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Exterior Lighting

August 11th, 2009

Did you know that by the end of July 2010, new exterior lighting regulations will be enforced within the town of Crested Butte?  Everyone in town will have to become compliant with new exterior down lighting regulations.  Check with us to find out what light will work for you.  We have many lights to choose from that satisfy the town ordinance as well as your design sense. No need to feel stressed about this change, we have functional options for everyone’s budget.  We also have affordable ways to retrofit your current fixtures to make them compliant.  Don’t know who to have install these fixtures?  Check with us for some reliable and affordable recommendations.

Mountain Colors has teamed up with the Town of Crested Butte to offer town residents 20% off exterior lighting purchased through July to become compliant with new exterior lighting ordinance

just a few of the available exterior downlights at Mountain Colors

just a few of the available exterior downlights at Mountain Colors

Why are we so strict on exterior lighting in the Gunnison Valley?  It is not just to make money or to inconvenience you.  Check out the article published by Gunnison County that explains why it is so important to keep our night skies dark.

Feel free to check with us as we are always current on all the exterior downlighting regulations regardless of where you live.  If you would like more information, you can check the different areas websites listed below.

Town of Crested Butte (scroll down to view “Ord. 7, 2005 Exterior Lighting”).

Gunnison County (CB South, Riverbend, Gunnison, etc)

Town of Mt Crested Butte (type in “exterior lighting” in search field)

Here are some of our lighting vendors that support the dark sky revolution by providing unique downlighting:

Avalanche Ranch

Hi-Lite Manufacturing

Hubbardton Forge

Kichler Lighting

Minka Lavery – The Great Outdoors

Murray Feiss

Troy Lighting

World Imports

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Think Local First

August 11th, 2009

Did you know that for every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 of it returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures?  If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here.  Spend it online, and nothing comes home… Think of 3 stores that you would miss if they were gone and spend $50 at each store.  Stimulate your local economy!

Did you also know that shopping locally doesn’t mean spending more?  Check out your local store before ordering online, you may be pleasantly surprised by how competitive stores are, and they offer more than just a great price.  They provide customer service and expertise so you know you are getting the right product for you specifically.

ThinkLocal

Why should I purchase from Mountain Colors versus an online dealer?

When you purchase products from Mountain Colors, the products that you purchase from are fully backed by the manufacturers warranty as well as our company and the local manufactures representative. Your decision to purchase your product from us will ensure that if there is ever a problem with your product, you can depend on all of us to help you resolve it effectively.

Internet dealers generally do not participate in this manner. In fact, it is likely that the products that they advertise are partially flawed factory seconds, defective returns or discontinued. Often, if there is a problem, you may be on your own. The manufacturer does not generally warranty and internet dealers don’t have any local representative to assist you whatsoever.

Additionally, we have invested in a brick and mortar business that provides you the opportunity to actually see, feel, touch and possibly even try our displayed products. Also, our staff is continually educated on the features and benefits related to our product lines and can provide you with the means to select the proper products based on your requirements. Your decision to do business with a local company helps drive our local economy; it keeps our doors open and provides an establishment for trade professionals to conduct business with their clients. Your support also provides a means for our showroom to continuously provide current up to date product displays and employ a staff of professionals at your service.

Mountain Colors is proud to support many superior local businesses in an effort to provide the highest quality customer service throughout the Upper East River Valley.

In a small town, word of mouth is our main form of advertising.  Local companies work well together to point prospective customers in the right direction.  We all live in Crested Butte because of the community, the scenery, and the overall feel of the town.  Whether your stop a local on the street or walk into one of our stores, you will be welcomed with a smile and offered a hand in finding your way.  Please contact us with any questions or contact our friends below directly.

Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce

Visit Crested Butte -  A plethora of information on business’s and information about Crested Butte

Crested Butte Nordic Center – Information on Nordic Skiing in the Crested Butte Area

Colorado Freeskier – Mt Crested Butte’s forward thinking downhill ski shop

Crested Butte Mountain Resort – Information about Downhill Skiing in Mount Crested Butte

Crested Butte News – Crested Butte’s Local newspaper

The Peak – A yearly home magazine for the Upper East River Valley

Office for Resource Efficiency (ORE) – Crested Butte’s local “green” resource group

1% for Open Space -  Mountain Colors is proud to voluntarily collect 1% of our sales to preserve our beautiful surroundings. 1% for Open Space was created to raise funds for organizations dedicated to the preservation of open lands in Gunnison County, Colorado.

