If your building has not already upgraded to LED lighting, this article may be helpful in terms of developing your own plan for a LED retro-fit. While it is a given that LED retro-fits will save money on energy consumption as well as maintenance costs, it is important to understand that the amount of savings can be very significant, even when the retro-fit will include replacing the newer, more energy efficient fluorescent products such as CFLs. It is also important to note that with today’s LED lighting quality, name department stores as well as museums and galleries are now converting to LED. These are users that require a very high quality of lighting, where second best solutions are not an option. So start with the premise that there is a quality LED lighting solution for your project. The purpose of this article is to help you achieve that successful LED lighting solution.

The starting place, as with most projects, is a spread sheet or a model.  For this projection, you will need an accurate measure of your existing lighting configuration, including annual electric consumption, purchase costs for lamp replacement products as well as maintenance costs in connection lamp replacements. This is the “before”, the “benchmark” that you will use to measure the cost effectiveness of any proposed LED retro-fit options developed for your project.  For the “after, you will need to include the specifics relating to each LED product selected – cost, energy consumption, anticipated useful life, warranty information, Energy Star designation – or not, funding availability and anticipated lamp maintenance.

With this “before” and “after” information, you will then be able to compare the amount of energy and the annual cost to operate and maintain your existing lighting as compared to the projected costs of operating and maintaining your proposed new LED lighting retro-fit. It should be noted that the preparation of your “spreadsheet” will also require knowledge of currently available LED product best suited to replace your existing lighting, the ability to determine the installed cost of the proposed replacement LED product as well as the amount of funding that would be available for your project, including financing options.

In terms of developing a retro-fit plan with accurate projections, you should consider working with a knowledgeable Con Ed Partner, who will not only be able to source available Con Ed funding for your project, but will also have access to Con Ed software in order to model the “before” and “after” scenarios of your project.

To start your LED Retro-Fit on the right track, contact us for a free feasibility study and project model at no cost or obligation. Go to our website www.GreenPartnersNY.com and complete the “Contact Us” form. We will contact you  to  get  your  project  going  on  the right track.