EcoTek Lighting Develops Sleek, Energy Efficient Arched Graphics Indoor LED Menu Boards

Oct. 7, 2009 - PRLog -- EcoTek Lighting announced the design and manufacture of the unique Arched Graphics Indoor Menu Board with Direct Backlit LED Array technology. The Arched Graphics direct backlit LED menu board provides a clean contemporary look while allowing graphics to be changed easier than ever before.  This revolutionary product provides up to 25% more usable graphics space per square foot of wall than a typical lift-and-drop menu board. EcoTek Lighting’s direct backlit menu boards are the first of their kind in the industry. Rather than a sheet of Plexiglas lit by LEDs along the edge that try to stretch the beams to the center of the board like current inefficient edgelit menu boards or inefficient edgelit lamps, direct backlighting features grids of low-power LEDs directly illuminating the back of the graphic.  In the fast casual restaurant industry, even, balanced lighting is extremely important, and direct backlit LED arrays produce even illumination across the entire graphics display area, optimizing light output with no hotspots.

“Both quick serve and fast casual units are considered energy hogs, in large part because their hours of operation can average 18 to 20 hours a day,” says Rick Farrell, president of EcoTek Lighting.  New Federal regulations under consideration could raise energy costs by 62% by the end of 2010. LED illumination saves 80% of electricity compared to incandescent, and 55 to 75% compared to fluorescent lighting. Not only does it show off the proper colors of the graphics, but it helps reduce ambient air temperature to save on air-conditioning costs. The illumination life span of our high quality LEDs is more than eight years in Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) and fast casual restaurant environments. In addition, a single Modular Power Supply will power multiple menu boards.  Our Modular Power Supplies can be placed outside the air-conditioned area and allow our LED arrays to be thin, lightweight and easy to install.

EcoTek Lighting’s Arched Graphics Indoor LED Menu Boards:
•   Offer up to 25% more graphics per wall area than lift and drop grids
•   Provide easy graphics change-out with no doors to open
•   Are engineered with rustproof and durable welded aluminum extrusions
•   Have architectural powder-coated surfaces with a five year warranty on finishes
•   Deliver illumination levels lasting up to seven times longer than menu boards using T-8 fluorescent lamps
•   Do not radiate infrared heat (IR), reducing building heat load and decreasing air conditioning costs.  
•   Do not emit ultraviolet (UV) light, which reduces the fading of graphics.
•   Do not introduce mercury into landfills, as is the case with improperly disposed of fluorescent lamps.
•   Reduce maintenance costs by eliminating fluorescent-lamp replacement since LEDs last for years.

For the fast casual restaurant industry, in which brand image continues to dictate mood lighting, LEDs can be efficiently dimmed. EcoTek Lighting has developed a proprietary dimming sensor that enables the Arched Graphics Indoor LED Menu Board to lower energy costs by automatically dimming the menu board’s LED illumination when appropriate. The light level of the LED menu board can be efficiently increased or decreased in proportion to the amount of natural light present, resulting in a constant illumination level in the controlled space. Dimming sensors allow the Arched Graphics LED Indoor Menu Board to be dimmed automatically at night when less ambient light is detected, increasing the LEDs life span and reducing energy costs.

"When you dim fluorescent lamps, it decreases their life expectancy and it's not a linear relationship to saving energy," says Farrell. "For example, dimming a fluorescent lamp by 50% might only save 20% of the energy.  In contrast, dimming an LED by 50% saves 45% of the energy.”  All EcoTek Lighting menu boards meet Federal standards for Energy Efficiency and Green Manufacturing Regulations, including UL, CUL and CE listings, European RoHS Standards, and contribute points to LEED-certified buildings. They are fully recyclable at end-of-life, and contain no heavy metals or other hazardous components.

About EcoTek Lighting
EcoTek Lighting is the leading provider of high performance light boxes, menu boards, poster frames and custom LED illuminated displays in the industry. EcoTek Lighting was created with the mission of saving energy and producing Eco-friendly products.  Our Direct LED Array Backlighting technology and our Green manufacturing processes significantly contribute to reducing emissions across the entire lifecycle of our products.  EcoTek Lighting received a 2009 Harvey Mudd College Green Engineering Certificate of Merit for our energy efficient products at the TechAmerica High-Tech Innovation Awards, and is a finalist in the Rising Star Award category in the 2009 Platts Global Energy Awards.  For more information, call us at 800-733-6661, or visit www.EcoTekLighting.com

# # #

EcoTek Lighting is a leading electronics and lighting manufacturer, specializing in energy efficient LED illumination. Dawna Lee Heising is the director of marketing for EcoTek Lighting. For more information, contact dheising@ecoteklighting.com.