Duralec Blog

Costs: Retrofits range in cost from simple bulb replacements to entire fixture swaps. Plug-in LED lights are available to pop directly into existing sockets or fixtures, and these replacements are the fastest and cheapest way to bring your lighting into the future. But swapping for a next-generation LED fixture might be smarter in the long run and generate more flexible lighting and even more savings.

Installation: If the budget and schedule are limited, then a simple LED retrofit can be installed in very little time. However, modifying or swapping light fixtures will take longer, especially if new wiring is required. But industry-leading LED fixtures, like ones from Duralec, come with hardware to make the job quick and easy.

Flexibility: LED retrofits promise all of the new features of today’s next-generation lighting. This includes NLC/ALC capabilities (networked lighting controls, aka advanced lighting controls) for all new fixtures. These smart features allow users to program their lights and see even deeper monetary and energy savings. New fixtures also allow for dimmable lights and a variety of sensors to be attached.

LED Strip Retrofit Lighting: The fastest, most economical retrofit available is the LED strip light. Sometimes called magnetic strip lights, or mag strips for short, these snap into place with almost no hardware. Perfect for either troffer lights or panel lights, these strip kits come in one, two, three, or four strips, creating any amount of light you need—from 3000 to over 10,000 lumens.

As with all LED lights, efficiency and quality are best in class. The low-wattage lights produce over 130 lumens per watt with a CRI of over 80. LED strips are dimmable and UL and DLC Premium listed.

The strong magnets on the strips provide for quick installation. They snap into the existing housing, and there is no need to remove the old ballast. These retrofit kits can replace T12, T5, and T8 strip fixtures and troffers.

LED Tube Replacement Lights: For decades the fluorescent tube dominated indoor lighting. Unsurprisingly, one of the most popular LED retrofits is an LED tube that directly replaces its fluorescent ancestor. The new LED tube is filled with beautifully bright light-emitting diodes and encased in a frosted coating for uniform light dispersion. An LED tube promises huge energy savings and higher-quality light with an easy installation process.

Because LED tubes fit into a wide variety of existing light fixtures, the tubes come in a few types. In short, there is a tube available for any situation. Here are the three main types: Type A LED tubes use the pre-existing ballast in a fixture. These plug-ins are the quickest to install. Type B LED tubes bypass the ballast and use their own internal driver; these are directly wired into the fixture. Type C LED tubes also bypass the ballast, but they rely on an external driver that can light more than one tube. While Type C’s require extra electrical work during installation, the long-term benefits (of direct-wire versus ballast-compatible tubes) are substantial. Using new LED lights and drivers guarantees high-quality results and the 50,000-hour lifespans that LED users have come to expect.

LED Corn Lights: If you have standard light sockets, one of the fastest retrofits available is the corn light (sometimes called a “corn cob light,” due to its resemblance to a corn cob). An LED corn light screws directly into this socket. These new lights are vastly superior to the non-LED lights they are replacing. LED corn lights deliver bright, high-CRI light at a fraction of the energy and cost of older lights.

These lights come in two base sizes: the E26 base and the E39 base. These bases are 26mm and 39mm in diameter, respectively. (The standard home socket fits an E26 base.) An E26 base LED corn light is available in wattages from 12W to 54W. An E39 base light is available in 75W to 120W sizes. Given their extremely high lumens-per-watt output—between 125lm/W and 155lm/W—LED corn lights are an amazingly cost effect LED retrofit solution.

Door Retrofit Kits: Sometimes called a troffer retrofit door kit, this solution lets you put a new LED light fixture directly over an existing troffer frame or housing. The installation is extremely fast, and the final look is flush and attractive. But most importantly, the savings start the second you turn the light on.

The top LED door retrofit kits, like the Duralec-provided IntrinsiX Volumetric Troffer Retrofit, deliver the efficiency of all LED lights while also providing next-level NLC and ALC capabilities. Bluetooth lighting controls let the user program lights to respond to a number of different sensors, including PIR (passive infrared) occupancy sensors or daylight harvesting sensors. An available web portal provides easy access to cutting-edge features like diagnostics, scheduling, and energy monitoring.

Installing door retrofit kits is a fast and easy way to implement the latest technology. DLC-listed fixtures like the EiKo retrofit reach 130 lumens per watt and have “set and forget” features for both brightness and color temperature. When tied to a Bluetooth mesh, its wireless controls make the fixture part of a network that delivers significant savings and quality.

