At PowerForward DuPage, we receive a fair amount of inquiries about upgrading to LED lighting, especially for large-scale installations. And with good reason! We are seeing more and more buildings, both in the private and public sector, wanting to upgrade their installations to LED lighting technology in an effort to capitalize on the cost-saving benefits of LED. So, I recently sat down with one of our contractors, Brian Haug from Continental Electrical Construction Company, to discuss the benefits of LED lighting.

“The first wave of lighting retrofits is near its end. Eliminating the old T12 lamps for more efficient T8s and T5s is almost passé. The upgrade to LED fixtures is the next measure that building owners and operators need to be considering,” said Haug. “The extremely long life and the energy savings are two very good reasons to consider LED fixtures and upgrades. The ever increasing selection of fixture styles and lamp types, and the fact that there are still rebates available from a variety of sources, makes the decision to continue to the next step of lighting upgrades an easy one.”

When combined with lighting controls, LED fixture upgrades can provide building owners excellent ROI, with paybacks frequently under 2 years. However, what is commonly overlooked is the continued savings that these fixtures can provide. Along with the energy savings, lower maintenance costs will save operating budgets year after year in the form of labor and material savings from not having to make costly lamp and ballast replacements.

According to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine, LED lamp prices are on the decline, and these lower prices have strained manufacturers who struggle to find cost-cutting measures to supply LED technology at a competitive price. However, the overall market demand appears lucrative. 


“For commercial buildings, the shift to LEDs has been the most dramatic in retrofit projects where older bulbs are being replaced specifically to improve efficiency,” said Jesse Foote, Senior Research Analyst, Navigant Research. “This change is happening at such a fast rate that LEDs are expected to knock inefficient technologies like incandescent and halogen bulbs out of the market by 2024.”


Facility Managers see significant savings in the total cost to own LEDs, which includes the lamp price, the change-out frequency, and the reduced maintenance to replace lamps—particularly in hard-to-reach areas that may require cranes, lifts, or scaffolding. 


High-bay and industrial lighting—specifically, lighting that hangs high in warehouses, on structures, and in hard-to-reach areas—is a lucrative niche within the LED market. According to Navigant Research, global sales of high-bay luminaires and lamps are expected to peak at almost $23.5 billion in 2017.


LEDs are generally brighter, so an area may require fewer luminaires to achieve desirable illumination levels. In addition, they run cooler and may reduce an overall air conditioning load for some facilities. Also, lighting controls are becoming more sophisticated, and smart technology allows for more precise applications. 


However, when selecting LED lamps and fixtures, it is ‘buyers beware’. “The market has become overrun with manufacturers and suppliers, many of which have only been in business for a few years or even months,” Haug commented. “I suggest making purchases from well established companies and manufacturers that have been developing these products for years and have the credibility to stand behind them, should there be lamp or driver failures.“ Brilliant advice, Brian!

Karyn M. Charvat can be reached at (630) 791-2660 or karyn@powerforwarddupage.com.