How to Save on Commercial Lighting Without Sacrificing Safety

Commercial lighting is a significant expense for many businesses. However, it's crucial to maintain adequate lighting levels to ensure workplace safety and productivity. Here are some tips on how to reduce commercial lighting costs without compromising safety:

Perform an Audit of Existing Lighting

The first step is to take inventory of all lighting in the facility. Note the types of fixtures, their age and condition, and their light output. This will help identify areas where lighting can potentially be reduced or where inefficient lighting may need upgrading.

Some key things to look for:

• Older fluorescent and HID fixtures - These tend to be energy hogs. Replacing them with newer, efficient LEDs can significantly reduce lighting electricity usage.

• Overlit spaces - Look for areas with excessive lighting levels. Light levels can often be lowered substantially without impacting visual tasks or safety.

• 24/7 operation - Lighting electricity use can be slashed by adding controls like occupancy sensors and timers to turn off lights when not needed.

Documenting all this info will provide the baseline data needed to plan updates.

Review Lighting Needs by Area

The lighting requirements vary for different areas in a facility. Reviewing these needs will reveal where lighting energy use can be reduced:

• Task areas - The lighting needs are based on the visual tasks performed. For example, fine detailed work requires higher light levels than warehouses. Refer to Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) guidelines for recommended light levels by task type.

• Transition spaces - These include areas like hallways, restrooms and breakrooms. Light levels can often be lowered substantially in these spaces without impacting safety or function.

• Inactive areas - Lighting is often unnecessary in spaces that are unoccupied for certain periods. Controls can be added to extinguish lights when not needed.

Evaluating and optimizing lighting by area based on activities and occupancy patterns will provide energy savings while still maintaining appropriate light quality and quantity where needed.

Take Advantage of Daylighting and Controls

Where feasible, make the most of natural daylight in the facility to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Strategies include:

• Installing skylights and light tubes to bring in daylight from roof openings.

• Using light shelves and reflective surfaces to maximize daylight penetration into the building interior.

• Replacing solid walls with glass windows, doors or partitions to allow daylight transmittance between spaces.

Also, employ lighting controls like occupancy sensors, timers and photocells to dim or switch off lights when sufficient daylight is available. This can lead to substantial energy savings in facilities with significant daylight access.

Upgrade Fixtures to Efficient Technology

Replacing outdated fixtures with newer generation LEDs and advanced fluorescent lamps can dramatically cut lighting power. Some key upgrades include:

• Switching conventional fluorescents to T5HO fluorescents - These provide similar light levels while using ~30% less power.

• Replacing HIDs with LED high/low bay fixtures - This cuts energy use by 50% or more.

• Swapping out incandescent bulbs for LED downlights - They use at least 75% less energy.

Higher upfront costs of efficient fixtures will pay back through lower long term energy bills. And utility rebates can offset much of the initial purchase expense.

Implement Dimming and Zoning

Using controls to dim or switch off lighting when and where it's not needed also reaps big savings:

• Tunable LEDs can be dimmed and color tuned to create appropriate ambience for any space.

• Occupancy sensors extinguish lights in vacant spaces.

• Daylight harvesting systems dim artificial light when ample daylight is available.

• Zoned lighting allows independent control of lighting by area. This avoids lighting empty zones.

While initially requiring some investment, the energy optimization and utility rebates make a compelling total cost of ownership case for installing these advanced controls.

Perform Ongoing Tuning and Maintenance

To sustain energy savings long-term, facilities personnel should:

• Periodically reassess light levels and tuning to account for lamp depreciation and space changes.

• Replace bulbs and clean fixtures at recommended intervals to maintain light output efficiency.

• Update lighting as needed to account for modifications in space usage.

Keeping lighting operating at peak efficency not only conserves energy, but also keeps work spacesoptimally illuminated for productivity and safety.

By taking a strategic approach and utilizing lighting technologies that maximize efficiency, companies can achieve substantial energy and cost reductions while still maintaining optimal illumination. The focus should be on right-lighting - providing the appropriate amount and quality of light where and when it is needed. Doing so enhances workplace productivity, safety and visual comfort.