Efficiency Projects - Lighting
Your Energy Manager
Topic: Efficiency Projects - Lighting
December 2007
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Independent Energy Consultants, is committed to helping its clients make well-informed and cost- effective decisions regarding their energy supply and consumption. We are sending you this newsletter to help you understand how energy decisions that are made, or not made, effect your company's bottom line.

Before embarking on a lighting upgrade project you would be wise to consider a range of options. Many actions can be taken at no or low cost while maintaining or improving lighting conditions. Shown below are good practices for lighting applications.

  • Maximize the use of natural lighting,
  • Delamp if the work space is over lit,
  • When painting choose colors with good reflectance characteristics. Choose an 80% reflectance for ceiling finishes and a 70% reflectance for walls and vertical partitions,
  • When possible move light sources closer to work surfaces. Usable light increases as a square function of distance. For example, reducing the distance from the light to the work surface by a factor of 2 results in 4 times more light,
  • Use task lighting to reduce the work required by general lighting,
  • Utilize occupancy sensors to ensure that unused lighting is shut off,
  • When color identification is important, select lamps with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating of at least 80,
  • Specify lighting systems (lamp-ballast combinations) that provide a minimum maintained efficacy of 90 lumens/watt,
  • Consider using high-efficiency fluorescent electronic ballasts,
  • Using a full spectrum lamp will provide as much as a 30% more useable light to the eye without any additional energy,
  • Use only electronic ballasts for linear fluorescent, compact fluorescent and metal halide lamps,
  • For hard to maintain lamps or lamps in dangerous environments, minimize maintenance by choosing lamps with maximum service life, and
  • The light output of fluorescent or HID lamps declines over time but the electricity consumed remains constant. A two-year-old 250-watt light bulb will still consume 250 watts of electricity but may be only producing 50% of its initial light output. A group re-lamping program that changes out a portion of lights each year before they burn out can maintain light levels and is often more cost effective than changing bulbs one at a time.
There are many lighting manufactures and the technology continues to improve at a rapid pace. Here are some of the more common lighting upgrades with rapid paybacks.
  • Reduce the number of lamps or number of fixtures in some indirect lighting applications by using one T5HO lamp instead of two T8 lamps, or otherwise increase the fixture spacing,
  • Replace fixtures with 4 T12 bulbs and magnetic ballasts with 2 T8 bulbs and electronic ballasts,
  • High Bay and Lo Bay Metal Halide fixtures using 400 watt lamps can very easily be converted to 320 watt Pulse Start Metal Halide fixtures by replacing the ballast and the lamp. This is an immediate 20% reduction in consumption with only a 5% reduction in lighting,
  • 4 T5 HO lamps can replace 400 watt lo bay fixtures, use only 235 watts, and provide virtually the same light,
  • Most exit signs use 2 incandescent lamps that each consume 20 watts and last an average of six months. Change these out to an LED exit fixture that uses only 2 watts and is guaranteed by the manufacturer for ten years. This is a 95%reduction in energy consumption. The exit fixture will be as bright, have a better face and be maintenance free, and finally
  • 80% of the energy consumed by incandescent lamps is given off in the form of heat with only 20% actually producing light. Look how much less power is consumed when replacing incandescent with comparable light-output compact fluorescents. A 40- 50 watt incandescent can be replaced with a 10 watt compact, 60-70 watt incandescents with 15 watt compacts, and 90 to 100 watts with a 20 or 23 watt compact.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) provides a number of tax deductions for the purchase of energy efficient equipment. For commercial or industrial lighting retrofits, companies may be eligible for a tax deduction of up to $0.60/ft2. If the lighting upgrade meets or exceeds the luminous power density (LPD) limits (lumens/watt) for particular building use you could be eligible. Many states and utilities also have rebate programs for energy efficient lighting.

Suggested lighting power density levels and rules for lighting design can be found in industry standard ASHRAE 90.1

Contact Independent Energy Consultants for a thorough analysis of your lighting needs and savings opportunity.

Contact us for your energy management needs.

email: info@naturalgas-electric.com
phone: (330) 995-2675
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