Is there anyone who doesn’t like a good return on their investment? Whether it’s on their money, time or both. A lot of effort has been spent trying to make facilities more energy efficient and lower maintenance. Most of the concentration has been on the interior spaces including lighting, HVAC, motors and controls. What’s left you say? In many cases the outside is left and the biggest thing that has been overlooked is outdoor lighting. The list includes wall and security lights, parking lots, canopies, landscape, flag poles, signs and other decorative lighting. There are many reasons for looking at upgrading or replacing your outdoor lighting. The list includes energy savings up to 75%, reduced maintenance by using products that can last up to 10 times as long (up to 15 years), reduced glare (Dark Sky Compliant), instant on, utility rebates and good ROI’s.

Let’s take a 250 watt HID fixture for example and replace it with a 78 watt LED at a facility that is supplied by National Grid. If it is on from dusk until dawn year round (which many lights are) that is about 4200 hours of operation and a savings of about $125 per year per fixture. If it costs roughly $490 to install your payback would be about 4 years. Wait we’re not done yet. If you could get a rebate of approximately $125 that would make the ROI a little less than 3 years. On top of that if the fixture is ready to be relamped, has a bad ballast, is broken or needs replacing you can subtract that cost also, let’s use $35 for an average cost. Now for the next 12-15 years you won’t have to change a lamp or ballast. That could save you on average approximately $105 (about 3 lamps, recycling costs and probably a ballast). Keep in mind that these costs reflect doing the maintenance yourself. So, now we have gone from a 5 year ROI down to under a 2 year ROI. So over the 12 years you would save $ 1,765 on a $490 investment. That is for one light! By a show of hands who wouldn’t invest their money in something that would almost quadruple in 12 years? I thought so. The next time you drive into your place of business after dark look at all of the lights and think of the possible investment
you have right in front of you. Besides all of that, the peace of mind that you could cross your outdoor lighting maintenance off your “to do list” until 2024- Priceless!!!!!
Let Your Light Shine!
Todd Hanson
Project Manager
Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric
Have questions? Contact me at (716)665-6510×24 or thanson@as-elec.com