Saving money never goes out of style, does it? When you run a commercial operation, whether it's a warehouse or a large office, you're always interested in cutting down on your monthly overhead costs. When it comes to your use of energy, you should be even more focused, as this can affect your carbon footprint as well. What's one of the most profitable steps you can take to address all of these issues?

Harnessing Electricity

Electricity can be one of the largest monthly costs for any business venture. Furthermore, lighting can often represent as much as half of the total cost of a utility invoice. Yes, you like to think that your employees will be thoughtful and turn off switches when they're not needed, but this is not the best approach to take when it comes to cost saving.

What Is a Lighting Retrofit?

Ideally, you want to consider a full lighting retrofit. This is a complete process, whereby your needs will be properly analysed and a much better and more efficient system put in place. To help you to do this the right way, consult with a lighting designer and a commercial electrician to make sure that every effort you make will be maximised and you will be as energy efficient as possible.

Your Objectives

Many electrical systems in older buildings and offices are out of date and cannot take advantage of the latest tariffs and systems employed by the utility companies. If you want to maintain a gold standard operation in terms of energy efficiency, you need to do two things. Firstly, you need to decrease the amount of power that you use in terms of wattage and secondly you will have to decrease the time that you use it.

Specific Planning

When you begin your retrofit, your electrician will come up with a tailor-made plan specifically for your space. They will have a look at the amount of overhead lighting that you currently have, analyse the type of bulbs that you are using and replace them as necessary. They will test the overall "luminosity" of your space to find out if you're using simply too many lamps and ballasts, in order to arrive at your ideal efficiency.

Being in Control

You'll also be able to reduce the amount of time that your lighting is switched on, as the latest, state-of-the-art controls will be made available to you. Furthermore, the electrician will also be able to advise you about any exterior lighting or signage, which could be serving as an energy hog without you knowing.

Getting Guidance

It's definitely worth considering a full lighting retrofit and you should talk with a qualified commercial electrician to help you plan it out.