The benefits of lighting upgrades have been championed for many years. Almost every quarter, lighting discussions flood facilities trade organization websites. As lighting equipment manufacturers market their products we are reminded that their products not only save energy but support the sustainability of our environment. Nevertheless, a substantial portion of commercial properties operate with lighting systems that can easily achieve energy cost improvements of up to 30%. We may wonder why.
Making the case for cost conscious installations is key to helping facility managers move ahead with the decision to retrofit inefficient lighting with energy efficient lighting and operationally effective control systems.
The following tips come from our firm's recent work with a banking industry client. Depending on the scope of your potential project and urgency of your need to begin reaping operational savings, any or all of these three cost savers may be beneficial to you and your organization.
You CAN use what you currently have
Instead of hiring a company to come in and deliver a turn key lighting retrofit project, use your existing electrical maintenance team to implement the project. While many organizations continue to staff in-house electricians, the trend towards hiring an on-site electrical contractor is becoming increasingly popular. On- site electrical contractors or in-house electricians, are both suitable staffing approaches to deliver a lighting installation retrofit that is custom fitted to the operations of the building and the organization. The annual maintenance contract or annual salary plan has already accounted for the labor costs of the staff electrical team. By tasking the lighting retrofit work to your existing forces, you enhance the operational performance of the annual electrical maintenance spending.
If the complexity or extent of the improvements are beyond the scope or ability of your maintenance teams, the lighting improvements should be undertaken by an electrical contracting company. As you assess the developing project, realistically evaluate the capabilities of your in-house team along with the equipment, tools and experience needed to implement the upgrade. Contractors perform specialized upgrades as a routine activity and possess the expertise, tools and equipment needed to deliver a successful upgrade. It is worth the time weighing the costs against the benefits of the "do it yourself" option. You may determine that there is good value as you perform the work yourself.
You CAN be the project specifier
Understanding the various product choices for retrofit projects can be the limiting factor behind your decision to commence a facility-wide retrofit project or program. Realize you are not alone. Many utility companies have programs identifying pre-screened lighting professionals who can help you select the most suitable, cost effective, energy efficient lighting products for your facility. Local area lighting suppliers are aware that competition is high and it is in their interest to recommend products you will be pleased with and will deliver the energy efficiency and in-place performance you require. Finally, industry peers can identify suppliers that they have used in the past and whom they can recommend as solid industry professionals. The fear of selecting the wrong product for your situation can be managed, controlled and eliminated by using the existing resources that are available to you.
You CAN set the project pace
Every business has periods of reduced activity. For some industries they are the periods between holidays, semester breaks, plant re-tooling time or even just the times between the routine daily maintenance activities. Designating the lighting retrofit work as The Fill-in Project during slow maintenance periods, allows for you to pace the project so that it complements your operational pace. The need to suspend work for a few weeks becomes a non-issue when an operational necessity requires you stop the project for a few weeks.
Using your existing forces, expanding your knowledge to determine and select the project materials and pacing the execution of the work to fit your organization's needs are all ideas worth evaluating as you take the decision to retrofit the lighting systems in your facility. Adopting any or all three ideas can give you the assurance needed to know that you are proceeding forward practically and cost consciously.
Gwendolyn Morrison writes for Design Verification International, DVI. DVI is a Maintenance and Operational consultancy in Chicago. DVI offers energy engineering, energy management services and has design review capabilities for the energy engineering and mechanical engineering disciplines.
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