Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008 - (Page 38)

As a footnote, it has been widely reported that the energy shortage experience in California in 2000-2001 was largely created by energy deregulation in that state, along with market manipulation by certain vendors (including involvement of the now-defunct Enron Corporation). All of these events eventually cost Governor Gray Davis his job, and investigations into the activities of the energy companies related to the “energy crisis” commenced after he left office. The California Energy Commission initiated the process of drafting new outdoor lighting rules; they hired outside consultants to help in this task, many of whom were both lighting consultants and IDA directors. On-premise exterior illuminated signs were included under the new proposed rules. Under at least one version of the proposed Energy Conservation rules (as applied to exterior signs) resided this regulation: For a four-by-eight-foot sign with internal fluorescent lighting a n d a p l a s t i c f a c e , t h e E n e rg y Conservation proposals required this sign to go from a standard (4) 96-inch lamp configuration to only (1) 96-inch lamp—cutting the lighting by 75 percent, in order to conserve energy. The traffic safety implications of this rule were staggering. In the end, more energy-efficient sign components were substituted (ballasts and lamps) that permitted the conservation goals to be met, but the signs were not dimmed. The lesson here is that rules can be enacted without scientific research (or ignoring scientific research), and sign companies must be prepared to address these rules in an objective manner. Model Lighting Ordinance Following the California situation in 2003, the IDA directed its attention to creating a Model Lighting Ordinance (MLO)—one that would include regulation of On Premise signs. An MLO has no force of law in and of its self, but it would carry the approval of a prestigious organization (IDA) and could be then adopted across the country (as the IDA message of restricting lighting to bring back the stars was accepted). The MLO process has taken many years to complete, and in 2005-2007, the Illuminated Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) joined with IDA on the MLO project. Based in New York City, IESNA is a non-profit, membership-oriented association of lighting professionals. Over the years, IESNA has promulgated national standards and recommendations for a wide variety of lighting applications and devices (including the IESNA Lighting Handbook). These recommendations have traditionally been viewed and accepted as “best practices” in the lighting industry and beyond. (Note: Interestingly IESNA has created very few standards for our manufactured internally illuminated on-premises signs. The IESNA is viewed as generally apolitical and more science- and researchoriented.) The IDA/IESNA Model Lighting Ordinance is still not complete as of this writing. Committee members have stated to the USSC that the MLO will not cover on-premise signs. The committee did express an intention to write a Model Sign Lighting Code after the MLO was finished; this development should have the attention of all sign professionals. IF YOUR CUSTOMER IS ANGRY, IT’S A BAD SIGN. Your customers want signs that last. You need MAK™. Wind, hail, storms, blowing debris and vandals are just a few of the reasons why your customers demand nothing less than the superior strength of MAKROLON® SL Polycarbonate Sheet in their signage. Achieve brighter whites, less yellowing and superior light transmission. Your signs will last longer and look better. Nothing is tougher than MAK™. Clearly the right choice. 119 Salisbury Road, Sheffield, MA 01257 Customer Service: 1-800-254-1707 Fax: 1-800-457-3553 Email: info@sheffieldplastics.com www.sheffieldplastics.com 38 Sign Builder Illustrated May 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008

Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008 Contents SBI Agenda Quotes & Comments Contributors Costly Concerns Dispatches Sign Show Dateline: Time to Find a New Identity Teaching a New Dog Old Tricks Sign Illumination: It’s Time to Pay Attention Restoring Old Photographs for Digital Printing Price Doesn’t Sell the Signs You Want to Make Architects in LED Codes for Electric Signs: Don’t Get Blindsided! Digital Displays at the Pearl Harbor Museum The Art of Wayfinding Signage Grand Format National Following Traffic Sign Regulations Designs on ADA Signage Painting Professionally SBI Marketplace Imagine-It Graphics

Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008

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