Sustainability continues to influence facility and maintenance managers’ decision-making. As more halogen and incandescent light bulbs are being banned from sale and removed from the market, what are the best options for keeping your lighting system up to date?

Before the time comes to replace those halogen and incandescent bulbs, you need to have a plan – and a budget – in place.

LED lighting

LED lights are rapidly becoming the new norm, offering longer life spans, better efficiency (up to 80 per cent more than fluorescents), and higher performance than their predecessors. Swapping out your old lighting system with LEDs can be simple with retrofit kits that allow you to make an easy switch.

Planning ahead

Getting ahead of the game will make a retrofit more seamless and easier on your budget. Start by assessing your needs by looking at how many replacements are needed. Decide whether there is a control system in place and whether you’d like to add one. Decide whether this will simply be a replacement job or an upgrade to better address the needs of your building.

Getting smart

Here’s where you might want to add a tech component to your lighting system to allow you better operational control, performance data, and more options like dimming, colour temperature, motion sensors, and more. Adopting smart technology can be a way to increase performance, reduce costs over the long term, and head towards your sustainability goals.

As part of your project, you may also want to optimize natural lighting in your building with skylights or larger windows to let the light in.

You may also want to consider adding automation with tools like smart glass, which is a dynamic glass that automatically adjusts the tint level, adjusting to augment the natural light in your building as it’s needed. Studies show that installing smart glass could result in a 20 to 30 per cent savings on your heating and cooling bill, as well as letting in more light when it’s available.

RELATED: Get smarter with your lighting

As technology and tools evolve, so, too, must your lighting. Get ahead of the game with a plan to replace your old lighting for an easier transition and less stress on your budget.

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