LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit
Upgrade your commercial space with professional LED retrofit services that improve energy efficiency, cut energy costs, and create a better work environment for your team.
5 Highlights on LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit
- Significant energy savings — LED commercial lighting retrofit projects typically reduce energy usage and lighting energy consumption by 50% to 75% compared to fluorescent or HID fixtures, delivering proven energy saving results that directly lower your utility demand charges and monthly operating costs.
- Improved lumen output and color quality — Modern LED luminaires deliver higher efficacy ratings, better CRI scores, and precise Kelvin color temperatures that improve productivity and make workspaces safer and more comfortable for everyone in the building.
- DLC Listed and Energy Star qualified products — Kochs Electric installs fixtures that meet DLC and Energy Star standards, making your project eligible for utility rebates and local incentive programs.
- Full NEC and Title 24 code compliance — Every retrofit we complete follows current NEC requirements and applicable energy codes, including ASHRAE 90.1 standards for commercial lighting controls.
- Advanced controls integration — We wire and commission occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting systems, photocells, 0-10V dimming drivers, and programmable timers to maximize your ROI, improve efficiency, and shorten your payback period.
Why Choose Our LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit
As your trusted commercial lighting contractor, Kochs Electric brings hands-on expertise and proven LED technology to every commercial lighting upgrade we take on. Our licensed electricians don’t just swap out bulbs – they assess your existing panel capacity, measure current load, inspect conduit runs, and design a retrofit plan that fits your building’s actual electrical infrastructure.
We work with a wide range of commercial, industrial, and exterior fixture types including troffers, high bay and low bay luminaires, wall packs, parking lot fixtures, canopy lights, vapor tight strip lights, and emergency exit signs. Whether your facility runs on fluorescent ballasts or aging HID drivers, we offer the right options to replace, rewire, and commission the right LED solution for your space.
Our team pulls all required permits, schedules inspections, and delivers fully certified, code-compliant LED upgrades. We don’t cut corners on terminations, junction box work, or thermal management – because a poorly installed LED fixture fails early and costs more to fix than it saved.
Kochs Electric also handles utility rebate paperwork. We document your existing wattage, measure your new lumen output, and submit the data your utility provider needs to process your incentive. That means you get your rebate faster with less hassle.
We stand behind our work with a satisfaction guarantee and place customer satisfaction at the center of every project, offering post-installation commissioning to verify that every fixture, dimmer, sensor, and control performs exactly as specified.
Signs You Need LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit
Your energy bills show high lighting-related demand charges: If your utility bills reflect elevated demand charges tied to lighting loads, your current fixtures are likely drawing far more wattage than necessary. Fluorescent T8 or T12 lamps with magnetic ballasts and HID fixtures with aging transformers are common culprits. An LED retrofit replaces those inefficient components with drivers and luminaires that consume a fraction of the power.
Your fixtures flicker, dim unevenly, or produce inconsistent color temperature: Flickering in fluorescent or HID fixtures often signals a failing ballast or driver. Uneven dimming across a space points to mismatched controls or incompatible TRIAC or 0-10V wiring. These aren’t minor annoyances – they degrade your work environment, raise safety concerns, affect worker comfort, increase eye strain, and can trigger OSHA concerns in task-heavy environments.
Your lux or foot-candle levels fall below recommended standards: Aging lamps lose lumen output over time. If your measured foot-candle levels no longer meet IES or ASHRAE recommendations for your space type, a retrofit with properly specified LED luminaires restores the light levels your facility needs without overloading your panel or breakers.
You’re replacing ballasts or lamps repeatedly: Frequent lamp and ballast replacements in troffers, high bays, or vapor tight fixtures are a clear sign your lighting system has reached the end of its useful life. Rising maintenance costs from ongoing labor and materials often exceed the cost of a full LED retrofit within two to three years.
Your facility doesn’t have occupancy sensors, photocells, or daylight harvesting controls: A commercial space without automated lighting controls wastes energy every hour lights run in unoccupied areas – which is costly for your business and hard on the environment. Retrofitting with occupancy sensors, motion detectors, and daylight harvesting systems makes it easy to manage your lights, reducing wasted energy well beyond what fixture upgrades alone can deliver.
