Lighting Is Important to Your Bottom Line!

Did you know that lighting can consume 37 percent of a typical commercial building's electric load^*? The bad news: That's a lot of money toward your electric bill! The good news: Lighting represents low-hanging fruit that gives you an opportunity to dramatically reduce your lighting-related energy and maintenance costs, and positively impact your bottom line.

So Many Choices, Where Do I Start?

For many facility owners or managers, the million-dollar question has always been: "With all the options available, what is the best system for my space?" The answer is clearer than ever before! There is no single lamp and ballast solution that can be deemed "the best." But there can be a "best" solution for your specific needs ... one that lets you identify what's most important to you. Is it maximizing your energy savings? Is it lowering your lighting-related maintenance costs? Or is it reducing material and maintenance costs by using fewer lamps?

Other factors to consider are the components of your system. Today's fluorescent systems are incredibly efficient. In fact, it will likely take LEDs a long time to reach this level of efficiency for general lighting applications.

There are lamps: T12 vs. T8 lamps; standard 32-watt T8s vs. reduced-wattage 28- or 25-watt lamps. And then there are ballasts. Ballasts are every bit as important as the lamps in maximizing your lighting goals. Today's best are highly efficient and carry a large basket of "add-on" features such as parallel operation, anti-striation control and RoHS compliance. Electronic vs. magnetic; instant start vs. programmed start. With so many options to consider, what is the right solution?

Customize Your Own Solution - In Seconds!

Good news! GE has you covered with its Linear Fluorescent Retrofit Calculator. Whether you are looking to replace the lamp and the ballast to maximize your efficiency or simply change the lamp, you can customize a solution within seconds, all with just a few clicks. You prioritize what's most important, using the three priorities mentioned previously (energy savings, longer life or fewer lamps per fixture).

Your new lighting solution begins with identifying where you are today.

Step 1: You tell the calculator what fluorescent lamp and ballast system you're currently using.

Step 2: Specify the light levels you need for your application. Keep light levels the same as they are, or lower them up to 25 percent to maximize your energy savings.

Step 3: Choose which of the three priorities is most important to you.

Step 4: Review the simple output, or click Expert Mode for a detailed specification comparison.

Step 5: Start Saving Money and Enjoying Your New Lighting System!

In a matter of seconds, you've just established your baseline, communicated your most important lighting needs and selected one of GE's premium lighting systems. Very important to note is that GE's Retrofit Calculator will only provide you with our best energy-saving lamps and ballasts, to maximize your savings. UltraMax® and UltraStart® ballasts are among the industry's best instant- and programmed-start ballasts, and you'll save big when they are paired with reduced-wattage or high-lumen lamps.

It's all at GE's retrofit calculator. Bookmark the site or download the tool to your desktop!

And should you be interested in an on-site energy audit, please e-mail us at energysavingsolutions@ge.com.

*California Energy Commission study of CA commercial buildings.