Controlling Costs with Lighting Controls

August 8, 2023

In the United States

18% of electricity is used for lighting, plus another 5% more to remove the heat generated by lights.

Average Office Building Overhead Costs

Lighting: 35%
Space Cooling: 16%
Office Equipment: 12%
Refrigeration: 9%
Other: 9%
Ventilation: 8%
Space Heating: 6%
Water Heating: 4%
Cooking: 1%

Savings Potential

Lighting controls can reduce costs by up to 65%, at an energy savings of .05-.20/sq. ft.

Open Offices: 20-29%
Private Offices: 13-50%
Conference Rooms: 21-65%

How Much Could You Save?

How to calculate your potential cost savings per room:

Step 1: Start with the sq. ft. area of the room
Step 2: Multiply x 3,000 hrs. of operation/year
Step 3: Multiply x estimated % time unoccupied
Step 4: Multiply x 1.5 Watts/sq. ft.
Step 5: Multiply x national average cost/kwh (.1074 cents)*
Step 6: Multiply x .001 = estimated $ savings/year

*Commercial price comparison