From Guest Blogger Applied Environmentalist: Is LED Lighting Worth It?

Imagine every application that requires lighting in your commercial facility. Can’t wrap your head around it? Needless to say, lighting can be a huge percentage of your annual energy costs. Energy efficient lighting like LED wall packs or LED bollard lights  can make a significant difference in your energy bill.

Surprisingly, 22% of America’s facilities have never undergone any type of lighting upgrade, or it has been more than 10 years since work has been done, according to a survey in the April 2013 issue of Today’s Facility Manager.That means 1.1 million facilities are wasting energy—and wasting money.

You can start to calculate how much you’re spending each year by using an annual cost per watt chart. For example, energy is priced at approximately $0.15 per kilowatt hour in the Boston area. A walkway in a commercial area has 20 bollards equipped with 70 watt metal-halide lamps and ballasts. If the luminaires are on 7 days a week for ten hours a day, it would cost $0.55 for each watt and $770 in total annual costs.

LED lighting tells a different story. What if the same bollards are equipped with 15 watt LED modules and drivers? If the luminaires are on 7 days a week for ten hours a day, it would cost $0.55 for each watt and $165 in total annual costs. For each year they delay switching to efficient lighting, they’re losing $605—only on the bollards! By considering all indoor and outdoor lighting, the difference can be thousands of dollars.

With advanced LED technology and decreasing prices, LEDs now have a faster return on investment than ever before. Calculate how much money you’re wasting on energy costs using an annual cost per watt chart. Is it time to make a change?