LED Downlight Retrofit Kits: Recessed downlights are everywhere, from conference rooms to home kitchens. For decades they’ve provided the flexibility of a plug-in solution with the appeal of a flush, clean look. But there has always been room for improvement. An LED retrofit can turn a hot, energy-intensive downlight into a bright, efficient light that saves building owners a fortune over its long lifespan.

Downlight retrofits plug into pre-existing ceiling cutouts and wire into the existing 120-277V system (other voltages are available if needed). LED lights can even use the original can—the cylindrical housing—from the first fixture. There is a light to fit any aperture—the measure of the diameter of the can’s reflector. Most downlight fixtures use a common E26 socket.

A new LED downlight can be tuned to whatever brightness level or color-corrected temperature (CCT) you need. It can also be wired into the room’s networked controls, allowing it to be part of a building-wide strategy for energy savings.

LED retrofit kits are the fastest way to bring a building into the 21^st century. The kits deliver radical savings on energy and maintenance. They also improve the quality and brightness of your light and allow LEDs to be tied into networked controls. To discuss the many retrofit options out there, talk to a Duralec expert today.

Safety and Security:  The top reason to install the best LED lights is the safety of workers, residents, or visitors.

Bright and reliable light helps prevent crime in parking lots and other outdoor spaces.

This light also helps improve the effectiveness of security cameras.

Building owners benefit, as well; exterior lighting deters vandalism, theft, and other property crimes. In short, the return on investment for security lighting is beyond measure.

Good lighting and visibility can also help people avoid slips, falls, and other accidents, especially in regions affected by snow or ice.

Paths, loading areas, and parking lots that are well lit keep people healthy as well as safe and secure.

 

Better and Brighter Lights:  Today’s exterior LED lights are quantifiably better than previous technologies. Many of these older models are still around, including metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights. Simply put: LED lights provide more light for less energy. These lights come in a wide array of wattages, but, no matter the size of the LED light, it requires a fraction of the energy of an older light. This number is sometimes called the wattage replacement. For example, a 250 watt (W) metal halide light—perhaps used over an entrance or on an outside wall—can be replaced by an LED light that only uses 100W of power.

Today’s LED light fixtures are as bright or brighter than those less efficient older technologies, as well. Brightness is measured in lumens (lm), and comparing lumens per watt shows you the advantages in raw numbers. An LED light such as the IntrinsiX Comet Mini floodlight produces 6,250lm of white light while using only 50W of power (125lm/W). A comparable metal halide light might only produce 75lm/W.  

Furthermore, LED exterior lights provide the perfect brightness level and color-corrected temperature (CCT) for outdoor use. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Outdoor applications usually call for a bright white light, which is often around 5,000K.

 

Cost Savings: Another major reason building owners love exterior LED lights is the savings they provide. Because these lights use so much less energy than previous types, the long-term savings of switching to LED are substantial. During times of high energy costs, this efficiency is especially valuable.

Maintenance costs are also far lower for LED lights. The lifespan of a typical LED light today is around 50,000 hours. This means that a light could potentially outlive an owner or even a building. (The reliability of these lights is reflected in the 50,000-hour Warranty offered by Duralec on its LED’s.) A long lifespan means an end to service calls. Replacing bulbs on parking light poles—the classic shoebox light—has always been a costly and annoying task. LED lights mean no more bucket trucks.

The advanced lighting controls (ALC) available today also provide a new source of savings. LED lights from Duralec come wired for these controls. The ability to program lights using ALC—sometimes called networked lighting controls (NLC)—ensures that exterior lights only come on when needed. Smart controls promise even deeper savings with LED lights.

 

Flexibility: Exterior LED light fixtures are available for every application—parking lots, entrances, loading docks, tunnels, paths, and more. A variety of adapters allows you to plug in new LED lights into existing connections. New lights use standard connections like the Zhaga Book 18 socket or  Z10 base. Numerous mounting options—pole mounts, wall mounts, trunnion mounts, knuckle mounts, and more—ensure that an LED light can go anywhere you need it.

Retrofits are easy (and profitable) with today’s LED lights. For example, the IntrinsiX corn light screws directly into a common E26 base. More powerful corn light bulbs use an easy adapter. This low-wattage light could feasibly replace an older bulb that used 1000W.

Today’s LED lights also come with strong weatherproof ratings, guaranteeing the light will work from the desert to the arctic. This rating is called the IP rating, short for ingress protection. An IP65 rating protects against the incursion of solids like dust or insects, as well as against rain and moisture. The IP66 rating goes a bit further; it protects against those solids as well as against heavy rain. Wall packs often feature an IP65 rating, while street lights or parking lot lights usually feature an IP66 rating.

