Author Archives: Troy Dockery

High-Rise Condos and LEDs – Part 2

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In a previous blog, I discussed the use of LED lighting in the high-rise condo market, mainly focusing on the interior portions of the high-rise and the property manager’s responsibility to their tenants.  I will be focusing on another section of the typical high-rise condo, parking garages and site lighting.

Parking garage and site lighting are some of the highest energy consumption light fixtures on the property.

The majority of the parking garage fixtures are typically on 24/7 by code requirements.  Usually these fixtures are at least 250 Watt Metal Halide and are on 6-8 ft. centers.  In the instance of a 5-story parking garage, there could be upwards of 300 lighting fixtures.  It is pretty easy to see, just how fast the energy costs can become substantial!

The numerous LED replacement fixtures on the market for this application fall in the 70-80 Watt range. In most applications, a one-for-one replacement can be done and an immediate energy savings are achieved.  Once the installation is done, there will be NO maintenance required –  NO lamp replacement and NO ballast replacement.  When all of these elements add up, energy savings and no maintenance, the Return On Investment is typically 2-3 years.  After the ROI is achieved, the installation becomes a positive cash flow generator due to the energy and maintenance costs savings. Last but certainly not least, the quality of lighting is much higher with LED lighting.

Another popular LED retrofit among property managers is site lighting.  Site lighting is defined just as it sounds – any type of lighting fixture that illuminates the site.  These fixtures could be wall packs, floodlights, parking lot fixtures, etc.   The site lighting is essential to safety of the tenants and the overall perception of the property. Most of these current fixtures are in the 200 to 400 Watt range.

An LED retrofit  for these fixtures are typically in the 40 to 90 Watt range.  As you can see, the energy savings, again, add up pretty quickly.  Since retrofitting with LED lamps means NO lamp replacements and NO ballast replacements, the ROI typically less than 2 years.

The biggest impact fixtures in this category have are parking lot fixtures on site.  These existing fixtures are typically High Pressure Sodium fixtures that will output a “yellowish” light, a very warm output. This is typically around a 2700-Kelvin temperature.

With an LED Retrofit, the output can not only be a specific color temperature, but it can also be focused on a particular area, without the “hot spots” associated with High Pressure Sodium fixtures.  These fixtures also have the ability to dim to a specified level when needed, such as after heavy traffic times.  Once again, another energy savings feature, which translates into money savings.

In a high-rise condo the property management firm is responsible for operating the building on a budget, and saving money is at the top of their list of priorities.  Money saved from the use of LEDs can go a long way in helping other areas of expenditures.

For more information on LED lighting, contact the LED lighting experts at LED Source®.

High-Rise Condos and LEDs

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LED lighting technology is advancing rapidly, which can make it hard for the general consumer to keep up. It is the responsibility of the property management firm to keep your property maintained and operating within a budget.  It is also their responsibility to keep the property up-to-date with the latest and greatest in energy-saving technology.

There are many choices when choosing LED technology. Usually the first step a Property Manager will take is to work in phases and retrofit their existing light fixtures with an LED lamp.

There is an LED lamp for virtually every traditional lamp out there. Two of the most popular and cost-effective lamps that are typically the first to be replaced, which are the A19 incandescent lamp and the MR16 halogen lamp.

The A19 lamp is the most widely used lamp overall and they are usually between 60 and 100 Watts and can last up to 1300 hours.  These lamps are used in everything from tabletop lamps and chandeliers, to bathroom vanities.  As you can imagine, the energy consumption can add up when using a 100 Watt light source with most applications using 3-6 bulbs at a time.

The LED alternative to the A19 lamp consumes between 8-12 watts and last for 50,000 hours.  The math is simple. Reducing the wattage used by 75-80%, the Property Manager is saving energy and therefore saving money. Because the lamp can last for 50,000 hours rather than 1300 hours, there comes a point during the life of the lamp that it will end up paying for itself.  This is referred to as Return on Investment or ROI.


The MR16 LED retrofit has rapidly become popular due to advancements in heat dissipation and the brightness of the white LED.

MR16 halogen lamps typically consume 20-50 watts per lamp and only last 3000 – 4500 hours. They also usually run on a 12-volt transformer system for each lamp.

These lamps are used to accent artwork, recessed in the ceiling or are sometimes used in landscape lighting.

The LED alternative to the MR16 halogen only consumes 4-10 watts and is rated to last up to 50,000 hours.  Once again, the math is simple. Saving energy equals saving money.  The ROI on these lamps typically happens quicker than on most, due to the fact that they usually operate 24/7 in most applications.

As stated before, there are numerous other lamp styles on the market that can be retrofitted with money-saving LED technology.

In a high-rise condo the property management firm is responsible for operating the building on a budget, and saving money is at the top of their list of priorities.  Money saved from the use of LEDs can go a long way to meeting the budget goals.

Stay tuned for future blogs where I will be discussing the replacement of fixtures and the rapid Return On Investment.

For more information please contact the LED lighting experts at LED Source. 866.900.4533.

SITE Lighting With LEDs

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From the first use of the Light Emitting Diode (LED) as a light source, the last 40+ years have seen this little guy mature into a viable source for many conventional lighting uses.

Prior to the Trichromatic and Phosphor based LED technology, the only way to achieve white light from an LED source was to combine an equal amount of Red, Green and Blue light to produce white. In many cases, the Blue LED could be seen over the Red and Green, thus making the source unusable for most white light applications.

Since that time, LED white light technology has rapidly improved and now the technology is considered a stable source. Among the first applications for LED lighting included cove lighting, under cabinet and task lighting.  Typically these applications were reserved for fluorescent or xenon light sources, but by using LEDs, users started to see the many benefits such as much longer life expectancy, cooler operating temperatures and lower energy.

The development of LED lighting technology continues to improve, so much so that it can now be used in almost any application. Simply by banking a number of high intensity LED’s in a small area and incorporating the correct optics for an even light distribution, LEDs are now a viable option for site/street lighting.

Whether you are lighting city streets, parking lots or an entire campus, there is an LED fixture that can fulfill your needs. Typically the source for these applications is either 250-575 watt Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium fixtures.  However, these fixtures are not instant re-strike and usually only last around 15000-16000 hours. Whereas LED lamps are just the opposite. They are able to instantly re-strike and can last up to 70,000 hours. This translates to a large safety benefit in that the re-strike happens immediately leaving no one left in the dark.

Maintenance is another key benefit. Typically the Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium sources start to degrade over time, begin to flicker, burnout, and in some cases, explode. LEDs provide a reliable light source and require no maintenance.

These two factors alone should convince anyone that LEDs are the clear choice. Most manufacturers have scaled their street lighting product lines to accommodate any application.  From the lowest level of LED density with a quantity of 40 (3,480 lumens), to the highest level of LED density with quantity of 160 (18,062 lumens), there is a fixture for any application.

With the introduction of LED technology into this arena, numerous other energy-saving options are available. LEDs save around 75% of the energy used when compared to traditional light sources. Also most of the LED engines contained in the street lighting fixtures are intelligent and can be programmed. A great example of this would be if an office closes at 6pm and the majority of the employees leave around that time, the parking lot fixtures would have to be at full capacity to around 8pm.  However, after 8pm, there would still be a minimum requirement lighting level. The LED street lighting fixtures could be programmed to reduce light levels by 50% to 75% thus adding to the additional energy savings.

Besides the many benefits with LED site lighting, many States are offering tax incentives or rebates, making it even more attractive to make the switch.

For more information on LED site lighting, contact the LED lighting Experts at LED Source®.