Though still in its infancy, the LED lighting industry has grown immensely over the years in terms of consumer access, products and technology advancements and expanded color palettes. Worship centers across the country have begun to incorporate LEDs in their new building designs for their low-maintenance and eco-friendly advantages. Others are updating or "retrofitting" - as it's called in the industry - their lighting to take advantage of these benefits. But before moving forward with any type of lighting makeover, it's important for facility managers to do their due diligence to determine the right products for the job.
LEDs, which stand for light-emitting diodes, are the most energy-efficient lighting solution currently on the market. They consume 85 percent less energy than incandescent lighting and 50 percent less energy than fluores- cent lighting. They also emit fewer greenhouse gases, contain no harmful Mercury, all components are almost 100 percent recyclable and are safer to use because they produce less heat, which means lower cooling cost and a decreased chance of fires. On average, LED fixtures last up to 50,000 hours, which means that a typical application could see 15-20 years or more before needing replacement. Considering that many worship centers have high ceilings and changing a light bulb often requires hiring crews with special equipment, a lamp with a longer life will shrink these unnecessary expens- es. The lack of heat produced by LED lamps is also significant as it considerably reduces the HVAC costs in a House of Worship.
Another benefit of LED lighting for the worship community is the added control of lighting on stage and to highlight architectural features and religious artifacts. Prior to LED lighting technology, maintenance personnel would have to change countless amounts of colored gel filters to get the desired effect – this could take hours, even days to complete. Now, vibrant holiday colors and custom programmed scenes can be triggered at the push of a button. The addition of white and amber LEDs exponentially expand the color palette to create soft pastels and variable shades of white for rendering skin tones. A high- quality white LED product will also carry a high CRI count (Color Rendering Index), which is extremely important in theatrical, or performance based services.
LEDs can now offer a smooth, flicker-free dimming curve - even at low levels - that emulates dimming of a tungsten lamp. Smooth dimming is often a requirement of houses of worship and historically LEDs have performed poorly at low levels, either by flickering or producing a “stepped” dimming curve.
While the products have come a long way, it’s extremely important to work with an expert when transitioning to LEDs because of the learning curve involved in selecting the right fixtures for the application and inte- grating them into the current system. With new LED products, worship centers can replace their conven- tional fixtures with LED fixtures that consume less than 200w, therefore saving energy, manpower and costs. LED fixtures eliminate or significantly reduce all costs related to replacement lamps, dimmers, scrollers and gel filters, cabling, electricity, HVAC, maintenance and labor.
Although LEDs require a higher initial investment, often times the break-even point will be realized within 12-24 months. Furthermore, facility managers could potentially see a ROI of 10 times the original cost of the installation. To see the greatest return on investment, it is critical to hire the right team. Seek professionals who have a proven track record of success and a vast selection of excellent quality prod- ucts from various vendors. It’s also a good idea to ask for a detailed energy audit before the project begins so you know exactly what is being putting out in terms of lighting. The process can range from a simple count of existing lamps to a very detailed energy survey, which includes collecting information from your existing lighting, such as quantity, wattage, hours of opera- tion, energy costs, color, application, ceiling heights and spacing. The best way to justify the cost and savings and truly understand how the transition to LEDs will impact your budget is to do a detailed energy audit of existing conditions and compare them to the energy savings and maintenance costs found on the post-LED retrofit report.
Many operators forget or are not told when putting these plans together that additional savings can be found through federal tax incentives and local utility rebates – some that cover anywhere from 30 to 100 percent of the project. In Canada, for example, utility companies will pay a rebate between $10-$40 per lamp to help offset the cost of an LED retrofit project.
Although the growth in the LED lighting industry brings awareness and innovation, it also brings a flood of low-quality imitation products that often fail within the first couple months and do not carry a reliable warranty. The professional grade products will cost more up front, but will carry a manufacturer warranty against defects or failure and can handle the high number of power cycles that will diminish the lifespan of lower-end LED or conventional products. Higher quality LED products will also perform better with less flickering on camera for programs or events that are telecasted or if a worship center uses IMAG.
This is an exciting time for LEDs and lighting possibilities in the worship space will continue to expand as technology and product innovation advances, but before jumping into anything it’s important that facility managers do the proper research, understand the upfront costs for high-quality products and a professional installation team and know what they want out of the purchase and install.
Dorel Baila is an LED lighting con- sultant in the Entertainment Division of LED Source®. Jerry Mitchell is the Coemar Sales Manager in the Entertainment Division of LED Source®.
