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Environmental Sustainability & Tech

Michael Colligan,
President
Lighting Solutions Group

The Joke’s on You:

How the LED Lighting Boom

has Reduced Sustainability

How many electricians does it take to transformation occurred, and things are repaired by any electrician. Nobody knows
change a light bulb? Well, it turns out the just starting to fall apart now. how to repair a burnt-out purpose-built
joke is on the property manager, as there Here is what happened: while it is true LED light fixture imported from China.
often is no light bulb to change. In the early that the lighting industry increased the Managers need to understand that main-
years of the LED transformation, it was rated life of the light source by 50 to 150 tenance may no longer be possible. Many
common to hear engineers, sales repre- percent, this came at the expense of the life LED light fixtures cannot be repaired, and
sentatives, and manufacturers, along with cycle of the light fixture, which has been when they burn out, the entire fixture
property managers, talking about “never reduced by 72 to 95 percent for 24 /7 multi- must be replaced. This is particularly true
changing a light bulb again.” Everyone residential applications. When accountants for condominiums built since 2016, but it
bought into the “LEDs last forever” hype, and managers allocate funds for garage, also impacts those who have “upgraded”
diving in headfirst. However, nobody stairwell, outdoor, and corridor lighting to these types of light fixtures.
in the lighting industry—whether upgrades, the generally accepted account- LED light fixtures break into two
contractors, distributors, manufacturers, ing principle assumes the lighting system major categories: purpose-built or
engineers, or architects—talks like that will depreciate over 25 years, and budgets “solid-state” and modular or “LED lamp
anymore. This misconception is just now are set accordingly. Accountants and ready.” The components of purpose-built
becoming apparent to property manag- managers are relying on their experience light fixtures are manufacturer-specific,
ers, who will soon face the stark reality from the legacy lighting era (pre-LED), very hard to find, always expensive,
that when something goes wrong, the where future maintenance was expected and often no longer available when the
removal, disposal, and replacement of the and engineered into the construction of fixture finally fails. Troubleshooting a
entire light fixture is the only way to get the a light fixture. These fixtures were liter- failed purpose-built light is also difficult
lights turned back on. Sure, changing the ally built to be maintained and upgraded. because electricians have a hard time
light bulbs in a fixture every 3 or 4 years A robust secondary parts market existed, figuring out what is wrong with them.
was a hassle, and replacing ballasts every and every electrician knew how to change So even if they procure an expensive and Photo: © iStock.com/ Srdjan Stepic
10 to 20 years was worse. But you never a ballast or a socket. While a hassle, hard-to-find component and replace it, it
had to change the entire light fixture to burned-out lights were easily changed by doesn’t always energize the light source.
get things working again until the LED the superintendent and fixtures quickly The most common outcome is full fixture

46 I CM Magazine FALL 2024