Turn Building Data Into a Better Capital Decision.
A lighting project can look attractive on paper and still be the wrong investment for a property.
evoltLEDS evaluates the operating conditions behind the numbers, including existing lighting load, operating hours, utility costs, maintenance considerations, proposed improvements, potential incentives, and project investment.
The objective is simple: give decision makers a clearer financial picture before capital is committed.
Energy Cost Is One Number. The Decision Has More Variables.
A utility bill tells you what the property consumed.
It does not automatically tell you what lighting consumed, why the system operates the way it does, what modernization would cost, or whether the investment deserves priority.
To evaluate a lighting opportunity responsibly, several pieces of information may need to come together.
Existing Load
What lighting equipment is installed and how much connected load does it represent?
Operating Hours
How long does the lighting actually operate across different areas of the property?
Utility Cost
What electricity rate or applicable cost assumptions should be used?
Proposed Load
How could connected lighting demand change under the proposed modernization strategy?
Controls
Could schedules, occupancy, daylight, or other appropriate strategies change operating behavior?
Maintenance
Are existing systems creating recurring replacement, access, labor, or service demands?
Project Investment
What will it take to implement the proposed solution?
Incentives
Are applicable efficiency programs available that could affect project economics?
Start With Conditions. Build the Analysis From There.
Financial projections are only as useful as the information behind them.
Rather than starting with a desired savings percentage, evoltLEDS builds the analysis from available property and project information.
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Document
Establish relevant existing lighting conditions, equipment, wattages, controls, operating patterns, and project requirements.
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Quantify
Translate applicable conditions into measurable inputs such as connected load, operating hours, utility cost assumptions, and estimated consumption.
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Model
Evaluate how proposed equipment, controls, and operating changes could affect energy use and project economics.
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Compare
Review existing and proposed conditions using consistent assumptions.
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Evaluate
Consider project investment, potential incentives, estimated savings, maintenance implications, and preliminary payback.
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Recommend
Use the analysis alongside operational requirements to determine whether the project appears to warrant further action.
Small Assumptions Can Change Big Decisions.
- Fixture Quantity
The number of affected fixtures helps determine existing and proposed connected load.
- Existing Wattage
The actual or reasonably established power consumption of the existing lighting equipment.
- Proposed Wattage
The expected power requirement of the proposed lighting system.
- Operating Hours
Hours per day and operating days per year can materially affect estimated consumption and savings.
- Utility Rate
The electricity cost assumption used in the calculation.
- Controls Assumptions
Where controls are included, the model should reflect reasonable assumptions about their expected operation.
- Project Cost
Equipment, implementation, and other applicable project costs required to complete the work.
- Incentives
Potential utility or efficiency incentives may reduce net project investment when the project qualifies and funding is available.
- Maintenance Considerations
Existing replacement activity, access difficulty, materials, labor, and other maintenance factors may be relevant to the business case.
You Can't Measure Improvement Without Understanding Where You're Starting.
Before evaluating the proposed system, we need a reasonable picture of the existing condition.
Depending on project scope and available information, that baseline may include fixture inventory, connected wattage, operating schedules, controls, utility information, maintenance conditions, and space usage.
The baseline gives the proposed project something meaningful to be compared against.
Without it, savings projections can become little more than percentages without context.
Make the Change Visible Before You Make the Investment.
Existing Condition
- Fixture Quantity
- Connected Lighting Load
- Estimated Operating Hours
- Estimated Annual Lighting Consumption
- Relevant Maintenance Conditions
- Existing Controls
Proposed Condition
- Proposed Equipment
- Proposed Connected Load
- Controls Strategy
- Estimated Annual Lighting Consumption
- Implementation Requirements
- Estimated Project Cost
Project Economics
- Estimated Energy Reduction
- Estimated Annual Energy Cost Reduction
- Applicable Maintenance Considerations
- Potential Incentives
- Estimated Net Investment
- Preliminary Payback
A Shorter Payback Isn't Automatically a Better Project.
Simple payback is useful, but it should not be the only factor considered when evaluating modernization.
Two projects with similar payback periods may create very different operational outcomes.
Decision makers may also need to consider maintenance exposure, equipment condition, lighting performance, controls capability, capital timing, expected ownership horizon, and portfolio priorities.
Energy Savings Are Visible. Maintenance Costs Often Hide in the Background.
Lighting maintenance does not always appear as one clean line item.
Its cost can be distributed across replacement lamps, ballasts, drivers, service calls, labor, lifts, equipment rentals, inventory, purchasing, tenant coordination, and staff time.
For some properties, these considerations may materially influence the modernization decision. For others, they may be less significant.
The purpose of analysis is not to inflate maintenance savings. It is to identify where maintenance conditions genuinely affect the business case.
Incentives Can Improve the Economics. They Shouldn't Be the Economics.
Utility and efficiency programs can sometimes reduce the net investment required for qualifying projects.
But programs change. Funding changes. Eligibility varies. Requirements can differ by technology, property, customer, and project timing.
Where applicable, evoltLEDS can help identify potentially relevant programs and coordinate the information required for the project.
However, the underlying modernization strategy should still make sense for the property.
