How much does it cost to change a light

bulb?
Howard Matthews MD of LEClight Ltd.
Or how to calculate the maintenance savings from low energy LED
lighting.


Lighting costs in offices can vary from 20% to 45% of the total energy costs of the
company, depending on the depth of the building, height of the ceiling and age of
the existing lighting. Lighting is the biggest single energy cost in offices, larger than
heating, cooling and IT energy costs. Significant energy savings and maintenance
savings can be achieved by switching to low energy LED lighting.

The decision to change your companys office lighting will depend on whether you
own or rent your office space. Owners of office space can change their lighting to
save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. The situation is more complicated
for companies that rent their office space. It will depend on whether they rent their
offices complete with the lighting or whether they fitted out an empty shell at the
start of the lease. It will also depend on the length of the lease and whether the
energy costs are part of the rent of paid by the lessee.

Assuming your company is in a position to change the lighting, there are significant
savings that can be made by switching to LED lighting.




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36.64
Savings in
energy and
maintenance
per light fitting
So how much does it cost to change a light bulb?
This is the important question because most good LED lighting is maintenance free.
There are no tubes to change or dispose of, and the lighting will last for 16+ years
in an office environment. Savings in maintenance costs are part of the benefits of
installing LED lighting. They can be used to offset the initial cost and installation of
the new lights, when calculating the ROI or payback period for the new lights.

Most companies have no idea how much they spend on lighting maintenance. It is
often rolled up in other ongoing maintenance or done on an ad-hoc basis. This is
why it is common to see single or multiple fluorescent tubes not working, flickering
lights, different colour tubes and tubes with brown ends. This results in the poor
levels of lighting found in most offices.

To calculate these costs we offer an example using a small insurance office with 50
4-tube fluorescent fittings in the suspended ceiling.

In this example the company likes to maintain the light levels as a matter of good
practice and contracts out the lighting maintenance on a regular basis. Every 18
months a local electrical contractor comes and changes all the tubes. The work is
done outside normal office hours to minimise disruption in the office. The
contractors costs includes travel to the office, parking, unloading of tubes, ladders
and dust sheets. They may also need to move office equipment before they can set
up their ladders. They remove the aluminium louvers and the old tubes, and replace
any control gear or starters as required. The light fitting will require dusting
because fluorescent tubes collect dust. The new tubes are re-fitted and the louvers
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are replaced, along with any moved office furniture. Cost per Light fitting
approximately 7 plus the cost of new tubes and disposal of the old tubes (4 x 18
fluorescent tubes cost 2.68 each and disposal cost of 1.64 each). Total 24.28
per light fitting. With 3 changes every 5 years this is an average maintenance cost
of 14.56 per light fitting per year.

Energy savings
To calculate the total cost of changing to low energy LED light we also need to
calculate the energy savings. LED lights generally save 66% of the energy used by
fluorescents. This is a saving of 60 watts per hour of energy per light fitting. To
calculate the yearly savings you need to multiply this by the number of hours the
lights are switched on and the cost of the energy in pence per kWh. Look at your
energy bill for the cost in pence per kWh for your energy, ignore the standing
charge. Generally offices have the lights switched on for 3200 hours per year for
normal office use, including the cleaners time. The energy saving is a 60w x 3200
hours = 192,000 wh or 192 kWh per light fitting per year. If your energy costs are
11.5p per kWh this is a cost saving of 22.08 per light per year.

The energy and maintenance savings total 36.64 per light fitting per year. Multiply
36.64 by the number of light fittings in your office to work out how much you will
save. In our example of 50 light fittings this will produce annual saving of
1,884.00 per year.

Against these saving you need to offset the cost of the new LED lighting and the
cost of fitting. Generally a good LED light fitting has a snap-fit cable system, that is
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very quick and easy to install, the payback period will be within 18-24 months.
Changing to LED lighting reduces your outgoings year after year.

It is also worth noting that changing to LED lighting will also reduce your carbon
footprint. To calculate this, multiply the total energy used in kWh by 0.445 (Defra/
DECCs GHG conversion, published June 2013) to convert into kilograms of CO2. In
our example above 192kWh = 85.44 Kgs of CO2 per light fitting per year. Over the
lifetime of the LED light each fitting saves 1.36 tonnes of CO2.

Now we have convinced you to save money and reduce your carbon foot print, by
changing your office lighting, look for a British Lighting Manufacturer. Please see.
WWW.LEClight.co.uk



LED buying guide
Things to watch out for when buying LED ceiling lights.

Light output
Light output is measured in Lumens (lm). Check the figures quoted are for the
actual lumens that come out of the light, not just out of the LEDs. Ask what the
light output from the LEDs and the output from the whole light. In flat panel lights
the LEDs lose up to 40% of the brightness before it comes out of the light. Output
needs to be 2800 (lm) lumens to match new fluorescent tubes. LEClight is 2866 lm

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Power consumption.
To get 2800 lumens out of a flat panel lights the LEDs must produce 4800 lumens
and the lights will consume 45 watts of power. Flat panel lights quoting a low power
level, 36w or 32w will not be as bright as the fluorescent fittings they are replacing.
LEClight works differently that a flat panel light and uses only 32w with a light
output of 2866 lm.
Guarantee
Most manufacturers offer a 5 year guarantee. Check to see its a UK guarantee or
backed by a good UK company. A Chinese 5 year guarantee is going to be difficult
and expensive to pursue if something goes wrong. Also check to see if the top of
the light has labels identifying the supplier including a date stamp of when the light
is manufactured. LEClight is a UK company and offers a 5 year guarantee. The top
of the light has a model number, web address and QR code as a date stamp.
Maintenance free
Most LED flat panel lights claim to be maintenance free, but they have no anti-static
properties. This means they collect dust fairly quickly and need to be cleaned at
least twice a year. This is not really maintenance free! LEClight has an anti-static
agent in the reflector that prevents dust collecting.
WEEE
This is a Government incentive to re-cycle all electronic components and prevent
them from ending up in land-fill. Goods should be marked with the WEEE symbol to
show they comply with this scheme and the manufacturers have paid for this to be
done. Check the manufacturers WEEE number. LEClights WEEE number is WEE/
EG4166Q.
ECA
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Enhanced Capital Allowances are also a Government scheme to encourage
companies to install low carbon products. This helps the country comply with the EU
directive on carbon reduction. Companies installing low energy products such as
LEClights can offset the cost of the lights, delivery and installation against profit,
saving 20%. The LEClight is fully compliant with the ECA requirements. Check to
see if any LED lights you are buying, comply with the White light emitting diode
lighting units or see web site: https://etl.decc.gov.uk/etl/site/etl/browse-etl/lighting/white-led-units/
criteria.html?SUB_TECH_ID=43see


E N D

For a full list of the LEClight feature see www.LEClight.co.uk
Howard Matthews is the Managing Director of LEClight Ltd. LEClight are a UK manufacturer
of low energy office lighting, based in Hoylake on Merseyside.

Tel: 0151 632 6293
Email: sales@LEClight.co.uk

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