A lighting retrofit upgrades your lamps and light fixtures to increase your energy efficiency, usually by installing LED lighting. By retrofitting your lighting, you can see better efficiency and productivity, while your energy bill and carbon footprint can decrease. These are some of the benefits of retrofitting your lighting.
Benefits of LED Light Bulbs
In a typical commercial building, about 20 percent of its energy use is lighting, so waiting to retrofit your lighting can cost you money. LED lights use a fraction of the energy that fluorescent or incandescent lights use, and they are often brighter. They are an excellent solution to energy efficiency and reducing your carbon footprint.
LED light bulbs can last between three and 25 times longer than traditional bulbs, and they use 25 to 80 percent less energy, according to the Department of Energy.
This can also increase the asset value of a company. According to Energy Star, for every $1 that a company invests in increasing their energy efficiency, there is the potential that the value of the asset will increase by $3.
Financial Benefits
While the initial retrofitting can be somewhat expensive, you will be saving money in the long run from these upgrades, and the upfront costs can be recuperated within about two years of retrofitting the building. Many cities and states, and even utility companies, offer rebates for upgrading your lighting, so you might be able to get some of what you spent back fairly quickly.
When you have sustainable lighting in your commercial building, you can receive tax incentives and deductions. Thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 business owners can have a tax deduction of $0.60 per square foot for having efficient lighting.
When retrofitting, you do not need to replace the entire lamp or light fixture, there are methods of retrofitting that will allow you to keep everything looking the same, just brighter. This can also save you money on the project overall.
Increased Productivity and Safety
Light can have a huge impact on a person’s mental and physical well-being; our bodies can tell the difference between natural and artificial light. The lighting from bright fluorescent and incandescent light-bulbs feel fake and can have a negative impact on people who have to stay under them for extended periods of time. LED lights are intended to be easier on the eye and our brains can register this as closer to natural lighting. Studies have shown that having efficient lighting can increase employee productivity by three to five percent.
It can also cut down on the number of workplace accidents and it can help employees feel more at ease in the buildings. Accidents when changing light bulbs will especially go down since LED lights last so much longer.
If you are retrofitting the lighting in a parking lot or parking garage, you can especially see an increase in safety. Approximately 40 percent of violent crimes happen in parking lots, partially because poor lighting makes it easier for criminals to sneak around and avoid being seen by witnesses. Therefore, having better lighting in your parking lots and garages can increase the safety of your employees and customers.