Program eligibility, funding, incentive amounts, requirements, and approval are determined by the applicable utility or program administrator and are not guaranteed by evoltLEDS.
The Analysis Should Answer More Than “How Much Will We Save?”
For a property manager, ownership group, or asset manager, a useful analysis should help answer broader questions.
Is there a real problem?
Does the existing system create enough financial, maintenance, operational, or performance concern to justify action?
What should change?
Which areas, equipment, or operating behaviors deserve attention?
What should stay?
Are there parts of the property where modernization is not currently justified?
What will it cost?
What investment is required for the recommended scope?
What could it return?
What estimated financial benefit does the project potentially create?
What assumptions matter most?
Which variables have the greatest influence on the economics?
Why now?
Is there a reason to act during the current capital cycle?
Why this property?
If multiple buildings compete for capital, where does this opportunity belong in the portfolio?
Make the Opportunity Easier to Explain Upstairs.
Property managers frequently identify building problems before the people approving capital ever see them.
That creates another challenge: How do you turn a lighting issue into a business case someone else can evaluate?
Depending on project scope, evoltLEDS analysis can organize relevant information around the existing condition, proposed change, reason for action, investment, potential impact, assumptions, and next decision.
One Building Has Numbers. A Portfolio Has Priorities.
When a property management company oversees multiple buildings, the question changes.
It is no longer simply: Does this project make sense?
It becomes: Where should we act first?
As comparable information becomes available across properties, decision makers can begin evaluating opportunities using common factors such as existing lighting condition, operating hours, maintenance burden, estimated energy opportunity, project investment, potential incentives, preliminary payback, operational need, and capital timing.
This can help create a more disciplined approach to deciding which properties deserve deeper evaluation and which projects should wait.
Show the Assumptions. Not Just the Answer.
Whenever we present estimated project economics, the customer should be able to understand the important assumptions behind them.
That may include existing wattage, proposed wattage, fixture quantity, operating hours, utility rate, controls assumptions, project cost, incentive assumptions, maintenance assumptions, and other material variables.
Some inputs may be measured. Some may come from equipment documentation. Some may come from customer provided information. Others may require reasonable assumptions.
The important thing is distinguishing between them.
Analysis Designed for a Decision.
Depending on project scope, an evoltLEDS analysis may include:
Existing Conditions Summary
Relevant lighting, controls, operating, and property information.
Baseline Model
Estimated existing lighting load and consumption using documented inputs and stated assumptions.
Proposed Scenario
The modeled impact of proposed lighting and applicable controls.
Energy Comparison
Estimated difference between existing and proposed lighting consumption.
Financial Summary
Project investment, estimated savings, potential incentives, and preliminary payback where appropriate.
Assumptions
Key inputs used to build the analysis.
Operational Considerations
Relevant maintenance, implementation, controls, or building use factors.
Recommendation
A clearer view of whether the opportunity appears to warrant further action.
Start With a Preliminary Estimate.
Estimate the potential energy impact of a lighting change using fixture count, existing and proposed system wattage, operating hours, and your electricity rate. Where project cost and a potential incentive are entered, the calculator can also estimate simple payback.
Results are preliminary estimates based on the information and assumptions entered. They are intended for screening and planning, not as a substitute for building-specific assessment.
Questions Property Teams Ask
Is this the same as a building energy audit?
Not necessarily. The analysis described here is focused primarily on evaluating lighting modernization, controls, and related project economics. Broader building energy audits may involve additional systems, measurements, engineering requirements, or standards outside the scope of a lighting focused engagement.
Can you tell us exactly how much we will save?
We can develop estimates based on available information, documented conditions, and stated assumptions. Actual results can vary because of operating hours, utility rates, equipment performance, controls behavior, occupancy, site conditions, and other variables.
What information do you need?
Depending on the project, useful information may include fixture quantities, existing equipment, operating hours, utility information, controls, maintenance conditions, property usage, and project objectives.
What if we don't know our fixture count?
That does not prevent an initial conversation. A more detailed assessment can help establish the information required for formal recommendations.
Can you use our utility bills?
Utility information may help establish relevant rate and operating context. Whole building utility consumption should not automatically be treated as lighting consumption because other building systems also use energy.
Do you include maintenance savings?
Maintenance considerations may be included where they can be reasonably supported. We do not recommend adding unsupported maintenance savings simply to improve projected project economics.
Do you include rebates?
Potential incentives may be incorporated when an applicable program is identified, but eligibility, amounts, funding, and final approval remain subject to the applicable program.
Can you compare multiple buildings?
Yes. Comparable information across properties can help identify which buildings may warrant deeper evaluation and where modernization opportunities may deserve priority.
Can ownership use the analysis for capital approval?
That is one of its intended purposes. The objective is to organize the relevant conditions, proposed strategy, economics, assumptions, and next decision in a form that can support internal evaluation.
Before You Ask for Capital, Build the Case.
If your property has outdated lighting, rising maintenance demands, long operating hours, an upcoming capital cycle, or ownership asking for financial justification, evoltLEDS can help organize the information behind the decision. Start with the building. Understand the conditions. Then decide whether the investment deserves to move forward.
Commercial properties • Property portfolios • Metro Atlanta