Does your company perform lighting upgrades? If so, are they all pretty much the same project? For example, you take out the old luminaires, and install the new ones. Maybe you run new branch circuits, too.
What if:
- The new lighting casts shadows where the old lighting didn’t.
- The places that need more lumens don’t have them.
- The customer-specified daylight LEDs to replace the fluorescent lighting, but now the factory floor workers complain about it.
- Due to the luminaire layout, workers have added enough task lighting to offset the predicted energy savings.
- Those fancy-looking luminaires were not designed with maintenance in mind. Within a year, the lenses will have a layer of dust that cuts the light in half.
- Operator console screens now suffer from glare, causing decreased plant output and increased scrap rates.
No new lights?
Lighting deficiencies can often be solved without installing a new system, but don’t you want to sell work that brings in revenue? Of course you do. Putting your customer first might mean no money for an unnecessary project now, but the trust that builds can mean a long-term flow of revenue.
With a little thinking, you might make the existing luminaires provide the desired lighting. For example, your low-cost solution could be:
- Angle the luminaire.
- Move the luminaire.
- Adjust the shade.
- Clean the lens.
Consider the case of a battery components factory. The plant’s electrical engineer was tasked with improving the low light levels in a room designated for a planned expansion. Previously, the dim light wasn’t a big deal; now it would be.
The existing lamps were 250W, so the plant electrical engineer figured 400W lamps would solve the problem. Due to the original branch circuit sizing, this would also require some rewiring. He contacted some contractors to submit bids.
The last contractor to visit the site didn’t submit a bid. During the walk-through, he said, “Based on layout, the 250W lamps should be plenty. But your shades are adjusted all the way down. Let’s try adjusting them up.” Then he asked for a ladder and adjusted two shades to show the difference. Two maintenance electricians adjusted the shades on the remaining luminaires. This solved the low light problem — essentially for free.
The next time this electrical engineer had a project, he called only this contractor. This contractor scored one project after another. Sometimes, they were simple fixes like cleaning lenses. Sometimes, they were major hardware upgrades, including, for the first time in this plant, daylight controls and occupancy sensors (suggested by this same, trusted contractor). This contractor also scored several power distribution projects, including one that put a four-man crew to work every day for weeks.
Instead of the “three-bid policy” many firms use, this customer had other ways of holding its project managers accountable for costs. The corporate office encouraged single-source relationships wherever practical, and this electrical contractor knew that going in. So, he was looking for a way to establish the trust on which to build that relationship, and he found it.
Even if the customer has a three-bid policy, remember that while price is a major factor, it’s not the only factor. A contractor known for solving problems typically has a significant advantage.
Asymmetrical layouts
An asymmetrical layout may be the best choice for a given area. With that in mind, consider what might happen if you change the existing symmetrical installation (Photo 1) into an asymmetrical one. Just relocating a few luminaires may be all the upgrade needed.
If you are considering asymmetrical, how do you know what works? First, understand that the standard grid pattern used in areas with large expanses of floor space (e.g., offices, warehouses) will light the area regardless of where the work is being done or where the most light is specifically needed. The assumption is that with enough ambient light, anybody can see just fine.
But if you have a situation like a climbing gym (Photo 2), the ambient light is not nearly enough without adding significantly more luminaires. Asymmetrical lighting is the solution. This also is true wherever detail work is being performed. Rather than force employees to move their desks, tables, or other work surfaces directly under a light (or add task lighting), position the existing luminaire over those surfaces, or make it easily reconfigurable.
Asymmetrical lighting layouts can reduce installation cost and power consumption — sometimes dramatically. In the climbing gym situation, it would’ve taken a huge increase in luminaires in the symmetrical grid to eliminate the visual problems on the climbing walls. That solution would over-illuminate other areas, wasting light and electricity. And it would mean a big layout for hardware and installation.
The problem was solved by moving some existing luminaires from the grid pattern so they surrounded, and were aimed at, the climbing walls. This asymmetrical arrangement combined with a “field-designed” aiming method put the light where it was needed.
Maybe you can add a few “out of place” luminaires to the existing grid pattern, rather than rearranging them. For example, a factory floor with a row of large presses at one end didn’t need to have more lights added everywhere or the existing luminaires upgraded to brighter ones. The shadows created by the machines were eliminated with a few strategically placed supplemental fixtures.
Asymmetrical hardware
It can simplify inventory if all your luminaires are the same size and type. It can also complicate the goal of getting adequate lighting. Simpler inventory or adequate lighting? Does the question really need to be asked?
In cases where the owner/tenant is unhappy with the lighting, it’s often not the general illumination level but the quality and amount of light in a specific area. The problem is thus seldom solved by upgrading the whole lighting system. It can be solved by replacing or supplementing existing lighting with light source(s) that do what the existing lighting isn’t doing.
Rather than fail with “one-lamp-fits-all” approach, look at the lighting needs of specific functional areas. Does the end-user in that area need different color rendition from those in other areas? Softer light? Brighter light? Determine what light source(s) can provide what that specific area needs.
How to do it
The customer may have preconceived ideas and/or a project spec already written. Don’t let that stop you from explaining that you may be able to save them money if you can do your own assessment of the lighting. Begin by asking what the problem is, why it’s a problem, and when it first surfaced. Then have them show you.
A lighting assessment typically involves using a light meter and recording the lumens. But does your customer know how many lumens are needed and where? Show the customer in your lighting standards reference (preferably the applicable ANSI standard) what the values should be.
Discuss how to best provide the light where it’s needed. Luminaires are typically installed in a grid pattern. It looks nice because it’s symmetrical, but it often wastes light in some areas just to get enough light in the critical places. Where you have obstacles, such as a tall machine or some piping that just happens to run in front of where that symmetrically located luminaire is installed, you get reduced light and/or undesirable shadows.
You can leverage an unnecessary lighting project into a series of projects that really help your customer. To do this, you must think about solving the actual problem rather than just replacing fixtures. Many times, the actual problem isn’t the one the customer is thinking of — nor is the solution.
Lamendola is an electrical consultant located in Merriam, Kan. He can be reached at [email protected].
SIDEBAR: A Power Distribution Solution
A lighting contractor was called to discuss upgrading the existing fluorescent lighting to “something brighter.” As he walked through the area, he observed the luminaires were of adequate wattage and spacing to provide the desired light level. There just wasn’t enough light coming out of each unit.
The contractor told the customer the existing luminaires were probably fine, but something else was wrong. Further investigation revealed the branch-circuit wiring needed replacement. The luminaires were wired with shared neutrals, all of which had charred insulation from overheating. The current-carrying conductors met National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements for ampacity, but were undersized for voltage drop.
So the project changed from upsizing the luminaires to upsizing the wiring to them. What was the result? Employees kept talking about how much nicer it was with the new, brighter lamps. They were actually the same lamps.