What is an LED lighting retrofit?

Transcription

1 Whitepaper Showing the value of a LED retrofit to a Commercial business/building owner The LED lighting revolution represents a positive technological disruption for all industries. Retrofitting your system to an LED standard may improve the sustainability of your business in many ways. What is an LED lighting retrofit? Retrofitting your system with LED lighting replaces some of its components. The resulting infrastructure saves energy and improves the durability of your system. A retrofit is not a full system replacement. In the majority of cases, LED retrofitting is much less expensive than fully replacing your lighting. The Advantage of LED Lighting LED lighting has been proven as a much more energy-efficient option than traditional lighting. The electricity that an incandescent bulb uses over its lifetime equals 5 to 10 times the actual bulb hardware. The ENERGY STAR government website reports that the LED configuration produces light 90 percent more efficiently than incandescent bulbs. Additionally, the heat that LED bulbs produce is diverted into a heat sink. This reduces the amount of temperature control needed in a room, especially industrial environments. The European Union, Canada, Australia, China and many countries in Asia and Latin America have banned the use of incandescent light bulbs in favor of LED lighting. Although the United States has not taken this direct of a route, its new energy efficiency guidelines have basically phased out incandescent bulbs as well. Overall, LED bulbs will save the United States around $265 billion over the next 20 years, according to the US Department of Energy. The Advantages of an LED Retrofit Higher ROI One of the most common misconceptions about an LED retrofit is that it will cost your company too much. The investment is quickly recouped through the energy savings, however. The factors you may improve include the following: Lighting - You gain between 75 and 90 percent in total energy consumption when you switch to LED. With LED bulbs, the electricity used costs much less over the life of the bulb. The electricity cost for traditional bulbs cost you anywhere from five to 10 times the actual hardware. Durability - An LED T8 tube has a service rating that lasts 50,000 hours, more than five times the rating of a standard fluorescent T8 product. In some cases, LED lighting will not require a replacement for over 15 years under full workday conditions. Heating/cooling - LED bulbs produce 3.4 BTU/hour, against 85 BTU/hr for incandescent bulbs. If you are housing delicate materials like servers, heat is your enemy. LED lighting

2 reduces the money you need to control the temperature in your commercial structure. It also improves the durability of said materials. Reduced maintenance - Lower energy use means less stress on your overall infrastructure. Less stress on your hardware means lower maintenance costs. It also means fewer large out of pocket expenses on unexpected repairs. Subsidies and tax benefits - Your local utility company may subsidize your transition to LED lighting through direct help or tax havens. Your savings may expand all the way to the state level. States and cities enjoy a decrease in the demand for power, saving them the expense of building new power plants. Many governmental authorities are more than willing to share the savings with business owners. Advantages in the Workplace Improved worker productivity - Believe it or not, the type of lighting that you use in your commercial space can directly affect the productivity of your employees. Dim incandescent lighting can cause headaches and eye strain. LED lighting imitates natural sunlight, which has many advantages for the body. Better lighting also decreases the possibility of accidents in the workspace. Many insurance companies are actually willing to lower rates because of the reduced risk that LED lighting provides. A better sales floor - Because LED lighting imitates natural sunlight, it brings a sheen to the sales floor that traditional lighting cannot. Car dealerships and retail stores can use LED lighting to immediately improve the showroom look of products. Photographers use this lighting exclusively when taking pictures for promotional items. Environmental Benefits No toxins - Florescent lights create mercury, a poisonous toxin that is also harmful to the environment. Traditional tubes are also very difficult to recycle. Placed in landfills, these tubes will often leak into water sources. This is not the case with LED lighting. Less waste - The longer lifespan of LED means less hardware to throw away, and the materials are much more biodegradable when they must finally be replaced. The Process of an LED Retrofit 1. The first step in any retrofit is to identify where the waste in your lighting is coming from. Most commonly, this waste comes from the T8 linear fluorescent fixtures (that are being phased out). 2. Do you have any lamps or fixtures that are unnecessary? The switch to LED is about quality, not quantity. LEDs have a much greater lumens per watt ratio than traditional lighting, so you do not necessarily need an overload of fixtures. You will achieve better lighting with less overall volume. 3. Go over the choices of LED lighting you have. You may be able to retrofit to instant start ballast, remote ballast or direct wire lamps/fixtures. Consider the relevant code requirements and UL listings of each choice before committing your business to them. 4. Create a baseline for ROI measurement through a vetted system. You may have to install your fixtures on plug loads that contain more than just lighting. If you do not have your baseline set, it may be difficult to see how much money and energy you are actually saving. 5. Install your controls and lights. Keep in mind that reducing the energy load on a circuit may cause unintended problems in your electrical system. Make sure that you verify your installation wtih a duly qualified electrician if you want to go DIY (not recommended for commercial applications).

