What I would offer instead

How these are built

The rule these pages follow

Each page lists several lines I represent for SESCO, and exactly one option that is not on my line card. The outside option is labelled as such and it is there on purpose. A comparison that only names what I sell is a sales sheet, and an engineer can tell the difference in about ten seconds.

Every number in the tables is quoted from the manufacturer that published it, with the family and the sheet named. Where a manufacturer does not publish something the reader would expect, the page says it is not published rather than filling in a plausible figure. That is the whole point of the exercise: you can check me.

What these pages are not is a factory cross reference. No manufacturer publishes an equivalence between these products. Nothing here is approved, equal in a contractual sense, or guaranteed to clear a submittal. The photometrics get re-run against the actual room or site, and the engineer of record decides.

The pages

Published cross references

Three so far, chosen because they are the three callouts that come up most often on South Florida drawings. More are being added.

Site and areaLithonia D-Series DSX0 and DSX1The default parking-lot area light on almost every site plan. Gardco, Lumec, Visionaire and WE-EF against it, plus McGraw-Edison Galleon II, with the amber and turtle question answered line by line.

Architectural downlightingGotham EVO and IncitoThe specified downlight on most commercial interiors. DMF, Lightolier, Lightheaded, Liton and ConTech against it, plus Halo Commercial, with cutout, ceiling thickness, damp versus wet and emergency output compared.

Lighting controlsAcuity nLight and nLight AIRThe control system named on the schedule more than any other. Wattstopper DLM, Dynalite, Interact and ETC against it, plus Lutron, and a straight answer on which of them can satisfy each Florida energy-code requirement.

Substitutions

What I actually do when you ask for an alternate

Run the layout in the alternate with the manufacturer photometric file, and put the point-by-point next to the basis-of-design numbers.

Write the line-by-line comparison a reviewer checks: lumens, distribution, CCT, CRI, mounting, dimensions, EPA and weight, dimming protocol, listing, finish, warranty and DLC status.

Give the pole engineer or the ceiling contractor the mechanical numbers in writing rather than in an email thread.

Say so plainly when the alternate does not match. An accepted substitution that fails at inspection costs more than the one I did not sell you.

Also useful

Tools that go with these pages

The calculators cover the arithmetic that comes up mid-substitution: circuit loading and breaker sizing, average footcandles and lighting power density, beam angle, and voltage drop. There is a blank fixture schedule workbook to download, with the South Florida columns already in it.

The turtle-safe fixture finder is the coastal companion to the area-light page: every amber model published by the lines I represent, filterable, with each wavelength claim quoted from the sheet it came from.

The guide specifications are the next step after an accepted substitution, and the SESCO line card is everything I can actually price.

Questions

What people ask about these pages

Is this a manufacturer cross reference?

No, and the pages say so. It is my recommendation as a manufacturer representative, built from what each manufacturer publishes. No factory has blessed any of these equivalences, and nothing here is approved or equal in a contractual sense.

Why is there a brand on here you cannot sell me?

Because a comparison that only lists what I carry is a sales sheet. Each page names one strong option outside my line card and labels it. You should know what you are choosing between.

Can you match the specified fixture exactly?

Almost never, and neither can anyone else. What I can do is land in the same published lumen band with an optic covering the same distribution, and show you the layout so you can judge it.

What do you need from me to price an alternate?

The fixture schedule and the drawings. For a site, the pole locations and the footcandle and uniformity targets. For an interior, the ceiling type and thickness and the control intent. If the parcel is coastal, tell me the county and whether it is seaward of the coastal construction control line.

How often are these updated?

When a manufacturer revises a sheet the figures here go stale, so treat every number as of the revision the page names and ask me to confirm before it goes into a submittal. That is true of any published figure, mine included.