By Joe Anuta
A northeast Queens firm is on the forefront of cutting-edge lighting technology — and it wants to get its message out to consumers.
Mega Power Saving is a LED lighting sales and consulting company operating out of a College Point industrial building at 130-17 23rd Ave., but it is selling its products throughout the city, state and beyond.
“Most customers don’t realize they have an option when it comes to lighting,” said Steven Pak, operations manager at the company. “So our primary concern is getting the word out.”
LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are a decades-old technology currently enjoying a resurgence as a more energy-efficient and longer-lasting alternative to traditional lighting arrangements.
The blinking red light on common remote controls is a common example of an LED light, but they can increasingly be found illuminating roadways, warehouses and even homes and offices,though New York state is lagging behind.
“Technology tends to move from the West Coast to the East Coast,” said Justin Lee, also an operations manager at the firm.
California has already switched much of its lighting over to LED. Across the world, Japan is running 100 percent LED lighting and Korea lighting stock is about 80 percent LED, he said.
Mega Power has been installing LED systems for delis, nail salons, warehouses and other businesses around the area, and is in the process of working with the city and possibly the U.S. government.
LED lights use less energy than their incandescent counterparts, according to the company. For example, a common LED bulb that screws into household sockets uses about 8 watts, while a comparable traditional bulb might use 50 watts. Mega Power offers small bulbs all the way up to industrial lighting and street lamps.
But the savings does not happen at the outset, according to Gustavo Segredo, a representative for the company. There is an initial capital investment to retrofit or install the lighting fixtures that house the LED lights. Mega Power aims to make their systems profitable within three years, although each project differs.
Luckily, power companies in the area offer rebates to try and encourage customers to switch.
It might seem inconceivable that power companies would want consumers to buy less energy, but in reality firms like Consolidated Edison and the Long Island Power Authority often become so overburdened they must purchase energy from other companies to pump into their grids, according to Pak.
But the catch is that as technology like LED lighting becomes more prevalent, the power companies also need to incentivize it less.
At the end of October, for example, LIPA is planning on ending its rebate program, Pak said.
Mega Power is a licensed distributor partnered with a Korean company called Posco LED, which manufactures the lights and ships them over. The College Point firm’s president, Sarah Song, is also in the process of becoming certified as a woman- and minority-owned business.
The Mega Power crew firmly believes LEDs are the wave of the future, and they want to help bring that to U.S. businesses.
“Sometimes, when I’m driving down highways in Long Island I’ll look up and there are sections that are lit by LEDs — and it breaks my heart,” Segredo said. “Because I didn’t sell them.”
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
