LED bulbs are more energy efficient, brighter, more versatile, and more long-lasting than their traditional counterparts. Despite this, many businesses and households are still using incandescent lights. Only around half the light sources in the world are LED. If you’d like to switch to a cheaper and more efficient lighting system, an LED retrofit could be right for you.
What Are the Benefits of an LED Retrofit?
Businesses that still have incandescent bulbs waste large amounts of energy. They also spend money and time replacing worn-out bulbs every few months. With LED, this isn’t necessary because the bulbs last for many years at a time, so maintenance work is minimal.
If you don’t want to rip out your current fixtures and have new ones installed, a retrofit is an ideal solution. The process involves installing LED bulbs in existing fixtures. After the retrofit, your lamps look the same, but they are much more energy efficient, and the quality of the light is better.
Reduced Energy Consumption
The most important benefit of LEDs is that they use at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Due to inflation and the energy crisis, many businesses are paying 10-15% more for electricity than last year. Changing incandescent lighting to LED can more than make up for the cost of living crisis and help businesses to save money, no matter what happens to energy prices in the future.
Another great reason to install LEDs is that they minimize a company’s carbon footprint. As the climate crisis intensifies, customers are increasingly concerned about doing business with wasteful companies. By switching to LED bulbs, businesses are one step closer to becoming carbon-neutral and sustainable.
More Sales
The quality of your light improves significantly when you switch to LED. Light quality is measured by the color rendering index, which indicates how well a light bulb reveals an object’s true color. The system goes from 0 to 100, with 100 being the best possible score. Many LED bulbs achieve a score of 80-95, so they offer excellent visibility.
In contrast, incandescent bulbs make it hard for people to distinguish between different kinds of blue. If you’re selling a product that depends on lighting, your business will benefit from LED bulbs. The brighter light will impress customers and help them to see your product’s best features more clearly. This is important for car dealerships, jewelers, bakers, art galleries, and clothes shops.
Better Safety
There are several reasons why LEDs are safer. Incandescent bulbs release around 90% of their energy as heat. If your customers or employees accidentally touch them while hot, they might even be injured. Using incorrect light bulbs can also lead to house fires. In fact, there are over 50,000 electrical fires in the US each year, and a significant number of them are related to incandescent bulbs.
When installed correctly, LED bulbs are several times safer than their incandescent and fluorescent counterparts. It’s also worth noting that they last much longer, so there’s no need for employees or contractors to climb ladders to replace them regularly. This reduces the risk of work accidents.
Enhanced Productivity
The workplace environment has a massive impact on employees’ productivity. Dim lighting often leads to headaches, eye issues, and drowsiness. Employees might lose their motivation and have more trouble focusing. Similarly, lighting that is too bright can cause migraines and prevent workers from performing well.
LED bulbs are ideal because they are brighter than traditional light sources, but they are dimmable. Some studies have shown that LED light increases performance by over 8%. Because there are so many types of LED bulbs available, employers can easily create optimal working conditions.
Less Maintenance
Traditional light bulbs have to be replaced every 1,000 hours. Fluorescent ones are much more durable because they last for 15,000 to 20,000 hours, but they still need to be replaced twice as frequently as LED lights, which often last for 40,000 hours or more. Even if you leave your lights on all day, you won’t need to replace the bulbs for five years.
This cuts your costs because you won’t need to buy new bulbs or spend time replacing the worn-out ones.
More Choices
When you upgrade to LED, you have an incredible amount of choice. The bulbs come in warm or cool colors, so you can create the atmosphere you desire. There are also several brightness levels available, and you can install dimmers that allow employees to adjust the lighting according to their needs.
Because not all light fixtures and LED bulbs are compatible, it’s important to read the label before purchasing a product. If you’re not sure what bulbs to get, speak to us during the installation phase. We’ll explain what kind of fixture you have and which light bulbs will fit.
Your Space Still Looks the Same
If your business is located in an old building, installing a new LED light system might not be a good idea because it changes the look and feel of the space. By choosing an LED retrofit, you avoid this problem because your light sources will still look the same.
The new LED bulbs are inserted into the fitting in the same way, and they are separate and replaceable, just like regular bulbs. This is the ideal solution for historical buildings.
Is the Upfront Cost Worth It?
As you can see, a lighting retrofit comes with significant benefits. However, it can also be costly, especially if your fixtures have to be changed to accommodate LED lights. If you only have to replace all the bulbs, you might pay hundreds of dollars, depending on the size of your company. Altering the fixtures could cost far more if you have a large building or you operate out of multiple locations.
Because you save so much energy by using LED bulbs, the setup costs will soon be offset by your lower electricity bills, however. Your company might also become more profitable because your employees will work better with the new lighting. During the planning phase, we’ll help you calculate the potential return on your investment, so you can make an informed choice.
Is a Retrofit Always Possible?
A retrofit is usually a good solution, but it isn’t always possible. Sometimes, removing the existing fixtures and building a whole new system is more practical and cost-effective. Since dimmer switches for traditional lighting don’t work with LED bulbs, you’ll need to replace them with an LED-specific version to prevent losing the dimmer function. This increases the cost of a retrofit and makes it less practical.
New systems are also easier to customize, and they often look more modern. If you’re not sure whether you’d like a retrofit or a new LED system, reach out to us. We will come up with quotes for both options, so you can easily compare them.
Investing in an LED retrofit is almost always worth it. Not only are LED bulbs at least 75% more efficient than incandescent ones, but they also produce more attractive light, require less maintenance, and give off less heat. Get in touch with us at Legacy Electric to find out more about our services. We’ll be happy to install LED lights in your building.
