Every once in a while, businesses need to completely revamp their physical store appearances to remain relevant to newer generations of customers, keep up with the latest industry trends, and perform general store upkeep that integrates new technology. Commercial lighting retrofits in Toronto, also known as relighting, offer a lot of benefits that can improve the operational performance of your store in a number of ways. 

What Is a Commercial Lighting Retrofit? 

A commercial lighting retrofit is essentially any upgrade you make to your current lighting system to maximize its efficiency, performance, and cost-effectiveness. Most commercial lighting retrofits typically involve switching from a conventional halogen or incandescent lighting system to LED lights, which are more energy efficient and lower maintenance. LED lights also have a longer lifespan than traditional lighting systems, which also makes them the more practical choice. Since LEDs don’t heat up like halogen and incandescent lights, they can also consistently operate for much longer periods of time without posing a potential safety hazard to employees and customers. 

When executed correctly by professional Toronto lighting distributors, commercial lighting retrofits can actually enhance the functionality and profitability of your business by helping you achieve your long-term energy conserving goals. 

What Are the Benefits of a Commercial Lighting Retrofit in Canada?

As many commercial lighting solution providers in the GTA will tell you, there are a lot of excellent benefits to upgrading your existing lighting system as new technology becomes available. Think of it as a long-term investment in your business that’ll ultimately facilitate your growth and success. Here are just some of the many benefits of modernizing your existing commercial lighting system. 

Maximize Utility Rebates 

Sustainable lighting solutions offer a lot of great utility rebate options for your business. The more energy efficient your business operations are, the larger the rebates are likely to be and this can help offset some of your other operational costs as well. Rebates are reimbursements that you receive on a certain percentage of your retrofitting project costs to reduce the financial loss to your business.

Apply for utility rebates as soon as possible—ideally while your commercial lighting retrofitting project is still in the development phase—so that you’re guaranteed to get it approved in time. Early application also ensures that you can reap the maximum financial benefits of the rebate within the given timeframe. Do extensive research and make sure to get a full lighting audit from professional lighting solution providers in the GTA to get the most out of your rebate options. 

Reduce Energy Consumption 

The upfront costs associated with commercial lighting retrofitting may seem high at first, especially if certain infrastructural updates such as rewiring need to be made to accommodate your new setup. But it’s all worth it when you take into account the long-term energy and financial savings involved for your business.

LED lights have been proven to lower energy consumption ratings by large margins. Installing LEDs throughout your workplace has the potential to lower your lighting load by about 50% or more depending on the application, size, and layout of your business. Moreover, you can add additional control settings to limit the amount of light and energy consumption in your off-peak business hours. Motion-activated LED lights are a great energy saving alternative to having the lights on all the time during closing hours for businesses that are concerned with increasing or maintaining safety measures. 

Reduce Energy Costs

Modernizing your current lighting system can make your business eligible to take advantage of certain government green energy incentive programs that offer financial rewards for steps taken to reduce your energy consumption and carbon footprint. Moreover, lower energy consumption also equates to lower monthly utility costs for your business. There are certain steps you can take to further maximize these cost savings:

• Automate light settings
• Setup automatic after-hours shutoff
• Install motion-activated lights as a security measure at night
• Only turn lights on when necessary

Offer Increased Site Safety Measures 

Lighting audits are a standard component of any lighting installation or retrofitting project. That means assessing the current lighting system for structural and operational inefficiencies and working to find appropriate lighting solutions that improve upon the existing conditions. Identifying dark spots or poorly lit areas in your workplace that could pose potential safety concerns for your workers and customers is one of the key aspects of performing lighting audits. Retrofitting your workplace with bright energy-efficient LED lighting systems can increase visibility in poorly lit areas and increase safety standards. 

Improve Workplace Aesthetics 

In addition to increasing safety standards and reducing your energy costs, high-quality LED lighting solutions can also improve the professional aesthetic of your place of business. Warehouses, retail establishments, and office buildings all benefit from installing bright energy- and cost-efficient LED lights as they offer excellent visibility and highlight prominent architectural features of well-designed buildings. Moreover, the right lighting solutions have also been proven to enhance the appearance of prominent product displays and significantly increase their saleability by making them more enticing to customers.

Boost Employee Productivity 

Commercial lighting retrofits have the potential to boost employee productivity by giving you the opportunity to adjust your current lighting setup according to the specific needs of your business. Softening the lighting in an office setting reduces eyestrain for employees who work in front of a computer all day. Warehouses, on the other hand, benefit from brighter lighting solutions that illuminate particularly dark spots in their work areas. Increasing visibility in warehouses also enhances safety standards by eliminating the risk of injury and allows employees to work at a much faster rate. In retail settings, better lighting makes it easier for customers and employees to quickly locate certain products in the aisles.

Connect Modern Lighting Systems to Building Management Equipment 

Most modern lighting systems are fully compatible with existing building security and management systems. As a result, new commercial lighting solutions in Toronto can easily be retrofitted to comply with your existing surveillance and management equipment. Automated and manual applications can also be deployed depending on your system’s software settings. 

Hire Faraday Lighting for Commercial Lighting Retrofits in Toronto 

Faraday Lighting is a leading distributor of energy-efficient lighting solutions and products. We specialize in providing turn-key modern solutions that start with a thorough audit of your business’s current lighting system. Contact us today to learn more about our products and services or to get a quote.