LED Retrofit Solutions: When One Size Doesn't Fit All

Across the country, there are millions of fluorescent fixtures still lighting offices, schools, hospitals, and commercial buildings. With LED becoming the standard, facilities are making a hard decision: replace the existing fixtures or upgrade them with LED retrofit kits? New fixtures seem like the easiest route, but not all facilities have the budget for a complete replacement. LED retrofit kits can upgrade the system to modern standards, while either updating the aesthetic or maintaining the legacy architecture, depending on the space. But what about the fixtures that don’t accommodate an off-the-shelf solution?

The Advantages of LED Retrofitting

There are certain applications where a new fixture is required, but in many cases, retrofit makes much more sense. Some of these reasons include:

• Reduced Material and Installation Costs

  • One of the biggest advantages of retrofitting is the ability to reuse existing fixture housings. By replacing only the necessary components, retrofit kits require less material than an entirely new fixture. Installation is often simpler as well, eliminating many of the steps associated with removing and replacing existing fixtures.

• Preserving Architectural Character

  • Not every fixture is easily replaced. Many buildings feature architectural lighting that was specifically designed to complement the space. In these applications, replacing the original fixtures can significantly alter the appearance of a room. Retrofitting allows facility owners to upgrade their lighting performance without sacrificing the original design.

• Restricted Access to the Plenum

  • Whether physically limited by space/access or due to potential asbestos exposure, some spaces are just not logistically possible to perform a fixture replacement.

• Recycling Old Housings

  • When you replace a fixture, you must do something with the old. This adds both time and cost to a project.

Why Off-the-Shelf Doesn't Always Work

Though there are industry standards, not every fixture conforms to these standards. Over the course of 30+ years, ESI has created countless custom solutions for fixtures with nonstandard dimensions, fixtures designed for the 360° output from a fluorescent tube, and fixtures with other quirks or specific requirements.

Custom LED Solutions: Designed to Fit

Since ESI is a made-to-order manufacturer, many of our custom solutions don't take much development. Many of our custom solutions are as simple as shortening or stretching a dimension. Others, such as direct/indirect suspended fixtures, require more thought and design around how to replicate, or even improve on the illumination of the original fluorescent tubes. Though it would be helpful, we don't necessarily need a physical sample of the existing fixture. The vast majority of our custom solutions are provided only by photos, dimensions, and descriptions.

Custom Doesn’t Need to Mean Complicated

Most of our custom retrofit kits can be quoted the same day, and if needed, a physical sample can typically be sent within a week. Since we already build everything to order, our custom projects are on the same standard 2–3-week lead time.

The ESI Advantage

• 30+ years of experience

  • If it's out there, we've probably seen it. We have decades of knowledge and experience.

• Designed and manufactured in West St. Paul, MN

  • Our engineers are at our manufacturing facility, physically seeing and often building their prototypes. This ensures that our real-world builds match their original CAD vision.

• Existing and custom solutions

  • Our standard catalog covers most opportunities out there, but we also have the flexibility to modify or customize any of our existing solutions.

• Designed around the existing fixture

  • The goal is for a solution that is "Designed to Fit" the original fixture, not to force an off-the-shelf product into every application.

Have a Fixture You Don't Know How to Retrofit?

Send it our way! Give us a call or send an email. We can tell you whether you need a custom solution or a standard offering. ESI will walk you through the process and help determine the next steps.

Examples of ESI's Designed to Fit Retrofit Solutions

The original T5HO fluorescent fixtures (left) were suffering from massive failures due to the harsh environmental factors such as heat, humidity, and chemical exposure. ESI's custom LED gasketed retrofit kits (right) solved this problem and gave the end user a more dependable solution.

The existing fluorescent cove lights were a maintenance nightmare. ESI was brought in and developed an RGBW cove retrofit kit to enhance the space.

This data center had hundreds of indirect/direct troffers. This is a perfect example of where LED tubes do not perform the way that the fixture was intended. ESI has developed an LED kit for this type of fixture that exceeds the fluorescent performance while maintaining the original look.

These direct/indirect linear suspended fixtures are another great example of where LED tubes do not perform the way that the fixture was intended. ESI developed an LED kit with a custom wire harness to control independent dimming of the uplight and downlight elements.