Lighten up your bottom line.

Upgrading is a daunting task for building owners and managers and rightfully so: upgrades have the potential to do damage to bottom lines. However, lighting upgrades can actually help an asset's bottom line, giving owners and managers a reason embrace improvements.

Not only will lighting upgrades improve building and rentable area aesthetics, but lighting upgrades will help conserve capital by reducing energy and long-term maintenance costs.

One of the easiest ways to reduce energy expenditures is to install motion sensors in low traffic areas such as stairwells, storage closets, utility areas and basements. When motion is detected, sensors activate lighting for a designated period of time and then turn them off after a period of inactivity. To ensure safety, sensors are linked to emergency systems and provide necessary light in times of need. This type of upgrade requires a minimal investment and can decrease energy costs 15% to 30%.

Another lighting automation which preserves cash flows involves the installation of timers to automatically turn off lights during non-operating hours. For example, if a building lobby does not permit access between the hours of 12pm and 5am, timers will automatically dim or turnoff lights complete to lessen energy requirements. By reducing on time for several hours over the course of the week, owners and managers can potentially save considerable energy costs.

One of the simplest ways to upgrade lighting includes replacing older lighting with new and improved lamps, such as T-5 fluorescent lamps (the numerical designation refers to the diameter of the lamp in eighths of an inch and the thinner the lamp, the greater the optical control and fixture efficiency). This particular lamp type has boasts energy efficiency, a long life span and high light intensity.

The lamp type installed will depend on the area in which they are deployed. Other cost efficient lamp options include T-8 lamps, which offer outputs comparable to T-5 lamps but with a slightly lower efficacy and high-output T-5 lamps, which possess a higher lumen output than the standard T-5's but with slightly lower efficacy.

LED technology is quickly replacing neon lighting, most popular in exit signs, exterior signage and in parking garages. Not only is LED all weather performing and easily customizable, the energy savings from retrofitting from existing neon to LED can help reduce energy cost up to 35%.

For instance, if an exit sign burns 24 hours/7 days per week used neon lighting, it would require 20 watts of energy. If that same exit sign utilized LED technology, it would only require 2.8 watts--a 37.2 watt differential. Multiply that 37.2 watts by the total number of exit signs in a commercial office building and the savings start racking up--an owner/ manager could realize a savings and return on investment in under 12 months!

LED savings also include maintenance hours. LED requires significantly less energy than neon and it can last from 60,000 hours to 100,000 hours--that is almost 7 years of minimum life.

Commercial properties require constant maintenance, and upgrading is often done on an as needed basis because of the capital outlays required. In the case of lighting upgrades, building owners and managers may see a complete return on investment and savings within months of the upgrades. Simple changes in common area lighting and exit signs add up, thereby freeing up an owner/managers bottom line.