Description:

Lighting is often an area targeted for improvement in existing office buildings. Lighting upgrades can come in many forms, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), high-efficiency fluorescents, or downsizing from T-12 fluorescent bulbs to T-8 or T-5 bulbs. Lighting accounts for 30-40% of commercial building energy consumption, and these technologies can reduce lighting energy usage from 35% (T-8 high efficiency fluorescent) to 75% (LED).

Special Considerations

• When replacing fluorescent tubes with higher-efficiency, longer-life LEDs, consider replacing the entire fixture to avoid incompatibilities between the bulb and the ballast which could degrade performance, shorten bulb life, or create a safety hazard.  Alternatively, use an LED tube with an integrated driver.
• Consider bundling this upgrade with occupancy and/or daylight sensors for additional savings.

Estimates for this measure come from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency in Separate Tenant Spaces Feasibility Study.

See DOE’s Better Buildings Decarbonization Resource Hub for more information on energy efficient lighting technologies that can help to cost-effectively decarbonize buildings.