How to Reduce Energy Costs With Retrofitted Lighting Systems

Introduction

Reducing energy costs is a major concern for many homeowners and business owners. Old, inefficient lighting systems can consume a significant amount of energy and drive up electricity bills. Retrofitting your existing lighting with newer, more efficient systems is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy costs. In this article, I will provide an in-depth look at retrofitted lighting and how it can help cut your energy usage and costs.

What is Retrofitted Lighting?

Retrofitted lighting refers to upgrading older lighting systems with newer, more energy-efficient lighting technologies. This usually involves replacing outdated incandescent and fluorescent lighting with LED (light-emitting diode) or CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs and fixtures.

The key benefits of retrofitted lighting include:

Calculating Potential Energy Savings

To determine the potential energy and cost savings from retrofitted lighting, you need to calculate your existing lighting usage. Here are the key steps:

As an example, replacing ten 60W incandescent bulbs (600W total) with 10 LED bulbs (100W total) can reduce lighting energy use by 500W. At 10 cents per kWh, this could save $438 per year.

Retrofitting Different Lighting Types

There are several options for retrofitting common lighting systems with more efficient bulbs and fixtures:

Incandescent/Halogen Fixtures

Fluorescent Tube Fixtures

High/Low Bay Fixtures

Street/Area/Flood Lights

Controlling Retrofitted Lighting

To maximize energy efficiency, retrofitted lighting should be paired with lighting controls. Options include:

Retrofit Process and Considerations

Here is an overview of the typical retrofit process:

Some final factors to consider:

With smart planning and installation, retrofitted lighting delivers major energy savings and quickly pays back the initial investment through lower electricity costs. Using less energy also helps reduce environmental impacts. By converting to LEDs and CFLs, any home or business can reduce lighting costs and increase sustainability over the long term.