LED’s Rise and Improving Cost Efficiency

Lighting codes and standards have evolved for decades since their creation, and where we stand in 2025 is no exception. When LED Lighting emerged, it was costly, the technology was unproven, and LED warranties were minimal. LED conversions and lighting retrofits often yield ROIs in the 5-10 year range!

Fast-forward to now, and lumens per watt are elite, LED lighting costs have been reduced significantly, LED warranties can reach 10 years, and LED retrofit ROIs can be under 1.5 years on a consistent basis. What was once a high-end option has become the norm in lighting retrofitting and continues to become increasingly budget-friendly and logical for facility maintenance budgets. But did we ever think we’d see the era where LED became obligatory?

LED was an Option… Now, It’s a Must.

Understanding new lighting codes and standards is imperative for modern facility maintenance managers and energy management directors.  Here are 5 key questions to ask in 2025 regarding your facilities’ lighting specifications.

  • Are all lamps and ballasts at your facility readily available if a site experiences lighting outages?
  • Do specific States have lighting codes and standards that no longer allow you to replace certain types of lighting because lamps, ballasts, or particular specs can no longer be shipped or installed in that State?
  • Is it now more expensive to replace old lighting “like-for-like” than it is to convert to LED?
  • If a site has a high percentage of outages, is it more cost-efficient to convert the entire location to LED than it is to replace a portion of outages?
  • Am I fully maximizing Energy and maintenance savings by replacing older lighting?

State Lighting Codes and Standards are Having a Major Impact

Beginning January 1st, 2025, multiple States — including California — are banning the shipment of T8, T12, and HID lamps and ballasts, deeming these specs obsolete.  These new regulations are expected to have a dynamic impact on the lighting of many retail, medical, industrial, manufacturing, and storage facilities, among many other building types. While some businesses “stocked up” on these expiring specs, others will adapt to the difficulty in trying to replace outages.  In these applications, converting to LED may have been a proactively wise CapEx option in the past, but may now become an obligatory step.  Facility managers will need to budget accordingly to adapt to these new lighting codes and standards and ensure that their store locations are up to code, well-lit, and able to make sure that lighting outages do not negatively impact their business.

For more information on lighting codes and standards and states where this may impact your business, please reach out to our CLS team so that we can look to support you with a customized program to meet your lighting budgets and goals.