"Shopping Center Lighting Retrofit:
A Win/Win for everyone"
Ed Bray – LC Lighting Certified,  United Lamp Supply, Tacoma, WA
www.unitedlamp.com

At today’s gas prices, what would you do to save gas and get better mileage?  If you could increase your cars mileage by up to 40% and reduce maintenance, would you be interested?  What if you knew you could positively reduce pollution and green house gases by upgrading to a newer more efficient car. Would you be interested?  And if the gas companies helped you pay for this new car, wouldn’t you be interested?  Of course you would!

Most people know day to day how much they pay for a gallon of gas. But few know how much they pay for electricity. The bill comes and they just see it going higher and higher. Just reading the bill is a mystery with all of the taxes, surcharges, kilowatts, delivery charges, etc,.

Yes, it is a mystery to most of us, just like the automobile engine. But the scenario between gasoline and electricity is not that much different. You buy a gallon of gas and your car can travel only so many miles on it. Electricity is delivered to your home or business and you pay for what you use. If you reduce your usage, (Just like your car), you will use less electricity and reduce your bill.

Shopping center lighting, along with most everything else in the 21^st century, has become more complex, requiring the best of all worlds in quality lighting for security, common areas, display and signage,

Energy use and maintenance is of paramount concern. Typically, retail shops are usually open long hours, holidays and evenings. This results in long burn times for the different types of lighting used.

Begin with an energy audit. Most people know how much they pay for a gallon of gas. But how much do you pay for electricity? It depends on what electrical devices you have in your business, just like you’re driving habits and automobile determine how much gas you use. The first thing to do is have an energy audit performed. These audits have to be very concise. Every light fixture, whether it be parking lot, or exit sign, must be counted and its energy consumption and hours determined.

Once the audit of the existing system is complete its time to look for ways to reduce the energy load.

Existing Fixtures. Lighting technology has made leaps and bounds in the last decade. New lamp types can be adapted to existing light fixtures, saving energy and reducing maintenance. Savings of 40% and higher are typical over the older lamp types. These new lamp types are not only more efficient, they produce better color, less heat, and have longer life.

Fluorescent Lamps. Typically older magnetic fluorescent ballasts have about a 15-18 year expected life. Many of the older magnetic type fluorescent ballasts, (The types that run 4’ and 8’ fluorescent lamps) are not available anymore as of the result of EPACT, (Energy legislation that stopped the manufacturing of these energy guzzling lamp and ballasts.) Newer electronic ballasts are usually specified as their replacements because the turn most of the energy they consume into light rather then heat.

Halogen/Incandescent. Typically these lamp types are used in track lighting to display product and general use lighting. Although they produce good color, they are the least efficient of lamp types and usually only last 3000-5000 hours. Another down side of this lamp type is the amount of heat they produce. All you need to do is go into the typical jewelry store and feel the heat off of the track and case lighting. That’s wasted energy turned into heat rather then light. A new alternative to halogen lamps is the new type compact fluorescent flood lamps. These lamp types produce good color, last longer, (10,000 hour average life) and save about 75% energy over halogen. Maintenance and energy problems solved!

Ceramic Metal Halide. This new technology saves energy over the older type metal halide lamps and can easily be adapted to existing down-lights, cylinders, and high-bays. These lamps produce excellent color and long life. Their color rendering is so good they are replacing other lighting types in most grocery store produce departments.

Parking Lot and Security Lighting. Typically pole and parking lot lighting also use older metal halide lamps. Newer technology pulse start metal halide lamps work well in these applications and actually save more energy, as much as 16% over the universal type metal halide and produce more light over their longer life.

Daylight Controls. The Tacoma Mall, one of the oldest shopping malls in the Northwest recently installed skylights in its concourses. Many shopping malls already have sky lighting and sky walls, or atriums but few use daylight controls to shut off or shed lighting in those areas. These areas can be controlled by an adjustable photo control that allows management to determine the light levels in those areas. Nothing saves electricity better then shutting off the lights!

Utility Grants/Rebates. Here in the great Pacific Northwest we have some of the best utility conservation programs in the country. These programs allow business owners, small and large, to be able to upgrade their existing lighting systems to newer technology in lighting and HVAC. All of the above measures are promoted by the utilities under these programs. As a utility customer part of your bill pays for these programs. What not take advantage of it?

Finally, retail is a competitive business. Businesses that do not take a disciplined approach to controlling their energy costs will find themselves disadvantaged. Their more savvy competitors will enjoy lower costs, better rates of tenant attraction and retention and ultimately, higher asset values.

A lighting retrofit will give you an advantage over your competitors. By taking advantage of the utility conservation programs and installing long life, low maintenance, energy saving lighting you will truly have a win/win situation. Everyone benefits when you retrofit. Retrofitting will greatly improve the quality of your lighting, (Which is good for your customers and employees), save energy and is good for the environment and future generations. Because of the utility grants a 2-3 year payback is typical. A lighting retrofit is one of your best returns on investment.