The fastest way to save money on building operations is most likely to install LED retrofits. Replacing outdated lighting fixtures with new LEDs creates several avenues of savings. And the return on investment is fast. Let’s summarize some of the benefits of a retrofit kit.
The Benefits of LED Retrofits
The most obvious source of savings from an LED retrofit comes from the efficiency of LED lights. New lights use up to 75% less energy. Because so much of a building’s operational budget goes toward lighting, this efficiency results in massive savings. As energy costs go up, this saving is even more important.
Savings in maintenance costs and replacement bulbs are another result of LED retrofits. LED lights can last up to 50,000 hours. This slashes the need for maintenance.
LED retrofits create higher quality light, as well. LED lights generate not only powerful brightness (measured in lumens) but also high quality light—its color rendering index (CRI) scores 80+.
Increased visibility means a safer and more secure space—whether it’s a workplace, store, hospital, school, or whatever space you’re lighting. Furthermore, the strong CRI and perfectly tuned color corrected temperature (measured in degrees Kelvin) mean a more welcoming and comfortable space. Visitors notice. Employees are happier and more comfortable, as well. This could lead to higher productivity and even improved worker retention—a major challenge, lately.
Retrofit Considerations
Before looking at a few sample retrofit kits, let’s review some of the factors one should consider when budgeting for an LED retrofit. There is a retrofit kit out there for every situation and budget.
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.
Today’s Top LED Retrofit Options
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 21st 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.