LED Lighting

Claud Matney

Matney-Frantz Engineering

Our Principal Engineer, Claud Matney, Talks about LED lighting..."Approximately 40% of a building’s electric bill is dependent on lighting. A conversion from T-12 fluorescents to LED replacements will eliminate half of this expense. So a conversion to LED can remove approximately one-fifth of the electric bill. Many building managers have made a switch from the older and less efficient T-12 fluorescent lamps to newer and more efficient T-8 fluorescent lamps, but the T-8s are not as efficient or long lived as the newer LED lighting, and they have all the other drawbacks associated with fluorescent technology. The upgrade from T-12 to T-8 fluorescents requires replacing the older magnetic ballast with a newer electronic ballast. Like the older T-12, the T-8 contains lead and mercury. When lamps fail and are replaced, they must be stored in a safe place and disposed of properly. If one is broken, a haz-mat (hazardous materials) team may be called in to decontaminate the area. Heavy metal contamination is a threat that needs to be taken seriously. The new state-of-the-art LED replacements leapfrog the T-8 technology, providing a contaminant free product that has a longer life, a more consistent lumen output, a lower maintenance cost and lower energy costs."