Everyone likes paying for less energy, and everyone likes having better lighting. Those are two things that I think we can all agree on. The goal of most lighting retrofits is to cut the energy costs associated with lighting, and improve lighting quality as much as is reasonably possible.

Often, a lighting retrofit takes the form of a basic one-for-one replacement. In a basic one-for-one replacement retrofit, every existing fixture in a facility is replaced with an equivalent, but more efficient, fixture.

So if, for example, a warehouse was lit with thirty 1,080W metal halide fixtures running 12-hours a day, and these were replaced with thirty equivalent 584W fluorescent fixtures, that facility would use 46% less energy for lighting, and cut the lighting part of its energy bill by 46%.

Before the retrofit, our example warehouse was using 141,912 kWh every year to stay illuminated, at a cost of about $14,000/yr. Now, they're using half the electricity, and saving over $6,000 every year.

Great, right?

Yes, it is great, but would you be surprised to hear that this type of retrofit is leaving big energy savings and lighting improvements on the table?

The truth is, a one-for-one replacement is the start of a great retrofit. And there's so much more that could be done. What about automated lighting controls, is there a chance to significantly reduce the average hours that a fixture is on in the warehouse? What about the outdoor lighting in the parking lot and on the sides of the building? Is the current layout of the warehouse's lights ideal, or is light being wasted? What about targeted incentives? Are there specific upgrades that a utility would pay for, or subsidize?

These questions, or ones very much like them, are a part of getting the most from every energy-efficient lighting retrofit.

We've talked about this before with our ABC Value+ program, and now we're going to dedicate a series of posts to helping our customers and end-users get the most from every lighting retrofit.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our series coming later this month, where we’ll talk about the value of performing a comprehensive layout and specification.

There's no question, LightFair is the lighting industry's biggest annual event. This year's trade show and conference, April 23rd to 25th in Philadelphia, is already here.

The show can be a bit overwhelming. Over 500 exhibitors are registered and more than 23,000 attendees are expected to attend.

So, what will [P2] be doing to dazzle show-goers with our booth at LightFair this year?

Giveaways? Promotions? Free Swag?

The truth is: we don’t have any gimmicks planned. What we’re hoping for is open, honest, straight-forward conversations so we can help our partners be more successful, along with the chance to show you the new LED fixtures and kits we’ll have at the show.

We're a company that believes in relationships, and among those 23,000 attendees are quite a few people we don't get to connect with as much as we would like to. LightFair is a chance to make those connections.

So if you’ll be at LightFair this week, stop by our booth (#2961) and say hello. We’ll be showing off our brand-new LED fixtures and kits, but most of all, we'll be happy to get the chance to connect with you in person, and see if there's anything we can do to help.

Hope to see you there.

We've completed our 2012 Energy-Efficient Lighting Industry survey, and we're ready to share our results with the world.

Our Survey's Predictions For Growth in 2012 Were Right On The Money

In the survey we conducted at the end of 2011, 69% of the lighting industry experts we surveyed expected moderate or substantial growth in their revenues from energy-efficient relighting projects in 2012.  This year, when we asked how much growth they actually saw in 2012, 67% reported either moderate or substantial growth.  That's a difference of just 2% between expected and actual growth.

Our Survey Takers Expect Even More Energy-Efficient Relighting Industry Growth In 2013

Our survey respondents are even more positive about 2013 than they were predicting growth in 2012.  In fact, a full 77% of survey respondents expect either moderate or substantial growth in 2013, up 7% from last year.

Nearly Half Of All Lighting Projects Use Controls

When we asked our survey takers what percentage of their relighting projects used automatic lighting controls, the average answer was 48%.  That means that nearly half of all current lighting projects are using some form of automatic lighting controls.

The most efficient fixture in the world is one that’s turned off, and automatic lighting controls help keep lights off when they’re not needed.  Like we wrote a couple months ago, it makes sense to at least assess the suitability of automatic lighting controls in nearly every project, and it looks like our survey takers agree.

Fluorescent Will Remain The Dominant Energy-Efficient Lighting Technology Installed in 2013

This year, 68% of our survey takers said that they expect Linear Fluorescent lighting to be the dominant lighting technology they install in 2013.  This number might come as a surprise to people outside of the industry, where LED lighting seems to get all the news coverage.

LED lighting has made advances in the past year, and that’s reflected by our survey takers, 26% of which expect it to be the dominant light source they install in 2013.

However, it’s also true that fluorescent lighting has made significant advances in the past year.  Just recently, major lamp manufacturers began to release lamps with 80,000 hour rated lives.  For a lamp that operates 12 hours a day for 365 days a year, that’s a rated lifespan of over 18-years.

When you combine advances like that with the low initial cost and significant performance benefits of fluorescent lighting, it’s easy to see why our survey takers expect it to be the predominant technology they install in 2013.

An Industry That Demonstrates Continued Growth

Since we conducted our first energy-efficient lighting survey in 2009, one thing has been clear: our industry is continuing to grow.  Reducing energy costs while improving lighting quality was something that businesses wanted in 2009, it's something that businesses want in 2013 and will continue to need in the future. And we plan to be there, giving our customers the fixtures they need to deliver those cost savings and lighting improvements.

At the Minnesota Freezer Warehouse Co. in Albert Lea, MN, things are chilly. In fact, they're downright freezing with a warehouse temperature that's kept between -5°F and -10°F. But, thanks to an energy-efficient lighting retrofit using [P2] LED  and fluorescent based fixtures, running the warehouse now costs less than ever.

A few months ago, Albert Lea Electric installed 102 of [P2]'s LED high bay aisle lighter fixtures in the warehouse, all fitted with occupancy sensors. The fixtures were a perfect fit for this retrofit since unlike other lighting options, LEDs can come on instantly to full brightness in sub-zero temperatures. That makes them an excellent choice for working with occupancy sensors in freezer storage applications.

The combination of energy-efficient LED technology and occupancy sensors is on track to cut overall lighting usage by over 70% at the warehouse, and save over $19,200 a year in lighting energy costs alone. Add that to the $5,400 in refrigeration energy costs savings by the lighting's reduced heat output, and the warehouse is on track to save over $24,000 a year from the retrofit.

Alliant Energy awarded $35,000 in rebate funds to Minnesota Freezer Warehouse Co., which combined with the energy savings will help the retrofit pay for itself in less than three years.

Of course, energy savings aren't the only benefit of the retrofit.

"The difference in the quality of the lighting between the new LED units and the old High Pressure Sodium lights is quite perceptible," said Thomas B. Newell, President of the Minnesota Freezer Warehouse Co. "There is no comparison between the two systems; the new system is by far superior."

It's time for the next installment in our Best Of Ask An Engineer series, where we take some of our more insightful "Ask An Engineer" questions and post them where more of our customers can benefit from them.