For managers planning lighting retrofits, the final piece of the puzzle — after financial and technology considerations — involves tailoring the project to the specific application and facility in question. Here are key considerations for such decisions:
Commercial and retail facilities. Pay attention to the appearance of a new lighting system because the human experience is crucial. In retail settings, energy savings will mean little if customers stop shopping there. Managers should give extra weight to glare control, proper beam distribution, and the appearance of the luminaires.
Offices. Lighting controls can dramatically reduce operating costs in offices. Scheduling, task tuning, daylighting occupancy control, personal control and variable load shedding can reduce the energy consumption for lighting by 20-75 percent. Employee productivity can increase based on the quality of the lighting. Retrofit luminaire kits offer a variety of light-source options.
Warehouse facilities. Managers should emphasize energy savings in these settings because operating costs are key drivers of profitability. Turn off lights, or reduce lighting to 50 percent, in unoccupied spaces.
Outdoor applications. Maintenance costs and the serviceability of retrofit projects are essential considerations because outdoor luminaires are often hard to access. New fluorescent, HID and LED solutions mean managers must evaluate the length of time a retrofit lighting system will operate in between routine service requirements.
Doug Baillie held senior communications management posts at Siemens and Acuity Brands Lighting. He is active in several lighting industry organizations including NEMA and the National Lighting Bureau. douglass.baillie@comcast.net. This article was prepared with input from the NEMA enLIGHTen America Task Force. Contributors include: Larry Leetzow with Magnaray International; Cheryl Ford with Osram Sylvania; Rita Renner with WattStopper; David Errigo with LumenOptix; and Cheryl De Los Santos with Leviton.
Efficiency, Avoiding Mistakes Key to Lighting Retrofits
Codes, Rebates to Consider for Lighting Retrofits
Efficient Lighting Technology Options Available
Tailoring Lighting Project to Specific Application
