An In-depth Look at Troffer Lighting

What is Troffer Lighting?

Troffer or recessed troffer lighting is generally utilized to provide illumination for interior areas such as office buildings, retail, industrial and warehouse spaces, as well as education and medical facilities. The range of fixture shapes and sizes vary greatly but are commonly mounted within the ceiling, with the most common size range running from 1×4 troffers, 2×2 troffers and 2×4 troffers. Most existing troffer lighting that has not been switched to LED an operating with fluorescent lamps such as T12 and T8 lamps.

Below are a few visual examples of non-LED troffer lighting applications.

Common Issues in Non-LED Troffer Lighting Applications

Like we stated above, most existing non-retrofitted troffer lighting applications are utilizing fluorescent lamps. As a result, all have shared concerns. While the cost of a fluorescent lamp is lower than most lamps. Almost all fluorescent fixtures operate with multiple lamps per fixture. This can cause multiple performance concerns when a single lamp is having issues within the fixture.

Energy Cost

The typical wattage usage of a 4ft fluorescent lamp is between 28-40 watts per lamp. As an example, a facility is utilizing 2×4 troffers, meaning they are 4 fluorescent lamps and consuming up to 160 watts of energy per fixture. The electric cost for a single 2×4 troffer will run this facility $85 per year. If we multiply that by the total number of troffers in the facility and their energy costs are through the roof.

Lighting Performance

Depending upon the type of lamp utilized in a troffer application you could be experiencing a wide variety of lighting performance issues. Like we stated above, the T12 and T8 fluorescent tubes are the most common lamps used in troffer applications. Most people assume that the performance of these two types of lamps is very similar. Unfortunately, they would be wrong. To compound the issue, the manufacturer could also play a huge difference in performance quality. One last concern for troffer application utilizing fluorescent lamps is as the individual lamps fail, the aesthetics and performance of that fixture are diminished.

Maintenance Costs

As we stay with the fluorescent troffer example, you will see that your maintenance concerns can fluctuate greatly. Rapid deterioration can be caused by cold temperatures as well as continually turning your lamps on and off. Did you know that every time you turn a fluorescent lamp on and off, you are degrading the ignition system within the tubes? This is causing a much shorter lamp life, and contributing to higher maintenance cost. The average life span of a fluorescent lamp is between 10,000 – 30,000 hours. This can send your maintenance costs through the roof and they could easily reach over $1000 per fixture, per year.

The Benefits of an LED Troffer Light Retrofit

There are substantial benefits to performing an LED troffer light retrofit. Light Emitting Diodes or LED’s generate light utilizing a semiconductor. LED’s do not rely on the consumption of a fuel source like a fluorescent lamp. We would like our readers to be mindful, that the quality of an LED troffer light retrofit depends significantly upon the manufacturer. We suggest contacting a product-neutral service provider to help with your LED troffer selections.

Energy Savings

Most LED troffer light retrofit applications range in wattage usage for 22-50 watts. Which can result in a 40% – 60% reduction in energy consumption. By retrofitting a troffer 2×4 to LED, your organization could save $80 per fixture, per year in energy costs.

For more on an LED’s energy savings, check out the section on Energy Savings on our LED Education Page

Lighting Performance

With an LED troffer light retrofit, you will see a bright, evenly distributed light pattern perfect for illuminating indoor workspaces, due to the fixtures multi-point design. Another bonus, while a fluorescent troffer is not dimmable, an LED troffer will be adjustable to suit your lighting needs. LED troffers are also available in a wide range of CCTs (Correlated color temperature). With their high CRI (color rendering index), you are looking at illumination suitable for any location and occupant.

For more on an LED’s lighting performance, check out the section on Lighting Performance on our LED Education Page

Maintenance Savings

Due to the way LED’s generate light their functional lifespan is much longer than a fluorescent. An LED’s generated light output will degrade very slowly over time. As a result, an LED troffer light retrofit lifespan can range from 50,000 – 150,000 hours. The LED’s lifespan drastically reduces the costs associated with maintaining your troffer lighting. With the fact that LED’s are not affected by constantly switching them on/off, you can save up to $1000 in maintenance costs for one fixture over the course of a year.

For more on an LED’s lifespan, check out our blog, Understanding LED Lifespan.

More LED Troffer  Retrofit Resources to Explore

LED Retrofit Education

When narrowing down the best solution for your organization, you will find it to be a challenging endeavor. Because of the thousands of lighting options available in the LED Industry, not all of them offer the same results. With this in mind, we have created an in-depth look at LED retrofits that covers things like;

• What is a turn-key commercial LED retrofit?
• Examples of commercial LED retrofit goals.
• LED lighting Performance
• Commercial applications
• LED energy savings
• LED maintenance Savings
• And so much more!

Read more about LED retrofits here!

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Lighting

The importance of lighting is often underestimated in the facet of buildings, outdoor spaces, and interiors. It can serve to enhance, detract, annoy, highlight, or even hide certain features. Even more important, lighting can play a crucial part in the energy consumption and environmental footprint of a building or space.

In this article, we will examine the different ways that LED lighting solutions can be used for both interior and exterior applications, and how LED lighting technology can decrease a building’s consumption and footprint.

Read the full article here!

Replacing Fluorescent Lamps with LED Fixtures

Replacing Fluorescent Lamps with LED Fixtures or Linear LED Tubes is one of the most cost-effective lighting upgrades on the market today. One of the most common lights used to illuminate large buildings like warehouses, schools, and corporate offices over the last several decades has been the linear fluorescent tube. Many facilities are already configured with recessed troffers that fit the standard dimensions for linear fluorescent lights. 

In this e-book, you’ll find an in-depth look at energy savings, performance, different price points, and so much more. There are several aspects to consider, but we’ll guide you through each of them.

Download the free eBook Here!

Determining Next Steps in an LED Troffer Lighting Retrofit

So, you have established an LED troffer light retrofit is the right decision for your organization. Now the big question is, what are the next steps in the process? We have a few considerations for you to review.

Commercial Lighting Service Provider

Consider partnering with a project management provider. Make sure they can supply a national LED lighting and electrical project management program. Review these items when vetting a national LED lighting and electrical service provider.

• • Available Resources
  • Available Personnel
  • Reporting Capabilities
  • Data Capturing for lighting and signage components
  • Lighting Recommendations
  • Product Neutral

Interested in Learning More about LED Troffer Light Retrofits?

The first step in any LED troffer light retrofit project should be to contact a lighting solutions provider or lighting company that is manufacturer and product-neutral. With neutrality comes a higher focus on your needs. As opposed to the desire or limitation of selling a specific product, purchasing from one distributor or electrical supply house.

A LED Retrofit provider should ask you about your project.

• What are your desired results?
• Are you looking at budget or project completion constraints?
• Do you have an energy reduction target?
• Do you have lighting performance specifics?

At Action Services Group, our business model is designed to offer you the maximum ROI. While taking your lighting performance, maintenance cost, and energy efficiency into consideration. This allows us to help you prioritize your product selections based on your unique performance goals. No solution or product is ever a one size fits all. We understand the need to customize solutions to meet the organization.

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