Our LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit Process
Step 1 — Site Assessment and Load Analysis We start by inspecting your existing fixtures, measuring current wattage and lumen output, checking panel capacity, and reviewing your breaker and conduit layout. This gives us the data we need to select the right lighting and specify the right LED luminaires and drivers for your space.
Step 2 — Fixture and Controls Specification We select DLC Listed or Energy Star qualified LED products matched to your space’s required Kelvin color temperature, CRI, beam angle, and IP rating. We present the best options for dimming controls, occupancy sensors, photocells, and timers based on your facility’s layout and usage patterns.
Step 3 — Permit and Rebate Preparation We pull all required electrical permits and prepare your utility rebate application with documented before-and-after wattage and lumen data.
Step 4 — Installation Our electricians remove existing fixtures, ballasts, and drivers, then mount, wire, connect, and terminate new LED luminaires. We run conduit where needed, update junction boxes, and verify all connections meet NEC standards.
Step 5 — Testing, Commissioning, and Certification We test every circuit, measure foot-candle levels, commission all controls, and verify dimming performance across the full range. We deliver a completed inspection and certification package before we leave the job site.
Brands We Use
Kochs Electric installs trusted, high-performance LED products from manufacturers with proven track records in commercial applications.
- Lithonia Lighting
- Cree Lighting
- Acuity Brands
- GE Current
- Philips Signify
- Eaton Lighting
- Hubbell Lighting
- Lutron
- Leviton
- Fulham
We only install UL Listed fixtures and components.
Other Services
| LED commercial lighting retrofit | commercial LED lighting upgrade | energy efficient luminaire installation |
| LED retrofit electrician | commercial lighting replacement service | DLC listed LED fixture install |
| commercial LED lighting installation | office LED lighting retrofit | occupancy sensor wiring commercial |
| LED high bay retrofit | warehouse lighting upgrade | lumen output foot-candle measurement |
| LED troffer retrofit | fluorescent to LED conversion | 0-10V dimming controls commissioning |
FAQs About LED Commercial Lighting Retrofit
What is an LED commercial lighting retrofit?
An LED commercial lighting retrofit is the process of replacing existing fluorescent, HID, or incandescent fixtures, ballasts, and drivers with modern LED luminaires and compatible controls. It can involve a direct lamp swap, a ballast bypass, or a full fixture replacement depending on your current system. The result is an energy saving upgrade that helps improve productivity and reduce operating costs across your facility.
How does an LED retrofit reduce energy costs?
LED luminaires consume significantly less wattage than fluorescent or HID sources while delivering equal or greater lumen output. Lower wattage means lower kilowatt-hour consumption and reduced utility demand charges, which together shorten your payback period and improve your ROI.
When should I retrofit instead of repair?
When your ballasts or drivers fail repeatedly, when your lux levels drop below code requirements, or when your energy costs are climbing, a retrofit makes more financial sense for your business than continued repairs. An LED upgrade is a cost-effective, long-term investment. We can run a cost comparison during your site assessment.
Can Kochs Electric handle the utility rebate process?
Yes. We document your existing fixture wattage and lumen data, install qualifying DLC Listed or Energy Star products, and prepare the rebate application your utility provider requires.
Does an LED retrofit require a permit?
In most commercial applications, yes. Replacing fixtures that involve new wiring, panel connections, or conduit work requires an electrical permit. Kochs Electric pulls all required permits and schedules inspections so your installation is fully code compliant.
How long does a commercial LED retrofit take?
Getting started is easy – project timelines depend on facility size and fixture count. A single-floor office retrofit may take one to two days. A large warehouse or multi-building campus may take one to two weeks. We schedule work around your operations so our customers experience as little disruption as possible.
What controls work with LED commercial lighting?
LED fixtures are compatible with occupancy sensors, motion detectors, photocells, daylight harvesting systems, 0-10V dimmers, TRIAC dimmers, PWM drivers, timers, and relay-based contactors. We specify and commission the right controls for your space during the retrofit.