The energy savings and environmental benefits LED lighting provides are well understood, especially by businesses directly affected by government mandates to eradicate inefficient lighting. A retrofit solution allows for a direct replacement of conventional light sources—such as incandescent, halogen, CFL, and fluorescent—without changing the existing fixture. Essentially, LED retrofit lamps mimic the overall shape (dimensions) and socket type of existing lamps. A retrofit solution provides cost relief, as additional expenses are not incurred purchasing and installing new fixtures (not to mention incidental costs such as operational downtime).

While the energy-efficient lighting rebates offered by government-backed programs and the reduced upgrade costs associated with a retrofit solution are extremely beneficial to businesses, some are still wary of using LED retrofits.

The main concerns with LED retrofits center on performance, more specifically longevity and color rendering. Here are some concerns we’ve heard:

• The longevity of the lamp—a much touted benefit of LEDs—is only as good as the power supply. This is a very valid concern. LEDs require a special internal power supply to convert input voltage to the low DC voltage that LED chips operate under. As such, it is a required component in LED retrofit lamps. Many of the less reputable, cheaper LEDs on the market use cheap power supplies, which directly affects lamp performance and longevity. The LED chip may last 40,000 hours, but if the power supply lasts only 20,000 hours, the lamp will die prematurely. Ask your manufacturer about the power supply installed to alleviate any concerns. It should be a verified, high quality component and assembly. If it’s not, walk away. You’ll be disappointed.
• The continuing evolution of LED manufacturing techniques means that consistency in color rendering—with lamps from the same manufacturer—is difficult to achieve. This is also a very valid concern and requires knowledge of the manufacturer’s adherence to quality control. If the manufacturer takes no shortcuts and follows protocol, lamps between batches should operate and perform identically. Furthermore, during testing if a “bad” lamp is found, the manufacture should be able to determine the batch it came from and trace the problem to the origin. Ask your manufacturer about their quality control process to ensure the evolution of the technology doesn’t negatively affect consistency in color rendering.

Although many elements of LED optical, thermal, and electrical characteristics conflict with today’s lighting fixtures and systems and would more directly benefit from an infrastructure specifically designed for the unique properties of LEDs, there are many benefits to using LED retrofits:

• No costly infrastructure changes. Keep your existing fixtures and simply screw-in or twist-in your LED lamps.
• No downtime. Takes seconds to swap out existing lamps, keeping downtime at a minimum so you can keep your business up and running.
• Low maintenance. LED retrofits have a long rated average life and have no ballast or starter, which significantly reduces maintenance costs.
• Attractive payback and immediate return. The benefits of reduced energy use, maintenance, environmental impact, and carbon-footprint are felt immediately. Return on investment is achieved much quicker with retrofits than replacing your existing fixtures and lighting system.

source: ciiwa.com

The biggest benefit to using a LED retrofit solution is that it is the fastest way to reduce energy use and see a return on investment over the shortest period of time. This is a result of the combination between LED technology and a retrofit solution, given that there are no additional infrastructure changes.

While a LED retrofit solution does make financial (and even aesthetic) sense in the majority of applications, talk to your manufacturer or lighting representative about your specific use prior to purchase.