See how much your business could save by switching to LED

You probably already know the key facts thatLEDs could save businesses money up to90% on energy bills, dramatically reduce maintenance costs and last up to 20-times longer than halogen equivalents. But how much exactly could they save you? In this post we show you how much the average retail outlet could save based on a prospective report we produced ourselves for a real-life business. It takes a typical 2 floor outlet that consists of retail space on the bottom floor and a staff area on the top floor, both with an array of different fittings, specs and requirements. What were our aims? As with all our clients, we establish a set of aims we need to match to create a successful lighting solution. In this case, they were:

• To reduce maintenance and energy costs
• Increase light quality. CFL and fluorescent lights degrade over time. Our LED fittings will maintain their light integrity over their enhanced lifespan.
• Instant light. CFL lamps in particular take time to ‘warm up’ and turn on completely. LEDs turn on instantly.
• Improved aesthetics. Using LED sources with wider beam angles and diffusers leads to a more even distribution of light.
• Reduced WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) costs in recycling potentially hazardous components such as phosphorus and mercury associated with fluorescent fittings, unlike LEDs which are microchip based light sources made of recycled materials.

What did we replace? As with any business, security is one of the primary considerations. At the front of our client’s outlet, there were 2 CFL 20 Watt floodlights. We replaced these with two LED 10 Watt floods that produce the same lumen output at 60W halogens. Round the back of the shop, we swapped a highly inefficient 500 Watt tungston flood and sensor overlooking the car park with a 50 Watt LED flood and sensor, reducing power output by 450 Watts in an instant.

50W Floodlight

10W Floodlight

The shop opening consisted of five 6ft 70W fluorescent units and a 5ft 58W single fluorescent batton. In their place we installed five 40W 1200mm Tri-Proof lights and a 24W 1500mm T8 tube. The existing tubes we replaced here featured a mix of different colour temperatures which reduced the effectiveness of the lighting. We ensured the replacement tubes were of a single colour for increased aesthetics to the benefit of product display. Then we moved into the most important area of every outlet: the retail space. Here we switched forty-one 600x600 14w T5s 3 lamp modules with 40W LED panel lights to see a total power saving of 84 Watts across all fixtures. Finally, we took out seven 20W CFL 2 lamp ceiling lights and replaced them with our LUMiLife 18W slimline ceiling fittings to complete the downstairs retail area. Upstairs in the office and staff area we swapped a single 5ft 58W fluorescent batton and nine 6ft 70W fluorescent battons with LUMiLife 40W panel lights. In the toilet, we replaced four 4ft 36W fluorescent battons with four 1200mm Natural White 18W tubes. We then finished the transformation by replacing a 100W surface drum unit on the stairs and a 20W BC CFL lamp in the kitchen with 15W 2D lights.

2D 15W Bulkhead - Side

2D 15W Bulkhead - Front

How much will they save? Here’s a breakdown of what each unit is projected to save the business. As you can see, potential annual savings reach almost £1,000, with a payback time in just 2.4 years. And these are conservative estimates too: Was any additional funding available? There are schemes out there that provide additional funding and grants for switching to LED lighting. Both Siemens Finance and the Carbon Trust - who both work with the LUMiLife brand - help clients spread the cost of payments so installments are often actually lower than the energy savings you’ll make. If you or your business is interested in switching to LED, give us a call on 0161 655 0660 and speak to one of our dedicated RELUX trained account manager. Or you can visit our site and make the make the switch today.