In a large commercial or industrial facility, efficiency is crucial. If you are trying to maintain high levels of productivity and keep utility bills as low as possible, you certainly need to ensure that you look at your lighting. Yet if you want to consider a retrofit, you also need to do it properly and perform an audit simultaneously. What type of factors do you need to think about to make this job worth your while?

Getting Up-To-Date

If it's been some time since you replaced the lighting structures in your facility, you may not have taken advantage of the latest LED technology. As you may know, these lamps are much more efficient and can be expected to last a long time. While you will undoubtedly have to deal with an expense upfront, you may be able to cut down on your utility bills for months and years ahead.

Gauging Luminosity

However, this is not a simple question of replacing like for like. When you perform your lighting audit, you will need to determine the luminosity of each particular space, measured in "lumens." This is a measure of the total amount of visible light from each light source and how much they contribute to the illumination of the space in question. Lamps today are measured in the number of lumens per watt of power in terms of their overall efficiency. The higher the reading, the higher the efficiency and the lower running costs you can expect going forward.

Adjusting Your Fittings

During the audit, you may decide that you have too many light fixtures in a particular space for your ideal needs once you have retrofitted with LED. You may have to take out some fixtures as too high a "lumen" may be overwhelming in a small space.

Control with Sensors

Add some sensor technology once you've determined how many new light fixtures you need and are getting ready to install your efficient LED bulbs. You can install sensors that will automatically turn the fixture on or off when somebody enters the room. Alternatively, put simple timers onto the sensors so they will always turn off out of hours, during set lunch breaks and at similar times.

Keeping Everything in Good Shape

Finally, devise a maintenance plan that you can put in place once your retrofit is complete. You can ensure that your employees are always happy and as productive as possible if the lighting system is in perfect shape.

Getting Ready for Installation

Work with a commercial lighting professional to plan your lighting audit. They will help you determine what you need and install your new bulbs and sensors as soon as possible.