Efficient LED Lighting Solutions for Your Business

Most organizations can save money by converting to LED lighting technology. This is a known fact, as LED technology is much more efficient than incandescent, fluorescent, HID, induction, and other existing lighting technologies. To determine if LED technology is a financially viable alternative for organizations, MHSC will provide a comprehensive LED Conversion Audit.

One of the most critical factors in understanding an LED Retrofit is the choices made to replace the existing lighting within an organization. LED technology is so radically different from existing types of lighting that most organizations do not fully comprehend both the LED quality and the choices available, which can radically change the outcomes desired by the organization.

Unfortunately, some “LED Retrofit” companies may only look to the lowest wattage available to replace existing lighting within a facility regardless of its impact on the overall light levels within certain types of spaces. For example, many parking lots may have existing 400-Watt Metal Halide fixtures. The amount of light (Lumens or footcandles) coming from these fixtures is important for employee and/or customer safety concerns when going to and from their vehicle during evening hours. Some “retrofit” companies will utilize low wattage LED fixtures to replace the 400-Watt Metal Halide without regard of the amount of light driven by the replacement LED. They are not considering if the LED fixture is equal to or better than the 400-Watt Metal Halide fixture. They are simply trying to create the greatest amount of savings possible without considering other factors such as employee and/or customer safety, light levels, light color and a host of other considerations when looking at LED.

Some organizations prefer off-balance sheet transactions due to Bond/Debt Ratio Ratings, public companies wanting to avoid impacting per share prices with large operational capital expenditures, or companies with ongoing large capital equipment needs (e.g., healthcare, manufacturing). These organizations prefer to update their lighting to LED using an off-balance sheet approach. MHSC’s MLS program facilitates this. The organization elects to “outsource” its lighting to MHSC, which then provides a turn-key retrofit. MHSC owns all the lighting and provides a user license to the organization. The organization signs a multi-year MLS use license agreement, making MHSC responsible for owning and maintaining all lighting. The savings generated by the LED retrofit pay for the license, and typically, additional savings cover maintenance costs since MHSC handles all lighting maintenance through the MLS agreement. Although the organization does not receive the full benefit of the savings created by the LED conversion, it avoids using any capital dollars, receives some savings over the long-term agreement, and no longer bears the responsibility of maintaining the lighting. 

Most LED manufacturers offer a 5–10-year warranty on their products. The best manufacturers report less than a 1% failure rate in proper environments, but many environments where lighting is used are not “proper” for LED lighting, leading to failures. A driver controls LED lighting, acting as a self-contained power supply that regulates the power required for an array of LEDs. The driver converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) since LED lighting operates on direct current. LEDs consume small amounts of electricity, and the number of LEDs in a fixture determines the size and type of driver needed. The driver is the most critical part of an LED fixture/bulb, and 98+% of all failures occur due to the driver, primarily because of high heat and/or voltage spikes. Based on the environment where a LED fixture will be located, MHSC will recommend specific types of surge suppression to add to the lighting circuits to mitigate failures caused by voltage spikes or fixtures with higher heat-resistant drivers. MHSC has a Warranty Management Department to handle any failures during the warranty period. This department works directly with end users to identify problematic fixtures and facilitate the replacement of the driver and/or a completely new fixture if necessary. MHSC coordinates with the manufacturer to obtain replacements for the end user and can arrange for certified electricians to install the new driver and/or fixture. Most warranties from manufacturers only cover the part/fixture, and any labour costs necessary to install the new driver and/or fixture remain the end user's responsibility.

An electrical surge, simply put, is a sudden spike in electricity in your electrical circuits. Even though surges can last for as little as a fraction of a second, they can take a massive toll on all electrical appliances and devices connected to the circuit. LED lighting can also be considered an electronic device as the LED driver contains electronic components controlling the voltage to the Light Emitting Diodes. An LED driver’s main purpose is to regulate the power going to the Light Emitting Diodes. It takes the incoming Alternating Current (AC) power from the electrical panel and converts it to the lower 12-24 Volt Direct Current (DC) required to operate the Light Emitting Diode. Many, if not most, electrical surges can be caused by the Utility company (known as Dirty Power) due to electromagnetic interference, electrical over voltage transient surges from equipment such as HVAC turning on and off, and a host of other small electrical surge causes. Although most surges are of extremely short duration, over time, they will weaken and eventually destroy the circuits in an LED Driver, which are the “brains” of an LED light. An LED light can last well over 50,000 hours, with some going over 100,000 hours, but an electrical surge can end that life in less than a second. The best time to protect your LED lights is at installation to ensure you can take advantage of their long lifespan.