COST SAVINGS OF LED'S OVER TRADITIONAL LIGHT BULBS (INCANDESCENT, QUARTZ, AND EVEN FLUORESCENT LAMPS

Are you considering the replacement of your traditional light bulbs (lamps) with an LED replacement lamp? If so, there are several things that you want to consider about the replacement LED lamps. One of the most important things to understand is how much money you will save if you switch to an LED lamp versus remaining with a traditional quartz incandescent lamp, especially over a life-time of use.

This article is designed to address the cost savings of commercial LED lamps for churches, schools, theatres, business, and/or government facilities. Although the same principles apply for both commercial and residential applications, the cost savings for a residential application are not as great.

If you have any questions about this article and/or would like direct assistance, please contact Knight Sound & Lighting Inc. at 866-457-5937, e-mail at info@goknight.com, and/or through our website at www.goknight.com.

TRADITIONAL 500 WATT QUARTZ INCANDESCENT LAMP INFORMATION

In our example, we are going to discuss a standard 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp that is commonly used in auditoriums, churches, meeting rooms, and banquet facilities. The 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp is typically throwing about 20-30 feet and is lighting a large area. The 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp is typically on a forward phase dimmer (professional/commercial dimming) and uses line voltage dimming (0-120vac) to go from 0 to 100 percent with even dimming.

The traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamps work very well, but waste a lot of energy with only about 10 percent of the energy actually being used to create light. Instead, approximately 90 percent is being wasted in the form of heat.

That being said, users love the 500 watt incandescent lamp, because it dims smoothly and provides a warm, amber colored glow of 2700K Color Temperature.

SOLUTION – CANTO 500 WATT EQUIVALENT RETRO – CLASSIC OR PASSIVE MODEL

We have a great solution for replacing the 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp, which is the Canto Retro 500 watt equivalent LED lamp retrofit. The Canto Retro 500 also comes in a 150, 300, 500, 700, and even 1000 watt equivalent LED lamp retrofit. The difference between the classic and passive models is a small muffin fan on the classic and no fan on the passive unit. The passive unit is more expensive.

The Canto Retro LED lamp is capable of being installed inside of existing “house” lighting fixtures (commercial lighting fixtures). In addition, the Canto Retro LED Lamp will fit into a variety of sockets (E26, E36 [mogul], E11 [mini-candelabra], and a variety of others). The Canto Retro LED Lamp can be selected with a color temperature from 2700K to 6500K for the ultimate in color selection (fixed color; can’t be adjusted in the field). The BIG ITEM is that the Canto Retro LED Lamp will dim, without fail (99.9%) on your existing dimming and control system (as long as they are in working order). The Canto Retro LED Lamp will work on both forward and reverse phase dimmers for ultimate capability and control.

The Canto Retro Classic 500 watt equivalent is available on our website at the following link: Canto Retro Classic 500

You may be asking yourself, if the Canto Retro LED lamp can do all of these things, what is the problem? The problem for some people is the cost of the Canto Retro LED lamp. Depending upon the wattage equivalent you purchase, the cost can be significant, but the savings are huge!!

COST SAVINGS OF THE LED OVER THE TRADITIONAL 500 WATT QUARTZ INCANDESCENT LAMP

1) ENERGY SAVINGS: The traditional 500 watt quartz lamp is using 500 watts of energy, while the Canto Retro Classic 500 is using just forty nine (49) watts of power. That is a savings of ninety (90) percent on your energy bill. This is the most recognized cost savings by end users of LED lamps. In the chart below you are looking at the cost savings of just one (1) lamp comparing a 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp versus a 49 watt LED lamp. As you can see, there is a LOT of energy savings and this is based upon the lamp working for four (4) hours a day, five (5) days a week or twenty (20) hours per week. This is equivalent to an energy savings of $703.56 over a ten (10) year period of time (just one lamp swap).

2) REPLACEMENT COST OF LAMPS: The traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp is designed to last around 2,000 hours, before needing to be replaced. The Canto Retro Classic is designed to last around 50,000 hours, before its light output will drop by thirty (30) percent. This means that you will need to replace the traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp up to 25 times, before replacing the LED lamp once. Depending upon the make and model of the traditional 500 watt incandescent lamp, it will cost between $5 and $20 per lamp (this cost is only going to go higher). Let’s take the average of $10.00 per lamp over that same time period for a cost of $250.00 just to buy the lamps to keep up with one Canto Retro 500 LED Lamp.

3) MAINTENANCE COST TO REPLACE LAMP: The traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp is going to require “Maintenance” in the replacement of the lamps every time one burns out. This “maintenance” cost will involve the labor to go to the house lighting fixture and replace the lamp. This “maintenance” time will typically involve a staff member and/or volunteer. It may involve a ladder, lift, and/or scaffolding to reach the house lighting fixture to replace the lamp. Let’s assign a “best guess” cost figure of $25.00 per lamp change, which covers the labor, lift, scaffolding, and/or other costs per changing the lamp in our discussion. If we continue with the assumption that the traditional 500 watt quartz lamp will need replaced 25 times before the Canto Retro LED lamp needs replacing, this would calculate to $625 maintenance/labor savings..

4) AIR-CONDITIONING/HEATING SAVINGS: The traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp is wasting approximately 90 percent of its energy in heat production. This heat production in most commercial spaces has to be countered by using more air-conditioning. This obviously increases HVAC costs to cool the extra heat being produced by the traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp. The Canto Retro LED produces very little heat, so that, the air-conditioning system does not have to work as hard or run as often. If we say that it costs just $1.00 per week in HVAC costs to counter this heat, that would be $52.00 per year or $520.00 per ten years.

5) SUMMARY OF BASIC SAVINGS OF USING AN LED OVER A TRADITIONAL 500 WATT QUARTZ LAMP – THIS IS JUST ONE (1) LAMP!

A) ENERGY SAVINGS OVER TEN YEARS - $703.56

B) REPLACEMENT COST OF LAMPS OVER THE LIFE OF AN LED LAMP - $250.00

C) MAINTENANCE COST TO REPLACE LAMPS OVER THE LIFE OF AN LED LAMP - $625.00

D) AIR-CONDITIONING/HEATING SAVINGS OVER TEN YEARS - $520.00

E) ESTIMATED COST SAVINGS FOR JUST ONE LED REPLACEMENT UNIT VERSUS A TRADITIONAL LAMP OVER THE LIFE-TIME OF THE LED - $2,098.56

In addition to all of the savings mentioned above, your local energy company may offer additional rebates and incentives! When you put the replacement cost of the Canto Retro 500 Classic LED vs. a traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp into perspective, the cost savings are HUGE. Yes, the upfront cost of the Canto Retro 500 Classic is a lot bigger than a standard traditional 500 watt quartz incandescent lamp, but you MUST add in all of the savings factors -- not just the energy savings.

If you would like to receive a quote on the Canto Retro 500 LED or any of the other LED replacement options that Knight Sound & Lighting Inc. has available, please contact our office at 866-457-5937. Our technical and sales staff are able to provide assistance to you and your facility, so that, you receive the correct LED replacement for your application. Please check out our LED retrofit options at the Knight Sound & Lighting Inc. website: LED Replacement Options