(PB) AdminiScope Fall 2012

The State of LED Lighting 50 Years In Having recently celebrated their 50 th birthday, Light Emitting Diodes (LED’s) provide a timely topic for discussion as they relate to energy efficiency improvements for school facilities. Invented in GE laboratories as a visible spectrum option to infrared laser technology, LED’s have since become ubiquitous and can be found operating in everything from birthday cards to nuclear submarines. However, the rocky road from single diode light source to becoming a technically, and financially, feasible replacement option for our everyday lighting needs has been a long one, but it appears as though the final hurdles are quickly being overcome. The main challenge to implementing LED’s into a lighting retrofit project has consistently revolved around high product cost. However, the high cost assoc iated with LED products has taken a sharp turn in customer favor this year with a roughly 20% reduction in pricing for superior quality offerings since 2011. This reduction has allowed energy efficiency companies to begin offering affordable LED retrofit options where high annual hourly use (such as school campus exterior lighting) and high cost maintenance issues (such as indoor swimming pools, auditoriums, and other difficult access areas) are present. The payback periods associated particularly with building perimeter and parking lot lighting are now well within the parameters outlined by House Bill 264 and, depending on the application, comfortably within reach when considering capital expenditures without House Bill assistance. In addition to energy savings, exterior LED retrofit projects offer a significant improvement to safety conditions on your campus as the light distribution and color delivered by this technology is far superior to the “orange & yellow” lighting provided by High Pressure Sodium lamps commonly found in parking lots. Additionally, these LED products offer an extended life expectancy approaching 100,000 hours of operation versus their HID counterparts, allowing staff to feel confident that facilities will remain maintenance-free and adequately lit well into the future. In closing, two additional factors should be considered as one examines a district’s plans for improving lighting efficiency. First, when selecting an LED product be sure to take note of the manufacturer, its experience with LED products, and the Warranty being offered. There are a large number of start-up LED companies “on the climb” and not all of them offer products equal in quality of components, fixture performance , or warranty. Any reputable manufacturer will offer a 5-year minimum warranty on an LED fixture it is selling. Second, ask for a sample to be installed to ensure its performance will meet a facility’s needs and that the maintenance staff understands how it functions and can be maintained should issues arise. While more affordable now than ever, LED replacement fixtures sti ll represent a significant investment on the part of a district, and every measure should be taken to ensure that the purchase of a product with which the school will be happy for the next 18 – 20 years.

Douglas Trimbach VP of Engineering Lighting Optimizers, USA

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