Lighting Efficiency & Today’s Economy
Many of us feel caught up in the current economic uncertainty. It is pleasant to remember better days when the economy was thriving and corporate resources were being invested in robust expansion. Now those expansions are getting older. Many of the commercial buildings in use today were built pre-1980. At the time they were built few people were thinking about energy costs and the environmental imperative of “going green”. Truthfully, most of us were lusting after the biggest V8s we could afford.
How times have changed – hybrid cars, the whole idea of less is more, recycled everything – but what about these buildings? They were built to last; but not to be efficient.
So what can we expect for today and beyond?
Even as economic conditions improve, today’s executive will be cautious about expansion, especially expansion into more bricks and mortar. They will look to their current buildings and demand ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs. They are conscious of being good corporate citizens and are profit motivated managers.
What is the best way to modernize these buildings, and what will drive the decision-making?
Certainly energy is going to be a key driver. According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), lighting represents 40% of the average commercial building’s electric bill, and an expensive component considering the average commercial retail cost of electricity rose nearly 25% over the past five years to $0.1013/kWh as of November 2008. And according to the Energy Cost Savings Council, lighting upgrades generate an average project payback period of 2.2 years and a 45% return on investment. [New energy estimates indicate continued increases in energy costs, with electric costs rising 10% to 30% in the next 3 to 5 years]
As a result, energy-efficient lighting is generally considered the easiest, most profitable investment in energy saving building systems. Even so, less than 20% of the existing pre-1980 U.S. Commercial building stock has benefited from some form of lighting renovation, according to the 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey produced by DOE. The survey found that there were 4.6 million commercial buildings (excluding malls) in the U.S., representing about 65 billion sq. ft. of floor space. About 2.5 million buildings, representing 60% of buildings and 57% of floor space, were built before 1980. Of these, about a million have benefited from some form of renovation.
Of the 1 million that were renovated, was energy efficient lighting a part of the upgrade?
Unfortunately not – Lighting renovations, while a popular form of renovation, have occurred in only 18% of pre-1980 buildings, suggesting that there are about 25 billion sq ft of building floor space still lighted to pre-1980 standards and likely using the least-efficient lighting systems allowed by law. The rest represent today’s best candidates for lighting upgrades.
Lighting efficiency has the potential to be a “winner” in today’s economy. Not only is operating cost savings via lighting efficiency a door opener, but imagine the greater worker satisfaction with a quality lighting design – it can certainly be a ladder that escalates performance on any projects.
Are you wondering if your commercial building is a good candidate for a lighting retrofit? Contact an Aelux Lighting Consultant today to have your questions answered and learn more about lighting rebates.
(Source: Illuminate Magazine)
