While in the process of calculating the cost of converting an office in the Cape with tradtional downlights & fluorescents to LED light fittings; I realised how few people actually know how to calculate the savings they will achieve. If the savings are so obvious then why hasn't everyone converted to LED?
Simple; LED light fittings are expensive and in many cases electricians and companies distibuting light fittings don't know how to calculate the cost savings that can be achieved!
Typically most people calculate the savings you can achieve by converting a typical light fitting to a LED light fitting. This is measured in watts saved and YES even using this rather basic method you will save money. Typically you can recover your investment in anywhere between 1 year and 3 years. It is very difficult to pinpoint the payback period without doing a full assessment as this depends on your setup, the number of downlights versus ceiling fittings versus fluorescent light fittings. This is where most people stop calculating and they make a decision based on incomplete information. In some cases the payback is three years, which is to long for many people, and they decided not to go ahead. But this is not the full picture as there are even more cost savings to be achieved.
In many towns we suffer with fluctuating power. In my case for instance I have lots of power surges and as a result I am continueosly changing incandescent light bulbs becuase the filament keeps blowing. So on average I change my bulbs every 4 months. In comparison where I have fitted LED bulbs they last anywhere between 5 and 8 years. This is a real cost and if you include this in your costing over say 3 years, you will see significant cost savings. The point being you need to include the cost of replacing bulbs in your calculation.
But, there are still more costs savings!
Traditional light fittings have transformers in that blow. This results in light fittings burning out and problems on the DB Board. The solution, call an electrician. Simple but expensive. With a large office take the cost of these call outs and repairs and multiple by the number of incidents over a 3 year period. The point being you need to include the cost of maintenance and repairs in your calculation.
In summary by extending your calculation to take into account the factors highlighted above, the cost savings and argument for converting becomes very real. To make life easier Dial a Contractor and TopElectrician® will do a free analysis for your businesses. So what have you got to lose?
To get a free assessment send an email to ops@dialacontractor.co.za or contact us on Western Cape - 021 300 1098, Durban - 031 100 1164, Johannesburg - 011 568 0712 or Pretoria - 012 004 0239.