Benson Sotheby’s Real Estate – Crested Butte’s premier real estate firm

Elk Mountain Lodge - a great bed and breakfast located downtown Crested Butte

Building +Design Council - a local council in the making that promotes local use and hire of contractors, architects, designers, painters, and suppliers in the Upper East River and Gunnison Valley (Crested Butte, MT Crested Butte, CB South, Gunnison, and everywhere in between)

Think Local First – a committee formed by the Chamber of Commerce to strengthen economic prosperity in the Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte communities by encouraging residents and visitors to spend their money in the local economy, and to educate consumers about the benefits of doing so.

Become a fan on Facebook of Think Local First, a forum that supports Crested Butte’s local businesses and provides insight about the best ways to do so!

Another great movement happening on Facebook is the 3/50 project.  Think of three businesses you’d hate to see disappear, then pop in and spend $50. Save your local economy.

There are so many great shops in Crested Butte, I know I missed many.  Please think local first and ask us for any suggestions on your needs.  We are happy to point you in the right direction, even if you don’t need any paint!

small cb town

Light bulbs are a great first step in saving energy and making your home more efficient.  You get a quick return on your investment and see a real savings in energy just by changing 1 light bulb in your home or business.  Mountain Colors is proud to carry LED and compact florescent (CFL) light bulbs.  We have the knowledge, resources, and expertise to help you select the right bulb for each fixture.  New technology can be daunting and overwhelming but we are here to help make the transition easy, and to save you money.   We are just starting to stock LED’s and can order any bulb imaginable.  Stop by or drop us an e-mail to see what energy efficient light bulbs will work in your existing fixtures.

We are also happy to let you borrow samples to see how new technology can work in your space.  Just another benefit of shopping locally!

Our Local Business Light Bulb Promotion

We also have a great promotion for local businesses.  A design professional will stop by your business and determine the wattage and each type of light bulb needed in every fixture for FREE.  This will be kept on file at Mountain Colors and a site map will be drawn up so re-ordering light bulbs as they burn out will be a snap. Case orders receive 30% off and individual bulbs are always 20% off.  Shop locally and keep your money reinvested into our economy while staying within your budget.

During this visit, we can also talk about what types of energy efficient light bulbs are right for your store or office.  We will help you select the right bulb based on your budget and your fixture.  These efficient bulbs will last 10 times longer or more than normal incandescent and halogen bulbs.  That means less time on a ladder changing light bulbs and you can save a ton of money over the life of the bulbs.

Shoot Kim an e-mail at mountaincolors@gmail.com for more information or to sign up!

What are LED’s and why spend the extra money on them?

Light Emmitting Diodes, or LED’s are tiny solid-state light sources that create light without using a filament.  They are more efficient than any other lighting technology available today, including halogen, CFL, and incandescent.  LED’s also outlast each of these technologies.  They maintain brightness for up to 30,000 hours or more.

Advantages of LED Technology:

  • Up to 90% more efficient than Incandescent and Halogen
  • Last up to 50,000 Hours
  • Environmentally Friendly (Mercury Free)
  • Solid state technology withstands shock and vibration
  • Relatively cool running (less energy lost as heat)
  • Lights up instantly
  • Immediate full brightness
  • No UV Emissions/ no infrared
  • Capable of rapid cycling (unaffected by frequent on/off switching)

We order LED light bulbs from Feit Electric, Earth LED and Bulbrite, the most innovative light bulbs companies in the world!

We order compact florescents (CFL’s) from Satco, Bulbrite, and Feit Electric.

Check out the savings from switching only 1 bulb in your track lights from a halogen to an LED.

Incandescent/Halogen Energy Efficient Lamp
Price $2.99 $31.49
Wattage 50 4
Rated Average Life 1000 30,000
Hours Used per day 9 9
Hours Used per Year 3285 3285
Watt/Year 164,250 13,140
Kilowatts/Year 164.25 13.14
Engery Cost per KW(Per GCEA) 0.11279 0.11279
Yearly Energy Cost $18.53 $1.48
Lamp cost per year* $9.82 $31.49
Total yearly cost $28.35 $32.97
Payback Period in Years 1.17
(*for the first year only)

Check out Bulbrite’s energy savings calculator to enter in your own info to see how much you can save by changing out your light bulbs!


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