Ambitious sustainability goals, but most importantly, high energy costs and legal requirements related to the RoHS directive and the ban on T5/T8 lamps, impose on companies to upgrade their existing, outdated lighting and replace it with LED technology. However, as Paweł Boryś of TRILUX, which specializes in advising B2B clients in this area, points out, when faced with such a necessity, a company faces a crucial decision on what to choose. The promising shortcut of a retrofit, a 1:1 LED retrofit, or perhaps a full lighting replacement program with the installation of automated lighting controls and IoT smart connectors?
© Trilux
RETROFIT. FAST AND CHEAP - BUT IS IT OPTIMAL?
Retrofit lighting modernization simply involves replacing outdated light sources with suitable LED solutions, using existing luminaires and lighting wiring. Sound optimal? Not necessarily. In practice, retrofit can involve a number of problems, ranging from liability issues to health and safety requirements, which are often no longer met after retrofit , cautions Paweł Boryś, Business Development Manager at TRILUX Poland.
What problems might those who choose this route face?
Installing LED light sources in third-party housings means there is no guarantee of the expected effect. Often, it is only after the installation work that it is possible to determine what light intensity will be obtained, and this can prove problematic from a health and safety point of view.
LED luminaires have properly designed systems that effectively dissipate heat outside the luminaire. In the case of replacing the light sources themselves, it is impossible to predict exactly what the service life will be, as it may turn out that the LED source will operate at higher temperatures than it was designed for, and this will shorten its life.
Simply replacing the light source with an LED will not always achieve the previous functionalities of a given luminaire, such as adjusting the luminous flux. Also, not every luminaire is suitable for having LED sources installed in it. Often the support of a qualified installer is needed, and this is a cost that is sometimes limited and wrongly considered unnecessary. This mistake comes to be paid for later when troubleshooting is required.
1:1 RETROFIT. A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
LED technology is far more cost-effective than conventional lighting in terms of energy efficiency and quality: even a simple conversion of luminaires to LED reduces energy costs by up to 76 percent. That's why it's worth considering a lighting upgrade using precisely the 1:1 LED method.
As Paweł Boryś of TRILUX explains: Such modernization includes not only the replacement of light sources, but the entire luminaire, including the housing. Thanks to the appropriate modernization solution, it is possible not only to adapt the lighting to the new legal requirements, but also to obtain a luminous flux and intensity of light identical to the one that previously operated in a given place.
Many companies, despite the undeniable advantages of such modernization, abandon it in favor of Retrofit for fear of the costs necessary to be incurred at the start. However, it is worth remembering the possibility of obtaining subsidies that reduce the total cost of the investment. They apply to the financing of lighting retrofits, but also to the wider modernization of a building to reduce its energy intensity. Local government units, as well as national bodies, support the modernization of outdated, inefficient lighting systems in various ways through numerous programs of this type. It is therefore a good idea to do some discernment in the local area before crossing out the chance for 1:1 upgrades.
HOW ABOUT GOING ALL THE WAY AND CONSIDERING LIGHTING AUTOMATION?
Customers often treat lighting controls as a technological gadget. What they don't realize is that a lighting retrofit that also includes this solution can increase savings up to 85% compared to conventional solutions without controls. In the case of large industrial or office buildings, such savings are definitely noticeable in the total budget - not to mention the image benefits of meeting sustainability goals in this regard, explains Pawel Boryś of TRILUX.
It is worth noting that lighting control is also gaining importance in light of the new DIN EN 12464-1 standard, according to which light should appear in the right amount when it is needed, rather than being on all the time. In addition, the lighting control system makes it possible to manage and monitor lighting in the cloud. The full benefits of lighting control come from installing controllable luminaires, as well as an efficient lighting management system, such as LiveLink from TRILUX.
With TRILUX's ready-made and comprehensive solutions, any company or institution has the chance to take full advantage of the energy-saving potential of lighting control. At the same time, these entities can also take care of the better well-being and safety of people using the facilities they manage," emphasizes Pawel Borys from TRILUX.
There is another argument in favor of an intelligent lighting system. At the same time, a lighting control system is a treasure trove of knowledge, enabling the monitoring of many processes in a commercial facility. Given that lighting installations constitute a vast network in properties, this opens up possibilities for using it in the future to implement even more advanced technologies based on artificial intelligence, for example.
If you don't want to create a smart grid right away, you can create the prerequisites for this with the right luminaires and flexibly expand the system with lighting management and IoT modules at a later date.
Learn more about B2B lighting upgrade options here.
