Making the Switch: The Right Lighting Technology for Your Business

Lighting technology has made impressive strides over the past 15 years. Gone are the days of lightbulbs that are inefficient, hot to the touch, and that take time to warm up. While these advancements have greatly improved lighting technology, they have also caused some uncertainty in understanding the best time to upgrade and which technology to choose.

Efficiency Smart is well-versed in the latest lighting technologies and is ready to make energy-saving recommendations and review vendor proposals. Our goal is not only to help companies save energy, but to do it in a cost-effective way. 

We review projects to calculate potential energy and cost savings to ensure each upgrade is financially sound and uses high-quality products. This means that we only offer incentives for products that have undergone rigorous third-party testing and certification through ENERGY STAR or the Design Lights Consortium (DLC).

The Early Days of LED Lighting

When LED lighting first entered the market, the products faced several challenges: high costs, limited availability, and inconsistent quality. Simply put, the balance between price, quality, and availability wasn’t quite right yet for most businesses.

When Efficiency Smart began services in 2011, the most common lighting upgrades involved replacing fluorescent lights or metal halide fixtures with high-performance T5 or T8 lighting. These upgrades were straightforward and often paid for themselves within a few years from savings on electric costs. The longer lifespan of these lights also resulted in significant maintenance savings.

The Shift Toward TLEDs: Improved Quality and Affordability

Around 2015, LED technology began to improve significantly, and lights became available in a broader range of color temperatures and lumen output. This was especially true with tubular LED lamps (TLEDs), which were becoming more popular in commercial settings.  As Efficiency Smart worked with businesses to run the numbers, it became increasingly clear: the cost savings, lower prices, and longer lifespan made TLEDs a smart investment.

The directional nature of LEDs allowed some businesses to reduce the total number of fixtures needed to provide lighting coverage. This resulted in fewer bulbs to replace in the future and even more long-term maintenance savings. 

Is Your Business a Good Candidate for Lighting Improvements?

technology. In other cases, waiting until your current lighting begins to fail is the best option. Efficiency Smart helps businesses calculate the potential savings to make informed decisions and plan confidently. As lighting technology has evolved and improved, we’ve helped many businesses with their second or even third upgrade.

“Even if you upgraded fewer than 10 years ago, we’re seeing that it’s still cost-effective to upgrade again now, thanks to significant improvements in efficiency,” says Efficiency Smart engineering consultant Tim Stearns.

There are also more opportunities than ever for businesses to save energy by adding controls to their LED lighting, such as dimming, motion sensors, and other smart technologies. Efficiency Smart can review occupancy patterns and help businesses determine where controls make the most sense to add. 

Learn more about LED Lighting

For More Information

Efficiency Smart is your energy efficiency partner from start to finish. We can work with your business or municipality to provide customized recommendations based on your goals. We also provide financial incentives on qualifying projects. 

If you're ready to start the conversation, reach out to your local account manager or our customer support team at (877) 889-3777 or [email protected].