 

 

The Comet—The Shoebox Light of the Future

The IntrinsiX Comet is an LED parking lot or area light that combines great aesthetics and the latest technology and efficiency. The sleek shape looks stunning in all settings and is fit for commercial or industrial areas. The IntrinsiX Comet is available in five different power levels, from 100W to 300W. Due to its cutting edge diodes, these wattages generate between 15,000 and 45,000 lumens, respectively. 

That efficiency means your cost per lumen is amazingly low. The cost savings of the IntrinsiX Comet will accrue quickly and last for the extremely long life of the fixture. Its IP66 rating means the unit will survive the harshest conditions. Plus, there is a 10 year, 50,000 hour warranty. The ability to connect IntrinsiX Comet lights to networked lighting controls promises another level of cost savings. These smart controls could guarantee that the lights only operate when needed. 

The Comet offers a variety of light distributions and mounting options (including a slip fitter pole mount, square and round pole mount, and a trunnion T-bar pole mount). The DLC-listed light also has built-in surge protection and optional dimming.

 

The Comet Mini—The Perfect LED Floodlight

The Comet Mini from IntrinsiX brings the advanced technology and modern look of the Comet to a floodlight. Perfect for a loading dock or an entryway or countless other indoor/outdoor applications, the Comet Mini produces up to 6,250 lumens while using a fraction of the power of previous lights. Its three power options—from 15 to 50W—give users the flexibility to flood a wide variety of spaces with light.

The IntrinsiX Comet Mini has a high waterproof rating—IP65—and can be mounted with either a knuckle or trunnion mount. The DLC-listed Mini promises years of inexpensive, unfading light, whether it’s mounted indoors or outdoors.  

 

The Eclipse—The Full Cut Wall Pack

The Eclipse from IntrinsiX is the leading wall pack LED light for exterior security and visibility. The full cut design delivers optimal light with unprecedented efficiency. Available in 48W, 60W, and 80W, the wall-mounted LED light consumes a fraction of the energy of non-LED lights with zero flickering or humming. 

A powerful wall pack is ideal for making an area safe and secure for workers and visitors. A full cutoff shape ensures a downward light dispersion that is broad and effective. The Eclipse’s IP65 rating and long lifespan guarantee that the light stays on no matter the weather conditions. Yet another advantage is how easy it is to install. The Eclipse goes up with a basic wall mount and a 100-277V input.

 

The Eclipse Semi Cut—The Semi Cutoff Wall Pack

This semi-cutoff version of the IntrinsiX Eclipse offers all of the advantages of the full cut wall pack while giving a more forward-shining angle. The semi-cut model also offers a 100W option, in addition to 48W, 60W, and 80W.

All wattage levels deliver more than 115 lumens per watt (lm/w), meaning that the fixture is best-in-class for efficiency and cost savings.

 

The Eclipse Mini—The Small But Mighty Wall Pack

The Eclipse Mini from IntrinsiX is the perfect LED light for an entrance, a courtyard, or a pathway. Requiring only 15W, 20W, or 30W, this exterior light delivers far more lumens per watt (1,950-3,900lm/W) than its non-LED predecessors. A photocell is standard equipment, allowing the light to adjust to daylight and to turn on automatically and only when needed.

The sleek appearance of the Mini means it looks great no matter the style of the building. Its 110-degree viewing angle is optimal for attractive area lighting.

 

The SOFCAN Canopy Retrofit—Taking Your Soffit to the Next Level

The SOFCAN canopy retrofit is the kit from IntrinsiX that turns non-LED soffit lights into an attractive, efficient canopy. The large (15”x15”) beauty plates make it simple to replace older lights and to cover up the previous holes. The installation is easy, and the look is flush and seamless.

The SOFCAN retrofit provides a selectable-wattage light. The 20W, 30W, and 40W levels produce 2,800lm, 4,200lm, and 5,600lm, respectively. This flexibility allows you to choose whatever power level you need and nothing more. The long-term cost savings of an LED soffit light are enormous. Not only does the fixture use vastly less energy than metal halide or high-pressure sodium lights, the LED light also lasts many times longer, ending the need for maintenance costs and inconveniences. 

The SOFCAN canopy retrofit is UL-listed as well as DLC Premium listed. It promises a 50,000 hour lifespan and has a 5-year warranty.