When older lighting systems were designed, energy conservation was not the critical issue it is today. Retrofitting means to replace your existing lighting with new lighting technology, preferably to increase the energy efficiency and/or light quality of a lighting system. The term is often used when converting an older metal halide/high pressure sodium fixture or T-12 fluorescent fixture to the newer T-8 or T-5 fluorescent fixtures.

The answer is simple: energy-efficient lighting upgrades have one of the best returns on investment of any energy-efficient technology today, and offer paybacks in the 1-5 year range.

Not only do lighting upgrades make energy and financial sense, they also have a wide variety of other benefits…

• Longer lamp life
• Minimal light depreciation over time (maintains brightness)
• Better CRI rating, which means increased quality of light. Increased quality of lighting can lead to increased employee productivity and happiness
• No warm up/cool down period for lamps
• Lower maintenance costs
• Eligibility for utility incentives

LED lighting is sometime used in specialty applications, but is not always the best solution for a customer. We have generally not seen as strong of paybacks with LED lighting, and so far have no proven benefits as to why a customer should pay more for LED.  Currently we can give customers a fluorescent fixture which has the same energy and light output of LED, but at a much lower cost. In addition, even though LED lights are rated up to 10,000 hours of life, some studies show that these lamps are not achieving those results in all applications.

MVE Group is dedicated to staying on top of researching and finding the latest products but we only want our customers to use them if it makes both energy AND financial sense for their business.

Simply put, new lamp and ballast technologies are more efficient. In addition, KWReduction specializes in finding the smartest lighting design and layout for your facility.

MVE Group has been in the electrical industry for over 39 years, and specifically we have been providing energy saving lighting retrofits for over 10 years. Our experience and attention to detail is proven with our track record. Our primary mission is finding you the best solution for your unique scenario; in other words: getting the most light for your dollar with the highest quality products. Our customers appreciate that our lighting representatives aren’t just selling a standard cookie cutter product. We evaluate each situation, stay on top of technology, and find the right application and solution for each customer.

KWReduction offers turnkey lighting solutions. Basically this term means a lighting company is a ‘one-stop shop’. We complete all parts of the project ourselves; design, purchasing, installation, disposal of old fixtures, etc..

The benefits to the customer of a complete turnkey solution by KWReduction:

• One total project cost
• One contractor to work with
• All material and labor costs combined
• Rebate processing and communication with your utility representative
• Removal and recycling of all old lamps and materials
• Manufacturer’s warranty on all hardware, parts and systems

If you are interested in knowing if a lighting retrofit would be a smart solution for your company, contact Mike Sakel or Nevin Brubaker. They will come out for a free site visit, evaluate your unique situation, and show you what solutions make sense for your building or parking lot.

Federal and state governments, as well as utility companies are actively searching for ways to reduce energy consumption; hence they are offering incentives, grants and rebates which you should not miss out on. Please keep in mind that rebate programs are being utilized by consumers aggressively, and available grants can deplete quickly; consider acting promptly.

One of the benefits of working with MVE Group, is that we have a dedicated team who handles rebates and rebate processing for our customers. The process of selling lighting retrofits does not look the same for each customer. The team at MVE Group stays on top of the ever changing rebates and grants and helps you choose what solution works best for your facility.

For customers in the PPL region, MVE Group is a PPL trade ally which means we have authorization to complete rebate forms.

For information on current PPL rebates click here: http://www.pplelectric.com/e-power/rebates+and+incentives+resources.htm#incentive