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A further measure to reduce energy consumption would be to de-lamp the T8 option from four to three lamps per fixture. This would produce approximately 44maintained foot candles, and decrease energy costs by an additional 10 percent. There would also be additional material and labor savings due to the fewer number of lamps.

Green Lights is an exciting and innovative program sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that encourages major US corporations and other organizations to install energy-efficient lighting technologies.

Lights will profit by lowering their electricity bills, improving lighting quality, and increasing worker productivity. They will also reduce the air pollution caused by electricity generation.

Lighting Maintenance is one of a series of documents known collectively as the Lighting Upgrade Manual. All lighting systems experience deterioration of performance during operation and therefore require ongoing maintenance conducted either by properly trained in-house staff or an outsourced lighting management company. As the useful light distributed by the lighting system decreases, wattage remains the same, resulting in waste.

In many buildings, lighting systems are maintained in a reactive rather than a proactive manner. As lamps fail, a service request is registered and the maintenance department can schedule the replacement with its other priorities. Defective components such as failed ballasts and broken lamp holders are only replaced when they cause the fixture to malfunction. And fixtures are rarely cleaned, although dirt and dust buildup is absorbing useful light rather than distributing it.

Considering the waste in labor and energy costs involved, it’s generally advisable to consider a planned lighting maintenance program during the planning of the lighting system.

Planned lighting maintenance is the practice of organizing labor and resources to ensure consistent recommended light levels and the most economical use of the lighting system. It tunes the lighting system and optimizes performance.

It is possible to evaluate existing and future light loss. The mortality, lumen depreciation, and dirt depreciation curves are used to determine the maintained illumination, which is the average illumination expected over time. An overall light loss factor is applied to initial illumination value to obtain the maintained illumination value. The formula for light loss factor (LLF) follows.

These are three of the recoverable components of light loss that a good maintenance program can minimize. The equation for maintained luminance on horizontal surfaces shows the significant impact these factors have on light levels (see Exhibit 7). These factors are multiplied, typically resulting in lumen output reductions of over 40% in poorly maintained systems.

Although room surface dirt depreciation (RSDD) is a recoverable factor, it is often ignored in lighting calculations and maintenance programs. Since most offices today are smoke-free, the RSDD is minimal relative to the other light loss factors.

Budgeting is the most difficult part of planning a maintenance program. Spot maintenance of a lighting system can be sporadic on a daily basis, but the annual cost will be constant after the first few years. Strategic maintenance, on the other hand, is easier to manage on a daily basis and may cost less overall, but the cost fluctuates each year.

Suppose you want to maintain the fluorescent lighting on a spot basis in a facility that operates 4,000 hours per year. This approach would require replacing about20% of the lamps every year. To maintain the same facility on a group basis would require minimal replacement for two years, and then 100% replacement every third year.

Because budgets are often established a year in advance, it is necessary to predict re-lamp timing and budget accordingly. As an alternative, lighting maintenance budgets can be leveled by completing an equal portion of the group maintenance each year. In the example above, for instance, completing a group re-lamp of 33% of the facility each year will level the annual cost.