3 6. Make sure that the relevant authorities know about your upgrade. Your business may qualify for incentives, subsidies and tax rebates from utilities. 7. Execute your measurement and verification plan. You should have a formal process for determining the performance of your new LED system. This may provide you with additional tax incentives throughout the life of your retrofit. LED Retrofitting and Your Contractor Even with the many reasons to choose an LED retrofitting, you must choose the right contractor to ensure compliance and efficiency. One of the biggest challenges that you will face is communication between your business and the contractors you choose to employ your retrofitting. With a platform like the Youtil App, you have the ability to keep your contractors accountable and stay in contact with them throughout the entire process. Regulations The process of retrofitting always starts from the regulatory framework. Regardless of the final efficiency of the system, it will not be allowed to stand unless it is in compliance with local authorities. In many cases, there is less communication than there should be about local regulations between business owners and contractors. Youtil provides an intuitive UI that keeps business owners in the loop and informs contractors/consultants about regulations governing retrofitting work. No matter where you are, there will be no surprises when it comes to your mandates. You also have more leverage to process tax rebates you are owed and move quickly through inspections. Educating the consumer and the consultant about local regulations is one of the major advantages of the Youtil platform. Cost vs. Cost Savings vs. Opportunity Cost These are terms that are familiar to every business owner. However, applying them to an LED retrofit may be less intuitive. Youtil provides end-users with full knowledge of their total costs with and without a retrofit, giving business owners the unique ability to compare outcomes before committing to the process. The educational portal Youtil provides gives a primary hub for this education. However, Youtil backs up this infrastructure with push notifications, text notifications, notifications and a timely feed of up-to-date data about business energy use. Data Collection for Later Use Youtil provides a common platform for data exchange. Whether you are interacting with the educational portals, going over statistics, reviews or testimonials, or looking up manufacturer information for products, you have the ability to collect and hold that data for use later. Having this data in a safe, common location allows for a better connection between consultants, end users and manufacturers.

4 Keeping data also improves trust between contractors and end-users. Natural skepticism can now be verified and quantified, leading to better relationships that are built on performance-based metrics. Transparency Building trust between consultants and end-users is a product of a transparent marketplace. The end-users must feel as though they have full knowledge of consultants in order to trust the marketplace. Youtil helps to create transparency through the inclusion of bios, reviews, testimonials, infographics and portfolio data. The process is also completely transparent when using the application. The end-user will remain informed of every step of the process as contractors move through the retrofitting process. Contractors can be held accountable during each step rather than trying to assess work at the in of the process. The end-user also has the ability to research technical specifications for the products that will be used in their offices. The Youtil system maintains a database of popular brands to ensure the most appropriate match with your business infrastructure. Organizing Information for Inspiration All of the data that Youtil collects from the end-user is made available to the end-user in a way that encourages ongoing education about energy. Users have the ability to engage their own data in many ways. Organizational templates help users understand their own business as well as stay in compliance with federal rules and regulations. Connecting to Bid and Pitching Services Youtil gives business owners the ability to compare many proposals against each other. True comparisons with verifiable data help to increase transparency across the process and trust in the contractor that is finally chosen. The information that end-users have access to is much wider than information that is usually kept for business owners. Youtil has the ability to hold and organize spec sheets, product brands, detailed installation timelines and best practices. In previous business generations, this information was held solely in the hands of the contractor. Efficient Compliance and Rebates Youtil has the ability to modify its interface to match the individualized needs of a project based on regional, state and federal regulations. Business owners using Youtil can ensure compliance regardless of location. Business owners can now also coordinate rebates with the proprietary processing service to sync rebate amounts to project payments. Tracking Energy Use Youtil users can always count on ongoing reports for energy usage and the opportunity costs of not upgrading. The education that users will receive will allow for a natural progression into the correct decision for the business.

5 An LED retrofit may be just the upgrade that your business needs for higher efficiency and ROI. Tracking the process through the Youtil application ensures that you make the best decision for your business. Youtil is the tool for on demand construction and connecting (see Brand Book) with the most appropriate contractor for your needs.