As part of the continuous upgrades in our electronics contract manufacturing facility near Rochester, NY, we recently replaced the overhead lighting in the manufacturing area.
We replaced 40 of these 400-watt fixtures with smaller, brighter, more energy-efficient LED fixtures.
At 150 watts each, the LED lights consume about 60% less power and are about 50% brighter. Each should have a 20-year life span and maintain 90% of its brightness over that entire time. We won’t miss having to get up there and change a light bulb every two weeks.
In addition to saving money and conserving energy, we’re driven by lighting quality. We resisted the push to move from these metal halide bulbs to fluorescents years ago for that reason. They just did not offer the same high quality of light. But LEDs have now reached an excellent price and performance point. The bright lights have a broad color spectrum that helps create a pleasant, safe and efficient work environment.
Each fixture has a programmable dimmer controlled by a microwave motion sensor to automatically reduce power when the lights are not needed, and return to full brightness when someone enters the area.
We took advantage of a NYSEG lighting incentive rebate to reduce our total cost to less than $7,000 for the new fixtures and labor. We expect a two- to three-year payback based on energy savings alone.
This is another step in our ongoing LED conversion. We did the parking lot several years ago, and last year we started updating the work benches with lights of our own design. We’ll do the front offices next.
Contact us if you would like to talk about our experiences with the LED lighting or any other aspects of constant improvement in contract manufacturing in the USA.
