Lighting That Impacts Your Pocketbook... or Balance Sheet

Whether you're a facility manager, business owner or maintenance supervisor, you know that lighting-related energy consumption is a significant piece of your electric bill. But did you know that in commercial buildings, it can account for 37% of your total energy demand?¹ In today's environment, energy savings is paramount to maintain profitability and ensure your facility is maximizing every dollar spent. Instead of thinking of lighting as a cost to your facility, you should be thinking about your cost of waiting. What does that mean, exactly? Cost of waiting is the money you're NOT saving every day you wait to retrofit your facility to a more energy-efficient, environmentally conscious lighting solution.

At GE, we're taking energy savings to the next level and using a variety of technologies to bring facility owners controllable, intelligent energy-saving solutions. Here are two lighting solutions you won't want to miss... and certainly not wait to implement.

1) GE UltraStart® T5 WattMiser® System - for commercial/retail and industrial applications.

GE's programmed-start UltraStart® WattMiser® T5 Systems are the next generation in T5 lighting technology.² These energy-saving lighting machines offer up to $54 per fixture in energy savings, with ultra-fast starting times for use with occupancy sensors and parallel lamp operation that can reduce your spot relamping costs by up to 50%! Think about $54 per fixture hanging from every fixture in your ceiling! And from an environmental standpoint, GE's T5 lamps and ballasts are TCLP- and RoHS-compliant, respectively.

High-Bay Applications

Upon initial installation, a 4-lamp T5 WattMiser system (combined with the ultra-efficient UltraStart T5 ballasts) delivers 20,000 lumens while consuming just 216 watts (93 lumens per watt) of energy. By comparison, a standard T5 system at initial installation providing the same 20,000 lumens consumes more energy and is less efficient at 234 watts (85 lumens per watt). The 18-watts-per-fixture difference adds up quickly in large facilities or chains consisting of hundreds or even thousands of fixtures. In fact, it equates to $54 per fixture over the life of the lamp (at $.10 per kWh).

"Our UltraStart WattMiser T5 System represents a huge leap in energy savings and performance. It's the kind of new product that will stand out in the minds of energy-conscious end-users, building owners and specifying consultants," says Jeff Plaskon, North America ballast product manager, GE Consumer & Industrial.

Other premium features include the system's 90C ballast case rating, which allows the system to operate in extreme heat at 55C ambient and still carry a 5-year warranty rating for qualified fixtures.

GE's UltraStart ballasts feature an antistriation control function that eliminates the maintenance issues caused by striating, often referred to as spiraling or swirling. Ultimately, this provides flicker- and worry-free performance.

From a safety perspective, all T5 WattMiser lamps used on UltraStart ballasts feature a UL Type CC rating, a stringent designation of protection against arcing in electrical devices.

GE's UltraStart WattMiser T5 Systems offer extremely low-wattage solutions with the convenience of parallel operation and fast start times - typical with standard T8 systems, but historically unattainable with T5 systems.

For Commercial/Property Management Applications

The energy savings extend into the commercial space with GE's UltraStart WattMiser T5 Systems for commercial troffer applications, including popular 2'-5' T5 lamps ranging from 14 watts to 35 watts. The UltraStart WattMiser T5 Systems are designed to lower total system wattage by 5% without affecting light output.

Another recent T5 launch that provides more light output than standard T8 systems without increasing your overall wattage consumption is the F28T5 High Lumen lamp on the UltraStart ballast. This lamp-and-ballast system provides greater light output without increasing lamp or system wattages. You may think T8 is an efficient system, but the new F28T5 High Lumen lamp (operating between 58 watts and 70 watts) can replace standard 3-lamp T8 fixtures operating at 84 watts while providing comparable light output.

Now for the best part: Once you understand what parallel lamp operation means for your maintenance costs, you'll never be without it again. With conventional ballasts, when one lamp fails the remaining lamps are forced to operate at a higher current. And you're left with 50% less light output on a 4-lamp system, something your tenants will not tolerate. GE's UltraStart WattMiser T5 System features programmed-start ballasts operating in parallel mode, a design attribute that keeps lamps working when other lamps fail by soft-starting the remaining lamps. This functionality can reduce the amount of spot relamping needed by as much as 50% and extend group relamping times more than 15%!

Learn more about the GE WattMiser T5 System for your industrial, retail or commercial space here. When you're ready, e-mail us at energysavingsolutions@ge.com.

2) GE UltraMax® Bi-Level Switching & Load Shed Dimming Ballasts

For Commercial/Property Management & Industrial Applications

Energy-efficient lamps and ballasts are the first step to maximizing your performance and minimizing your energy spend. But to take your energy savings and controllability to the next level, you need to incorporate one of the increasingly popular features below. You can do all of these with GE's UltraMax® T8 0V-10V Dimming & Bi-Level Switching Ballasts.

Most commercial and industrial applications don't require full light output during all lit hours. So why waste that light and electricity? Put yourself in control by dimming and switching your levels at opportune times.

Daylight Harvesting
Scheduled Lighting Scenes
Occupancy & Photocell Sensors
Load Shedding\Peak Demand Management
Demand Response

The UltraMax Bi-Level Switching & Load Shed Dimming Ballast lets you "tune" your light levels between 60% and 100%, allowing you to "shed" your demand load when you need the power most. Choose between 0V-10V dimming or bi-level (100%/60%) switching to get the light and power equation you desire. Available in 2/4-lamp and 6-lamp versions, it's also flexible from 120 volts to 277 volts.

Save up to 40% more than even the most efficient T8 lamp and ballast systems by applying this smart technology.

Don't wait any longer to save money at your facility! View this video to learn about these dollar-saving opportunities. When you're ready, e-mail us at energysavingsolutions@ge.com.

1) vs. standard T5 systems, @ $.10 per kWh, over the life of the lamp.
2) Source: California Energy Commission study of CA buildings