Lighting Retrofit
Over the past decade, advancements in LED technology and lighting controls have provided an opportunity for facility owners to reduce energy consumption and associated costs by as much as 80 percent; lower lighting maintenance costs; prevent harmful chemicals from legacy lighting devices from entering the environment; lower HVAC costs by virtually reducing ambient heat previously added to each space by legacy lighting technology, and leverage the cost of lighting upgrades through electric utility rebates.
Upgrading to LED lighting is often thought to be a simple replacement of a light bulb or fixture. But experience has shown that, done right, it is more complicated. Apadana brings the scope of services necessary to maximize the impact of LED lighting for occupants of the space while reducing the time required to achieve quick payback of the upgrade investment. Let us share some of our capabilities in this area.
Lighting Audits & Energy Utilization
Utility Rebate Optimization
Lighting retrofit projects seek to improve light delivery while lowering energy utilization and associated cost. The first step in the process is to conduct a lighting audit.
All too often, miscounts of existing fixtures and the lack of a clear objective for improvements in light within a facility leads to project quotes that miss the mark. Apadana solves this problem with a compre- hensive onsite lighting audit, customer consultation, and project review. We dispatch a skilled auditor to a customer facility to capture information related to room utilization, existing lighting, and lighting improvements desired by the customer.
While on-site, our auditors inspect the facility, room by room, including reception, hallways, offices and warehouses; and the building exterior (including parking lots/garages), capturing information such as daylight access, existing installed fixtures and lamps bulb wattage, and fixture utilization (hours/day). The auditor also captures pictures of each fixture for fu- ture reference. From the compiled information, the auditor computes the lighting energy consumption in kWh per year and the associated cost, based on the price per kWh.
Light Optimization, Layout, and Retrofit
Lighting retrofits typically involve evaluation of existing light fixtures and lamps and crossing them with energy efficient, cost effective LED fixtures. While this approach reduces energy consumption and cost, it often does not consider other considerations such as room configuration.
Facilities are often reconfigured. While the basic building footprint remains constant, desks are moved in offices; walls are erected blocking natural light previously harvested from external windows; pallet racking is moved, etc. In these situations, replacement of existing installed light fixtures may not achieve optimized utilization of the lighted space.
When faced with these challenges, Apadana engineers consult with the customer to determine current lighting needs across the facility, optimum placement of fixtures based on available light harvesting, room dimensions and characteristics, and required illumination based on work performed and occupancy. Once optimized, Apadana develops a lighting retrofit plan that may include removal and replacement of existing fixtures and/or addition of new fixtures to achieve the customers’ requirements.
Rebates are Going Down
Every Year rebates are going down. That prescriptive rebate on the 9W LED bulb that brings $1.50 today was $5.00 not long ago. Declining rebates makes it imperative that any building owner who is considering saving money through a lighting upgrade ACT QUICKLY or risk losing real money!
Lighting Control Systems
Beyond replacement of lighting fixtures and lamps to conserve energy and related costs, lighting control systems are often used to further minimize power consumption and extend lamp life. These systems can be as simple as a dimmer switch or as sophisticated as a human centric lighting system that modifies light color and intensity to align with occupant bio rhythms. Lighting controls also help meet certain building codes and comply with green building and energy conservation programs.
Saving money on your monthly electricity bills can help bolster your bottom line. And a quick and easy way to reduce electricity cost is by upgrading your lighting to LED technology. When considering an LED lighting upgrade, the cost, in large part, depends on the rebate you receive from your local power company. And did you know that all
rebates are not created equally? Selecting the best rebate to use can be the difference between a 12- month and a
48-month payback on your lighting upgrade investment.
Prescriptive Rebates
Prescriptive rebates are offered by your local electric utility company based on the fixture you buy and install. For example, prescriptive rebates in Xcel Energy territory, pay $1.50 each when replacing a 60W incandescent bulb with a 9W LED bulb.
Custom Rebates
Computing a custom rebate goes one step further. If your LED lighting retrofit provider has advanced rebate calculation capabilities, they can compute the energy savings on a "per fixture" basis using variables such as power savings and actual time and duration of use. That same light bulb with a $1.50 prescriptive rebate could bring a $28.00 rebate if the light is being used 24/7.
Apadana Optimizes
We compute BOTH rebates to give you the best possible reduction of your upgrade cost. We have developed a proprietary process for computing custom rebates which has proven accurate and accepted by Xcel Energy when submitted.
No Hassle Rebate Filing
Computing and filing for rebates are time consuming and expensive. This is especially true for custom rebates that maximize the dollars you receive. When shopping for a provider, ask if they will handle the rebate filing for you. What's more, ask if they are willing to advance you the rebate as an instant credit on your retrofit which
guarantees the amount that you receive. Apadana does.
Our lighting control systems include a variety of sensing devices such as occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, motion sensors, light fixture control modules and one or more master control centers. Our control designs often require creating lighting “zones” that include both indoor and outdoor light applications and may include user control options such as panels, wireless controllers or a combination of both.
Apadana has deep experience with lighting controls and supports the industry’s leading control equipment. Most customers include some level of lighting control systems in their LED lighting retrofit projects.