LIGHTING
Lighting Retrofits: A viable solution for modern renovations
By Kurt Vogel T
here are number of factors in play that make it impera- tive to consider a lighting renovation for commercial
facilities. With today's increased energy usage and costs, increased maintenance fees and new govern- ment mandates, renovations are
Kurt Vogel is director of product development for RELIGHT, Lithonia Lighting (www.lithonia.com/Relight). For the past four years, he has been helping commercial building owners, engineers, lighting designers, architects and other industry influen- tials realize the benefits of conventional and LED retrofit lighting. He can be reached via email at Kurt.Vogel@ AcuityBrands.com.
becoming more expensive, especial- ly when it comes to lighting. Fortunately, new retrofit tech- nologies offer a better solution for those seeking a lighting renovation. Retrofit lighting can enhance the space and help lower costs for ener- gy usage and maintenance. Additionally, retrofit solutions can minimize disruption to day-to-day operations.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has mandated manufacturers to phase out the production of most T12 lamps to help increase energy efficiency of linear fluorescent lighting. According to the DOE's "2010 U.S. Lighting Market Characterization Report," released
88 Commercial Construction & Renovation September/October 2012
January 2012, there are 2.4 billion linear fluorescent lamps installed across the country. Nearly a billion of these still are T12s. Facilities that use T12 systems likely will face higher renovation costs because there will no longer be light-for- light replacements.
On the plus side, many utility companies now are offering rebates to facilities that install energy-effi- cient lighting retrofits to support the phase out, as lighting usually accounts for 30 percent to 40 per- cent of a company's electric bill. On average, 24.8 percent of a commer- cial building's primary energy use is lighting. Older lighting systems produce more heat, which in turn