July 6, 2016
For building and facility owners and property managers looking to increase the value of commercial properties, it’s important to consider different options that will hold value over time, decrease costs associated with maintenance, and conserve on energy. One tool to accomplish these goals is an LED retrofit. The lighting setup in any commercial property (large or small) can have significant impacts on a lot of factors.
LED Retrofit: General Tips, Lessons Learned, and Avoiding Problems
Any lighting project has three primary aspects to consider:
Each of these aspects needs to be addressed in order for a project to be developed properly. It’s incredibly important to have a baseline understanding of the existing lighting conditions so that your objectives can be met. LED lighting is not a commodity, and different products from different manufacturers will perform differently in various applications. Your supplier should develop a comprehensive scope of work that addresses your energy, maintenance, and performance objectives while considering budget and timeframe constraints.
The most difficult adjustment to make is understanding that all lighting is not the same; who makes the product and where they purchase it from is important. This mentality has caused a wide range of issues across multiple product applications (office lighting, parking lot lighting, warehouse lighting, etc).
Because of the demand for LED lighting, the market has been flooded with poor quality product. So what to look for instead? You should expect a certain level of expertise when dealing with your supplier, and you should be informed why one option is being considered over another. Any product performance claims should be supported by independent testing results that have been standardized in the industry, and a manufacturer should be able to tell you how a given specification was generated. We have seen products with “warranties” that were worth less than the paper they were printed on, so it is important that a certain level of due diligence is applied when considering various LED lighting products.
Helpful Hints for Completing an LED Conversion:
Ask your supplier why they are proposing a particular product over another. Are you speaking directly with a “manufacturer” or manufacturer’s rep that is only providing one option? That can be a bad sign. Every manufacturer will claim their product is the latest and the greatest, but the reality is that “greatest” is relevant to individual projects and their unique requirements, so any general claim on “the latest and greatest” should be viewed with caution. Work with a supplier that does not have a financial motive to provide one product over another, and instead works with you to develop a project based on desired outcomes. If energy costs are your biggest concern, you may want the most energy efficient product. If maintenance costs are your biggest concern, go with the longer warranty and rated life. Every project is unique, so work with a supplier that can match your needs to the correct products.
To demonstrate the impacts that LED lighting can bring to a property, see the case study showing how transitioning a commercial property to LED lighting resulted in savings and increased value.
About the Author
Justin Stouch is the Director of Operations at Stouch Lighting, a Pennsylvania-based LED lighting consultant and distributor. You can read more LED conversion case studies here.
