Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012 - (Page 12)

Be LED, But Not Astray A quality control maven shines some light on LEDs. The C2D LowBay combines performance and energy-efficiency with a low-profile modern design. Its round and even light distribution provides uniform illumination. By Jennifer Thornfeldt s my husband, and consequently my kids, like to tease, “I change light bulbs for a living.” While this has some truth to it, my role in helping organizations save energy has a little more to it than that— especially lately. In 1996, when I began retrofitting lighting systems, we were all very excited about T8s, electronic ballasts and those crazy, new compact fluorescents. We’d even use occupancy sensors if there was a big enough budget! Fast forward (egad!) 16 years and we have a whole new frontier: LED. Light emitting diodes are changing the industry. Why does LED elevate my role from “light bulb changer” to lighting expert? I begin each day at 5 a.m. surfing the websites of the major manufacturers of LED. Almost daily there are new products, revisions to launched projects, new certifications for existing products and industry lighting A updates. Keeping up with technology has become a key part of my role as a specifier and quality control maven. Let me save you a ton of time and research. Below are four conclusions about this bright, new frontier: Don’t be LED-sold Don’t be LED-set It’s cool and it’s new, but it’s not always the best choice. If you’re working with a contractor or energy service company (ESCO), ask for LED as one of the options. Don’t let vendors show you ‘before and after’ photos as the only evidence. However, instead of LED you may be able to retrofit to high efficiency fluorescent systems and have a payback period that will be short enough to delay LED installation. Delaying the installation of LED will provide time for the technology to improve and the cost to go down. All the while you are enjoying the rebates, tax benefits, savings and visual quality of your T8 fluorescent retrofit. Due diligence is a must. There are so many LED products flooding the market, and many of them are poorly made and the available information on these products is misleading (to word it kindly). Make sure the product you are considering has been properly tested and certified and will be covered by utility incentives. For example, LM79 tests the performance of the LED to help enforce truth in advertising. If the LEDs you are being sold don’t have these test results, then kick them to the curb. The LSR RoadWay Light provides one-for-one replacement of existing HID roadway installations. The Lighting Science A19 is an example of a dimmable LED bulb. LM80 tests the life expectancy of the lamp. If an LM80 test has been done, the advertised L70 (how many hours before the lamp degrades to 70 percent of its initial output) can be considered reliable. If LM80 hasn’t been done, make sure the warranty is at least five years. If you are banking on the warranty (instead of LM80) you should check out the financial fortitude of the company. Even the most math phobic among us can calculate the value of a defunct business warranty. 12 August-September 2012 BMH www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com http://www.buildingmanagementhawaii.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012

Cover August/September 2012
Contents
A New Way to Ride
Going up?
Let There Be Light
Be LED, But Not Astray
LED Illumination
Plumbing Claims
Corrosion Clean Out
Security FAQ’s
Security Checklist
Raising The Bar for Security Guards
On Site: Empowering Employees
Ask An Expert: Shifting Soil
Association Updates
Movers & Shakers
Industry News
Resource Guide: Plumbing & Wastewater Maintenance

Building Management Hawaii - August/September 2012