor lighting range caters for shops, superstores, warehouses, restaurants and business premises alike. From flush lighting solutions to high bay and low bay lights, from display lights to downlights our range has your needs covered.

Above, behind, underneath or wherever you need your cabinet lighting, our lights should have the angle covered. Our range includes strip-lights, downlights and even out and out cupboard lights.

These might include recessed spotlights, sometimes fixed and sometimes adjustable; fire rated downlights that plug and gap in the ceiling to maintain its integrity during a fire; or wall-washing downlights that fire light in a downward angle against a wall. In a ceiling they tend to be very low-profile - either recessed or semi-flush, so theyre functional without being obtrusive.

All of these types of indoor lights are essentially designed to focus the light on a particular area. Whether or not you need your lighting to be adaptable or even moveable will influence your choice of light. We have a quality selection of lighting options for you to choose from including spotlights, track lighting and wire lights.

This might incorporate task-orientated lights or various spotlight arrangements, but one thing to always be aware of when fitting a bathroom lights is its proximity to water. Any luminaire designed for bathroom use is likely to carry an IP rating, the second figure of which refers to its resistance to water. These figures should be carefully double-checked against the manufacturers advice for any given product. Our bathroom lights include ceiling fittings, wall lights, a range of downlights, mirror units and shaver lights.

This type of lighting is often extremely practical by design and may or may not have a dependency on high colour accuracy (high CRI). The difference between a cool white rather than a warm white can be a factor whilst some of our task lights incorporate a magnifying glass for reading or detail work. We stock picture lights for your photos and art work, desk lamps for study and reading lights.

Incorporating everything from ceiling fittings to floor lamps and wall lights to table lamps, our decorative lighting section is a must for all traditional home lighting requirements. Whether your kitting out a new build or upgrading your existing lighting our decorative range has all areas covered.

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Indoor Lighting - Lyco

Wichita Eagle

Stryker Soccer Complex to host all-turf fields, indoor facility by 2019 Wichita Eagle Stryker Soccer Complex will have upgraded artificial turf fields, improved lighting, locker rooms, a two-field indoor facility and more by the start of 2019. The improvements are a part of a proposal package the city recently opened for bids. A pre ...

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Stryker Soccer Complex to host all-turf fields, indoor facility by 2019 - Wichita Eagle

Plessey, a manufacturer of semiconductor products used in many applications including solid-state lighting, has announced it is a core partner in the worlds first biophilic design project. The Biophilic Office is a ground-breaking office refurbishment project run by BRE, a building research organization.

The project will be located on the BRE campus at Watford in a 650-metre-square office building. The building will be refurbished according to biophilic design principles, putting a spotlight on nature. Biophilia is based on the innate attraction to living systems and natural processes. The project is designed to provide quantifiable evidence of the benefits of a biophilic design on health, wellbeing and productivity of office workers. The project is a comprehensive and long-term study that is unique for its scale and data capture.

A key result of the project will be to provide a firm foundation for the guidance and adoption of measures in the facilities management and refurbishment sectors to promote health and wellbeing in offices.

As one of several core partners on the project, Plessey will be using the Biophilic Office, as well as its own test facilities, to evaluate the offices role in promoting the health and wellbeing of office workers, in addition to expanding research into this type of nature-centred design in general.

Over a three year period, Plessey will contribute its expertise and knowledge in sensing and solid-state lighting technologies, which are commercially available in a range of Plesseys products. Plesseys Hyperion range was designed to provide supplementary lighting in greenhouses, helping to achieve increased productivity for growers while providing 40 per cent energy savings compared to equivalent 600W and 1000W sodium lights. Plesseys Orion series of LED modules delivers new levels of design freedom to architectural and industrial lighting designers.

The project will show how quantified improvements in productivity and wellness can bring rewards for landlords, occupiers, developers and all those concerned with the office and wider built environment, said Ed Suttie, research director at BRE, in a press release.

We believe this exciting new project will yield much valuable data and enable us to develop lighting technologies that are truly people-centric, where light levels can be adapted to suit human circadian rhythms, added Dr. Keith Strickland, Plesseys Chief Technology Officer.

Researchers will carry out a baseline year of pre-refurbishment and a year of post-refurbishment monitoring, evaluating the Biophilic Office environment for daylight, lighting, indoor air quality, acoustic, thermal and humidity comfort. Office occupants will undergo confidential health evaluations and sign up to a series of online questionnaires and surveys. They will enlist the help of wearable technology to monitor key health metrics.

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Plessey to provide lighting to biophilic office project - REMI Network - Real Estate Management Industry Network

Unlike air conditioners, ceiling fans dont lower a rooms temperature or remove humidity from the air. But you can boost your comfort leveland save energy and moneyby using ceiling fans and turning off the air conditioning when possible or by turning up the thermostat a few degrees and letting the fan do the rest.

Consumer Reports doesn't rate ceiling fans because in our past tests, most ceiling fans performed similarly on low and high speeds. But we did find some features that make a difference if you plan to buy a ceiling fan.

Ceiling fans come in a variety of styles and finishes. In the past, we tested a number of three-speed, 52-inch-diameter fans, the most popular size. We found that spending more didnt guarantee better performance but did get you fancier finishes on the motor cover and blades. We also learned to predict how noisy a fan would be just by looking at its design. Heres what else our tests revealed:

Fans save energy.The recommended indoor temperature for summer is 78 F, but some people set the thermostat much cooler. According toEnergy Star, you can save 3 to 5 percent on air-conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat. Using a ceiling fan, which costs little to run, can make you feel up to 4 F cooler. (Don't forget to turn off the fan when you leave the roomfans cool you, not the room.)

Airflow and blade shape matter.Look at cubic feet per minute (CFM) numbers on the box or on the manufacturer's or retailer's website to get an idea of how well the ceiling fan moves air. A higher number means more air movement, but dont fret over small differences. Our tests showed comparable airspeed from fans rated from 5,000 to 5,600 CFM. Fans with the most airflow also made the most noise, but it was wind noise and fluttering, not motor noise. And be wary of fans with large blades that have ridges, bumps, or other surface texture; those often make more noise on high than fans with smooth blades.

Wobble can be fixed.Most fans come with balancing kits, a combination of weights that you attach to the blades to make up for slight differences in blade weight and removable clips that help you determine where to place the weights. You can eliminate most of the wobbling with such a kit.

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Ceiling Fans Add Comfort and Save Money - ConsumerReports.org