The Problem:  Dated Technology in Existing Lighting System

Most lighting systems, especially those designed and installed before the 1990's, are at best only 55% efficient.  To make matters worse, all of that wasted electricity ends up as heat which imposes an additional load on air conditioning, resulting in the consumption of even more electricity. Further, some lamps tend to expire more quickly than others, so, when you add the maintenance costs required to replace prematurely expired lamps, the total cost of retaining and utilizing an inefficient lighting system becomes even more substantial. Either way, month after month, your hard earned profits are needlessly lost.

Inefficient lighting not only wastes money, it also negatively impacts the environment. During electricity generation, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are created which contribute to acid rain and smog, and Carbon Monoxide is also generated, which is said to cause global warming.  In fact, up to 35% of all Carbon Monoxide is created during the production of electricity.

Thankfully, recent advances in lighting technology are now commercially available, and ECC has the expertise to engineer a solution for your specific needs, which will also lessen your negative impact on the environment.  ECC can design a lighting system  that can completely replace your existing lighting system, and, believe it or not, pay for itself with savings alone,usually within a few years.

Efficient Products to The Rescue!

BallastsOne great tool in lighting efficiency is the Electronic Ballast, which provides greater light output at a cooler temperature.  Light: Electronic ballasts operate at frequencies above 20,000 hertz, as compared to magnetic ballasts that operate at only 60 hertz. This much higher frequency "super excites" the phosphors inside the lamp thereby increasing the amount of lumen output per watt of electricity put in.  Heat: Electronic ballasts operate at approximately 10 degrees above the ambient temperature. Magnetic ballasts can operate at or above 140 degrees causing additional load on indoor cooling systems.
nstalling electronic ballasts in place of magnetic ballasts will reduce the energy consumed by the lighting system, and reduce the load on the indoor cooling system.  In a typical retrofit project, a four lamp 2x4 office fixture with F40CW/SS lamps and two standard magnetic ballasts which uses 164 watts per hour of operation is replaced with a single low watt electronic ballast and four F32T8 lamps. In this application, the electrical consumption is typically reduced to 98 watts per hour, a decrease of 40%!

Compact Fluorescent Lamps Compact fluorescent lamps provide matching light levels with a 75% reduction in energy consumption. For example, a standard incandescent 60 watt lamp can be replaced with a 13 watt compact fluorescent. This reduction in energy consumption results in a cooler running lamp that also reduces the indoor cooling requirements.  Further, their average life 10,000 hours is 4 to 13 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs which average only 750 to 2,500 hours.  The Long lifetime of compact fluorescent lamps make them an excellent choice for locations which are hard to access.

T-8 Fluorescent Lamps The T8 lamp has become the industry standard for energy efficient fluorescent lighting due to its superior advantages:  (a) Higher color rendering - 75 to 90 CRI (color rendering index) as compared to the older T12 lamp with 51 to 62 CRI;  (b)  Highest system efficacy (measured in lumens per watt, LPW) - 90 LPW with electronic ballasts, T12 lamps with standard ballasts operate between 48 and 66 LPW;  (c) Smaller diameter (1" diameter for T8 versus 1.5" diameter for T12 lamps) blocks less light in the fixture making the fixture more efficient; (d) Maintains greatest percentage of light output over life of the lamp.
 

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps have the highest efficacy (lumens per watt) of all regular light sources. There are four basic types of HID lamps:  LPS, HPS, Metal Halide, and Mercury Vapor (the original HID lamp, now obsolete due to it's inefficiency and poor color; replaced by Metal Halide).  Low Pressure Sodium (LPS) is the most efficient of the HID at 140 lumens/watt, it is also the least preferred due to it's monochromatic yellow color, which causes everything to look "brown".  High Pressure Sodium (HPS) is the second most efficient HID lamp at 120 lumens/watt, it is widely used in street lights, parking lots, and warehouses where color is not important. Their long average lamp life, 24,000 hours, reduces maintenance costs.  Metal Halide is the "bluish-white" light of the HID family, it has an efficacy of 55-110 lumens/watt with the highest CRI output. It is used in sporting arenas and stadiums, car lots, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities where white light is preferred.  Various controls are available to reduce the power consumption of HID fixtures even further.  Hi/Low systems allow a fixture to run at full brightness and then be reduced to half brightness. Motion sensors and photocells can be installed to switch the fixture between high and low levels.  For example, a warehouse with numerous skylights could be configured to operate at the low level except when ambient light is low and motion is detected in the controlled area.  Panel controllers can be used in facilities where an entire area is to be controlled. Panel controllers make a slow transition from a lower to higher level or from a higher to lower level based on input from a photocell, motion sensors, time clock or energy management system.

Sensors Occupancy sensors monitor when an office or area is occupied. They automatically turn on the lights as soon as someone enters the area and after a predetermined time, turn off the lights when it has been vacated.  Occupancy sensors are available in two major types, passive infra red and ultra sonic. Each type has it's own advantages and disadvantages. To ensure proper application, each site should be surveyed by a trained auditor and the sensor should be installed and commissioned by a skilled technician.

Exit Signs Standard exit signs have two 20 watt incandescent lamps consuming 40 watts total per hour. By replacing it with an LED (light emitting diode) exit sign, the hourly power usage drops from 40 watts to only 2 watts. LED exit signs are extremely reliable with a light source that will last 25 years versus the 1,500 hour average lamp life for the existing incandescent lamps. This means no more citations from the fire department due to burned out lamps in the exit signs.
 

ECC:  Combining Technology with Creativity

2.  Determine the implementation strategy.  If you prefer to avoid capital expenditures, a lease plan is available. When you lease your system, the monthly payment is lower than the monthly energy savings. You can enjoy a positive cash flow, beginning in the very first month after installation, and at the end of the lease period, the savings are even greater.

3.  Give us the Green Light, and we'll begin by developing an installation plan which will work around your company's own work schedule.  If necessary, we are able to complete our work at your facility during nights and/or weekends in order to provide the least amount of disruption to your business.

4.  Now that you possess an energy efficient, state-of-the-art lighting system, you should give serious consideration to letting ECC manage and maintain the system for you.  Most of our clients have learned that this is the best way to further improve their own bottom line.