Where are the savings in LED light replacements?

Let’s consider this scenario...
(recently provided by Paul Maunders on his blog http://www.pyrosoft.co.uk/blog/ )

An office currently runs standard fluorescent strip lights (1500mm T8 tubes) throughout, with over 60 bulbs across 3 floors. The owners are considering upgrading all the lights to LED bulbs, in order to save power and to make them compatible with an office automation system (to turn them on and off automatically).

So, how much energy could they save?

Well a standard fluorescent bulb consumes about 58W, whereas the new Neo-Neon T8 LED light tube bulbs consume around 20W. Therefore over the course of a year we would anticipate the energy savings to be as follows:

Thus the saving is about £10 per year per bulb.

Quotes for 60 bulbs can vary from £25 to £60 per bulb, but for the sake of this study let's consider Components Bureau successfully quoted at the lower end, £25.

Neo-Neon T8 light tubes offer a lifetime of about 50,000 hours of constant usage, which should mean they last nearly 20 years at the rate forecasted.

Standard bulbs last about 5,000 hours (2 years at the same rate) and cost around £2 each.

The calculations...

60 bulbs @ £2 = £120 x 10 (to last 20 years) = £1200
Electricity to run 60 fluorescent bulbs for 1 year = £900 x 20 years = £18000
Total = £19200

60 Neo-Neon light tubs @ £25 = £1500
Electricity to run 60 LED bulbs for 1 year = £310 x 20 years = £6200
Total = £7700

A customer could therefore save nearly £600 a year over this period once the replacement has been made, or £6000 after just 10 years. You can see that although the initial outlay is more expensive the company could reap enormous monetary savings. Not to mention the excellent work they will be doing for the environment!

Anything else?

Of course there are other factors to consider when replacing your existing fluorescent lighting.

• Cost of installation / replacing bulbs - Designed for retrofitting into existing T8 Fluorescent fittings, the Neo-Neon T8 LED Tube range does enable operators to simply change the tube of their existing fitting. For wire wound ballasts, you would simply remove the starter whereas some electronic ballasts will require some simple wiring modifications to the fitting. Therefore, LED light tubes are slightly more difficult to initially install, but they can last 10 times as long and therefore would need less labour to replace.
• Reduced running costs elsewhere - The reduced heat output from the operation of the new LED lights might require less air conditioning in summer months saving more operational costs
• Lamp disposal costs - The mercury from 1 single Fluorescent Tube is said to be enough to pollute 30,000 Litres of water beyond the safe drinking level in the UK. The Environment Agency has therefore determined that Fluorescent Tubes are now classified as Hazardous Waste in England and Wales, as and therefore should preferably be recycled. You electrician can dispose of these bulbs but would probably charge you a nominal amount for doing so. Average fees are aroung 50p per tube plus collection fees. LED lights by comparison contain no mercury and therefore don’t fall under the WEEE directive for disposal.
• Colour quality - You should consider the purpose of your lighting and choose colour accordingly. Cool White, Warm White and Pure White LEDs are all available for these light tubes offering a variety of atmospheres. Cool White mimics a clean halogen-like glow whereas Warm White is considered more like an incandescent bulb.
• Health and Safety of your staff - LED bulbs do not emit UV and IR radiation which can be harmful, and due to the fact that they do not flicker or fade you could avoid migraines, eye strain or even seizures as caused by CFL's.

For T8 LED Light Tube specifications Click Here

If you would like any more information on the complete LED replacement bulb range available from our partner Neo-Neon, please contact the Sales Team on 01480 412233 or email sales@componentsbureau.com