Budget, ROI, Codes, Advancements in Technology and More Must Be Considered Before Retrofitting an Existing Lighting System
WRITTEN BY | CHRISTINA KOCH T
he World Business Council for Sustain- able Development reports roughly 60 percent of U.S. office buildings were built after 1970, making them much more apt to contain energy-efficient technologies
than older multifamily and residential building stock. However, lighting technologies have ad- vanced so dramatically in recent years that it is very likely many existing commercial buildings contain lighting systems with outdated fixtures that are energy-intensive and provide lighting levels that are neither comfortable nor necessary. Because lighting can account for anywhere
from 20 to 50 percent of a building’s energy consumption, it long has been one of the first systems considered for a retrofit by building owners and facility managers. However, before