 Serving The Woodlands, Spring, Tomball,
Conroe and Houston Areas Since 1978 281.376.3838   |
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COMMERCIAL LIGHTING RETROFITWe do have a better choice in commercial indoor and outdoor lighting options! Our better choice contributes positively towards countering the negative effects of our present economic condition. What sane person among us does not want to reduce their monthly electrical bill by 30% to 50%? The conundrum is that we are all working so hard to increase our sales revenue that we sometimes forget we can improve our margins by simply reducing our operating expenses. What's the old saying about not seeing the forest for the trees? In these challenging economic times, many Companies have seen the light (sorry but I couldn't resist the pun). Replacing and/or retrofitting indoor and outdoor light fixtures will substantially lower energy costs. In most cases, the pay-back is less than 24 months. After the pay-back period, 100% of the savings is realized year after year. In fact, the monthly savings will usually cover the monthly note if you were to finance a project of this nature. Whether your reason for updating your indoor and/or outdoor lighting systems is because your Company is going green or you would like to save money by consuming less energy, there are many investment options available which would contribute towards an expeditious ROI. Some of these options are listed below.
Compare the Before & After scenarios below with the basic understanding that Energy Consumption (kWh) = Input Watts (kW) X Time (hours operated in a given year) X your utility company's cost per kWh. Office Environment – An example of a Before - Fluorescent Light Fixture and an After - Retrofit/Replacement: Note: For the sake of being conservative, we are not going to include additional wattage consumed by the fluorescent ballast(s), which can be as high as 10%, nor will we include the additional cost of cooling the emitted heat from the before light fixture. Before---2 X 4, 4-Lamp T-12 Fixture----------160 Watts (Note – T-12s will no longer be manufactured after 2010) After-----2 X 4, 2-Lamp T-8 Fixture-------------72 Watts Difference in Fixtures-------------------------------88 Watts X 4500 Annual Burn Hours X $.10 per KWH = Annual Savings of $39.60 / Fixture / Year X _____ # of Fixtures in your facility. The advancement in Fluorescent Lighting in the last few years has been stellar. In warehouse facilities, the new fixtures of choice are F-Bay T-5 HO & T-8 Fluorescents. These fixtures are manufactured to replace the High-Bay HID (High Intensity Discharge) fixtures which were the cutting edge technology of the '80s & '90s. The new fixtures use approximately ˝ of the energy of the HIDs while holding their CRI (Color Rendition Index) for a much longer period of time. Warehouse/Manufacturing Environment - An example of a Before - HID High-Bay Fixture and an After – F-Bay Fluorescent Fixture below: Note: The savings below is based on a 24-hour a day operation. You can adjust the hours of operating to suit your situation. Before---400-Watt Metal Halide HID High-Bay Fixture----------455 Watts After-----6-Lamp T8 Fixture-------------------------------------------218 Watts Difference in Fixtures-----------------------------------------------------237 Watts X 6500 Annual Burn Hours X $.10 per KWH = Annual Savings of $154.05 / Fixture / Year X _____ # of Fixtures in your facility. As you can see from both of the examples above, the savings can be huge depending on the size and the hours of operation at your facility. Did you know?
There are some basic lighting terms that you need to know when communicating about lighting. The simple definitions of a few of these terms are: Large Corporations have realized and implemented these Cost Saving Strategies for years, whereas smaller companies have been behind the curve in recognizing the benefits of retrofitting and/or upgrading their lighting. However, between the challenging economy and the recent advances in lighting technology, the cost savings can no longer be ignored by smaller businesses. An analogy would be that most people would walk past a penny or even a nickel and not bend over to pick it up (I would bend over to pick up a farthing if they were still available), but not many people would walk past a quarter or a dollar bill without feeling some degree of guilt. Every time you walk under or past your outdated interior or exterior lights, think about the amount of money which could go directly to improving your bottom line. Stu Jardine can be reached at stu@trimelectric.com or at 281.376.3838 if you are interested in a Free Evaluation & Quote to lower your Companys Operating Expenses by reducing your electrical utility costs. |
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