Lighting is often an understated and underassessed component of C&I facilities. They turn on, off, and show up on the energy bill. But poor facility lighting can have a substantial impact on both business and employee health over time, playing a wide-ranging role in areas from energy efficiency to safety.
In our Ask the Expert video series, Dan Derry — one of PEC’s most experienced Sales Engineers — join us to quickly share some of the classic characteristics of sub-par facility lighting.
Common qualities of poor facility lighting
Hot spots and poor consistency
Without the proper optics in place to control lighting distribution, it’s common to see a lot of “hot spots” and shadows throughout a facility. For example, right under a fixture there could be bright light levels, but move 5-10 feet and it could be dark.
Implementing the proper LED fixtures and optics will help to create better light distribution and consistent light levels throughout the facility.
Darker light coloring
The color of your lights also contributes to the amount of shadowing. Implementing LED fixtures that offer whiter, optimal coloring will help to reduce shadowing and establish greater consistency.
High maintenance costs
Lighting systems that are comprised of dated technologies, like 4 lamp or 6 lamp fixtures, or metal halide bulbs, don’t last as long as technologies like LED and need to be replaced more frequently.
As these bulbs burn out on a much more frequent basis, it begins to create shadows and diminish the lighting consistency, while creating a full-time job for maintenance managers try and stay on top of replacing burnt out bulbs.
Furthermore, if the facility is a full-time manufacturing facility that’s operating 24/7, replacing bulbs creates additional challenges with potentially interrupting ongoing operations. It’s difficult to carve out time to halt machines and get over the top of them to replace bulbs, often leaving plant management teams with the decision to continue operations and cope with the worse light levels for extended periods of time.
About your expert: Dan Derry
With 5 years of experience and over 180 projects completed — Danny has displayed an extensive history of executing on impactful LED retrofits that transform facilities. He has worked with blue chip organizations like Weyerhaeuser, Sysco, Steel Supply Co, and beyond — helping clients to roadmap projects, I.D. top priority sites, and create an implementation plan for large-scale nationwide deployments. Get in touch with Danny to see how you could benefit from an LED retrofit today.
CONTACT DANNY:
Phone: 360-624-1245 | Email: dan.derry@pecnw.com
