INDUSTRIAL LIGHTING: THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF GREEN MANUFACTURING

Let There Be Light: Advancing technology, rebate incentives, and sustainability imperatives argue strongly for complete industrial lighting retrofits.

While much of the “green” manufacturing phenomenon that began to sweep the nation a few years back is now proving to be unprofitable, there are components on the sustainability side of the equation that make perfect sense for manufacturers that are trying to squeeze more margin out of each operating dollar. One of those is industrial lighting, and a recent white paper titled “The Time Is Now” from Reginald D. Cook of Johnson Controls, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI) explains why you should revisit how your facilities are being lighted. See what you think.

THE TIME IS NOW
Millions of older metal halide lamps still burn in the nation’s factories and warehouses, wasting energy and delivering less than optimum workspace illumination. In two or three years they will squander enough money to have replaced them all with modern fixtures that use half the energy, cause half the greenhouse gas emissions, and deliver more and better light to enhance worker safety, productivity and quality.

For years, lighting retrofits have been known as the “low hanging fruit” for energy savings in industrial facilities. That is still true, yet ceilings hung with outdated fixtures remain. Standing in the way of upgrades are competing capital investment priorities, pure inertia, the physical challenge of replacing hundreds of fixtures in high ceilings amid busy and crowded production spaces, and perhaps confusion in the face of multiple lighting technology choices.

Meanwhile, the argument for lighting retrofits is better than ever. Rising electric rates mean upgrades pay back faster. Utility-sponsored rebates for high-efficiency lighting are generous and widespread and help enable simple payback on some projects in two years or less. Retrofits also strongly support corporate goals for sustainable business, carbon footprint reduction, and green building certification.

These conditions invite a holistic look at industrial lighting across all interior and exterior spaces. Beyond the large and obvious electricity savings from replacing inefficient lamps and fixtures, a comprehensive approach can include:

• Reconfiguration to optimize lighting for current workplace layouts.
• Illumination delivered to general industry or specific corporate standards.
• Smart controls in selected spaces that magnify savings by lighting only where and when needed.
• Targeted deployment of promising new technologies, such as LED lighting.
• Significant reduction in the types of lamps and ballasts kept in inventory.
• Complete management of utility and other incentive programs.
• Replacement conducted in accord with all safety requirements, including corporate guidelines and standards.
• Recycling and proper disposal of old fixtures.

MAKING THE CASE
The basic case for industrial lighting upgrades is straightforward. Lighting consumes almost 20 percent of the energy in built environments globally,¹ and 25 percent in commercial buildings.² A 2010 Pike Research report estimated that as of 2009, some 43.79 billion sq ft of commercial and industrial building space had not undergone lighting retrofits.³

Today’s high-output T8 and T5 fluorescent high-bay light fixtures with modern reflectors use 40 to 50 percent less energy than the metal halide fixtures used in many industrial facilities, while delivering the same or more foot-candles with better color rendering. They also maintain up to 90 percent of their lumen output with age versus as low as 35 percent for metal halides, and they last up to 36,000 hours – equivalent to more than four years of continuous duty – versus 20,000 hours for metal halides.

Meanwhile, according to a study by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, about 500 million inefficient T12 fluorescent lamps are still in use, driven by 300 million magnetic ballasts, wasting 30 to 40 percent in energy. As of July 1, 2010, a Department of Energy mandate eliminated the manufacture of T12 magnetic ballasts for commercial and industrial use, and many T12 lamps will no longer be manufactured as of July 2012.⁴

As a rule of thumb, today’s fluorescent high-bay lighting saves $16,000 per year per 100 fixtures compared with 400 W high-pressure sodium lamps (assuming continuous duty and electricity cost at 8 cents per kWh). In addition, a complete upgrade with warranties, around three years for lamps and five years for ballasts, means essentially zero maintenance costs in the early years. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are also strong inducements for lighting upgrades. In the 2011 Energy Efficiency Indicator survey by the Johnson Controls Institute for Building Efficiency:

• 39 percent of building executive respondents said improving energy efficiency in buildings was their most important strategy for shrinking their carbon footprint.
• 76 percent of building executives said their organizations had either publicly stated or internal goals for energy or carbon reduction, and 36 percent had goals for both.

Lighting efficiency also plays a role in attaining higher scores in the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR^® rating system for buildings, and in earning points toward green building certification through the U.S. Green Building Council LEED^® rating system.

TACKLING THE PROJECT
A comprehensive lighting project starts with a simple analysis of existing technologies to determine whether a retrofit would be beneficial. If so, the next step is investment-grade audit of lighting conditions that quantifies potential savings, estimates return on investment, measures illumination levels, and suggests technologies, configurations and control schemes that would optimize lighting coverage and quality.

It can cover high-bay plant and warehouse fixtures only or include production area task lighting, office spaces, parking lot and garage lighting, and general exterior lighting. In high-bay areas, sites can receive no-cost test installations that let managers observe the improvements in illumination they can expect facility-wide.

The project may not replace fixtures one for one. Where existing lighting no longer fits the production floor layout, fixtures can be repositioned directly over work cells, allowing light to “spill over” into aisles where less light is needed. Above work spaces that are not likely to be moved for long periods, ceiling fixture suspension heights can be lowered so that hooded fluorescent task lighting can be removed, adding to energy savings and shortening payback.

Meanwhile, savings on office lighting can be significant, even where fixtures have been upgraded as recently as half a dozen years ago. Early generation T8 fixtures with electronic ballasts can be retrofitted with high efficiency electronic ballasts and lower wattage lamps that in combination consume 25 to 30 percent less energy.

SMARTER LIGHTING
In warehousing and distribution facilities where large spaces may be unoccupied for much of the day, control technology can enhance energy savings, cutting lamp operating hours by 30 to 50 percent and extending relamp intervals. Infrared or ultrasonic occupancy sensors are positioned on walls or racking, or on the light fixtures themselves, to trigger the lights only when a lift truck enters and traverses an aisle. Instant-on T8 or T5 fluorescent fixtures thus deliver light only when workers need it.