Why can't I just change my own lights?
You can. However, lighting is our business and we take pride in selecting the most cost-effective, energy-saving lights we can find that have solid warranties and provide the best return on investment. Additionally, most people have no idea how to maximize and secure the rebates. Again, that’s our business. We help people focus on doing their jobs while we do ours. Our turnkey process makes it easy for you, as we evaluate your lighting needs, design an energy saving lighting solution, quickly install your new LED lights, file for your utility rebates, and recycle your old light bulbs for you.
What are the advantages of LED lights?
The costs of LED lighting (light emitting diode) have drastically reduced. Lighting quality, energy efficiency, and maintenance are superior to those of traditional metal halide or fluorescent lighting. While the cost of LED lights are generally more expensive than a fluorescent or metal halide light, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Product life of LED lights can be 5-10 times longer than other options. When you have a large commercial, industrial, or retail business establishment, your lights can contribute to over 25% of your total energy consumption. The costs of keeping lights on 24/7 in your warehouse, parking lot, or production facility using T-12, T-8, or T-5 fluorescent lights or metal halides can really add up.
Can you guarantee energy savings?
Yes and no. We absolutely guarantee you will see a reduction in kilowatts used after a lighting retrofit by Energy Stewards. Based on simple math, our LED lighting fixtures nearly always draw less KW than existing fluorescent and metal halide lights. We can show you an estimated energy savings per year in our proposal. However, there’s no way to account for other changes that can impact your energy bills such as changes in weather (heating and air conditioning costs) or production (equipment usage) or hours (second shift or extended hours). Most customers see a marked improvement in their utility bills when we’re done, showing a noticeable return on investment in the form of energy savings.
Can you guarantee utility rebates?
We attempt to “lock down” money with the utility company by performing a pre-inspection and asking them to confirm our calculations for rebate amounts. On rare occasions rebate programs have been closed while an energy-efficient lighting upgrade project is in process due to money being exhausted in a particular program. Our success rate is extremely high and generally, customers receive utility rebates at, or above what we’ve proposed.
How long does the process take from start to finish?
Once Energy Stewards has a signed proposal (commitment to move forward), we engage the program manager for the specific utility company to perform a pre-inspection and verify the viability of the project. In areas where no utility rebates exist, we can execute a contract, collect a deposit and start as soon as we can secure the products. Oftentimes, we can turn the whole thing around within a few weeks to a month. Our turnkey process makes it easy for you to quickly realize energy savings as we walk you through the process handle the initial free energy audit & lighting evaluation to design & installation, recycling your old lights for you as well as submitting your utility rebate paperwork on your behalf. The rebate checks can take 30-90 days once the lighting upgrade project is complete depending on the backlog with the specific utility company. Working with Energy Stewards helps keep the process moving since we have the expertise as a trade ally.