Lighting Redesign Using LED Technology

Published October 2015

A lot of the time, we judge lighting projects on the very dramatic before and after photos we see. That’s certainly a very interesting and immediate way to judge success of a project, does it look better afterward? Well, not all projects look dramatically different before and after, even in the case of this lighting redesign. However, the results for this project are dramatic and easily measured. Keep reading and find out how this facility is saving almost $5k in lighting costs and more than $1k in anticipated maintenance expenses every year.

LED Lighting before and after

This warehouse facility originally housed 153 T8 High Bay fixtures, utilizing 32 watt and 25 watt lamps in 4 and 6 lamp configurations. The maintenance team was responsible for nearly 800 individual lamps. Visible in the before photo above, you can see the space was fairly well lit, but there were some shadows on the ceiling. In the after photo, you can see that new lighting in the same warehouse seems slightly brighter. The stunning thing about this comparison is that a total of 82 individual fixtures were removed from the design to decrease energy usage while still delivering a high quality light to allow tasks to be safely completed in this space! Additionally, a new controls system was installed to better manage how and when these lights are in use.

PROJECT GOALS & SUCCESSES

  • 6L T8 32 watt and 25 watt fixture configurations were retired & recycled
  • 82 unnecessary fixtures removed from use!
  • New LED lighting design improves efficiency and light quality
  • Decreased kWh 79% overall – incredible!!
  • Project rebate $6,500
  • Annual savings over $4,758
  • New LED fixtures with programmable sensors to reduce burn hours
  • New fixtures have High Bay or Aisle optics for best light distribution
  • Estimated savings of $1,300 in annual maintenance expenses, new fixtures have 5 yr warranty!
  • New fixtures contain no mercury
  • New system integrates a control system with motion sensors! See the video.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

CARBON SAVINGS: Total greenhouse gas reduction Metric Tons equivalent to: 30

  • Passenger cars not driven for one year 5.9
  • Gallons of gasoline saved 3,358.1
  • Acres of forest preserved from deforestation 0.3
  • Tons of waste recycled vs. land filled 10.44

Lighting Redesign Before and After Photos

In this second set of before and after photos, we see a similar result. The change is not too drastic, but we see light filling the room a little more and the ceiling is brighter in the After photo. Warehouse lighting varies from facility to facility, so you shouldn’t sign on for any cookie-cutter project; look for solutions that fit the work you do. To achieve the goals set forward by this organization, TRC completed an investment grade audit prior to the project. Thanks for reading this lighting retrofit case study and redesign summary. To find more information about Investment Grade Audits, you can read our blog post on that, or download the ebook!