The size of the facility doesn’t matter, everyone wants to save money on energy costs. It’s something everyone considers during a lighting retrofit or next gen LED upgrade. An effective way to lower operating costs is to make the switch to next gen LED lighting, but how do you know when it’s time to replace or upgrade your lighting?

6 Signs Your Facility is Ready for Next Gen LED Upgrades

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, around 75 percent of commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings are constructed before the advent of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Even if it doesn’t apply to your structure, you may still have signs it’s time to replace your current LED lighting.

1. High Electric Bills

The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes around 39 percent of a building’s energy usage goes to lighting.

Replacing your current LED lamps with next gen LED lighting can reduce energy costs by between 10 and 20 percent. There are also additional saving when installing lighting controls with next gen LEDs.

2.  Expensive Maintenance Costs

Did you know you are replacing your incandescent bulbs around 25 to 50 times more often than with LEDs? These maintenance costs will quickly add up.

LED technology results in few lamp changes, whether you are replacing incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent bulbs. You reduce replacement and maintenance costs, even labor is reduced with LED lighting.

3. Poor Light Levels

Poor or ineffective lighting in the workplace has an adverse effect on employees. It can cause,

• Eyestrain
• Headaches
• Depressive effects
• Increase in accidents
• Bad posture
• Low productivity

Inadequate lighting also makes your facility appear outdated and dirty.

Unlike fluorescent lamps that can begin degrading after 20,000 hours, next gen LEDs will continue to output 95 percent of their lumen output. You get brighter, more consistent lighting throughout the facility.

4. Meet Your Environmental and Sustainability Goals

Reducing your energy consumption can help your facility meet its environmental and sustainability goals by reducing your carbon footprint.

Next gen LED lighting not only consumes less energy, but the lamps are also free of harmful chemicals like mercury and other hazardous substances. LEDs are easier to recycle, and their longer lifespan means fewer replacements. Your facility is generating less waste which is always beneficial to the environment.

5. Rebates from Utility Companies

Utility companies are offering rebates to businesses making the switch to next gen LED lighting. Along with product rebates, you may also be able to take advantage of tax credits. The combination of rebates and tax credits helps to offset the upgrade or retrofit cost.

6. Take Advantage of Smart Building Initiatives

Next gen LED lighting is compatible with PoE (power of everything) and lighting controls, allowing you to integrate it with other building systems. Automating your lighting is another way to maximize energy efficiency and ensure your facility is properly illuminated.

Next Gen LED Upgrades – How to Get Started

Planning a lighting upgrade can seem like a daunting task. Where do you being?

Lighting Audit and Recommendations

Contacting a lighting expert to audit the facility takes a lot of the guesswork out of your project. The expert will provide you with a detailed report outlining everything from your potential savings to financial incentives and your possible ROI.

Don’t forget to ask about product recommendations. An experienced lighting company can propose a solution that meets your facility’s needs and budget.

Pssst – Action Services Group has over 30 years of experience as a lighting company with dedicated project managers that can and will handle your entire lighting project.

Receiving Funding for the Next Gen Lighting Upgrade

Convincing upper management to approve funding for an LED lighting upgrade isn’t always a sure thing. Sometimes, the upfront costs can make the project seem prohibitive.

You can use an ROI calculator to provide management with an estimate. Another idea is to start small. Retrofitting a small area provides visual results that can help you get the green light to finish the project.

Where to Start the Next Gen LED Upgrades

Even though the lighting upgrades will eventually encompass the entire facility, there are a few areas you may want to start with.

Places where the lights are always on like stairwells, parking garages, and common areas are a good place to start. Since the lights are always left on, chances are you are burning through a lot of inefficient light bulbs.

You also want to look at areas where maintaining the light bulbs is difficult or dangerous. LEDs’ longevity means you will not be changing the bulbs as often.

Starting with these areas can provide you with almost instant savings and can serve as an example of why the lighting retrofit should continue throughout the facility.

Contact Us for Your Next Gen LED Lighting Needs

Whether you need advice on a lighting plan or aren’t sure which Next Gen LED products are best suited for your facility, contact us today to see how we can help.

To discuss the benefits of an LED retrofit or Next Gen LED upgrade, call 610-558-9773, emailing [email protected], or schedule a call that fits your needs by clicking the button below.