Conduct A Lighting Assessment

Affordability

A lighting assessment does not need to be costly, but if you are going to take this step, it is a good idea to have a budget in place to start making the suggested upgrades. You can assemble a research and implementation team from your staff or hire professionals to conduct the assessment.

Cost savings

While a lighting assessment is just a first step, following through on upgrades can produce dramatic savings. Shoppers Drug Mart's lighting upgrade initiative in 24 stores – carried out in 2007 – is saving nearly 1.5 gW hours of electricity a year, which is more than $72,850 annually. Read more success stories.

Environmental considerations

When assessing your lighting system, evaluate the items you already have and incorporate them where possible to avoid unnecessary resource use and waste generation. Make a plan for recycling obsolete equipment. Consider the lifecycle impacts of each new product before you make purchases. Keeping equipment clean and in good running order will increase energy efficiency and equipment life.

What you need to know

• Conduct a simple and free lighting self-assessment. Walk around the workplace both during and after business hours to look for inefficiencies. Ask yourself: What lights are on? Which are the ones that can be turned off? Do outdoor lights turn on too early? How bright are workstations? Are areas with adequate daylight artificially lit during the day? Read about one company's walk-through learnings.
• Conduct random surveys. Observe your building at night to see where lights have been inadvertently left on. Question custodial and security personnel about night lighting patterns.
• Conduct regular equipment cleaning and maintenance. This will increase the efficiency and the life of your equipment.
• Evaluate employee behaviours as well as lighting equipment. Determine if staff turn off unnecessary lights, if they use blinds, where people gather and how they work, so you can assess the lighting needs for specific tasks and locations, as well as encourage energy efficient behaviour.
• Ask for employee feedback on what is working and what isn't. An improvement in worker productivity can help balance the expense of lighting upgrades.

Taking it further

• An energy audit will quantify financial, energy and greenhouse gas savings from lighting upgrades. Auditors can also point out provincial and federal incentives available for some of the upgrades you require. See our Resources section for access to more information, and conduct your own "Initial Energy Audit". You may qualify for BC Hydro's Energy Management Assessment program, to learn how to improve your approach to managing energy.
• You can buy lighting loggers that connect to your lighting breaker panels and count lighting hours, as well as time-of-use or duration, and may even correlate duration with sensed occupancy. Compare the data with work and cleaning schedules to determine ways to save.
• If you need a complete lighting retrofit, you can contract the services of a lighting professional who offers assessment and design services. Note that they are not always fully knowledgeable about energy efficiency. Contact a member of the BC Hydro Power Smart Alliance for the best support on finding energy efficiencies when you retrofit.
• If you are a contractor, find out if you qualify to join the Power Smart Alliance. The Power Smart Alliance is a network of independent contractors and engineers that help businesses select, install and maintain their energy related systems: from commercial and industrial lighting, to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and controls.

FAQ

Will a professional lighting assessor try to sell me all kinds of equipment I do not need?
Government-certified energy auditors do not sell products and you are under no obligation to do the work they suggest. Lighting assessment contractors that work through lighting companies might have a sales agenda, but it is likely they will also offer good advice, particularly on specific lighting needs and aesthetics.