Straight answers before you book a review

Sensors and software adjust lighting for occupancy, daylight, required light levels, and schedules. That typically cuts lighting energy 30–40% beyond LED-only operation and can roughly double fixture life because fixtures run cooler and fewer hours.

Yes, when drivers support 0–10V dimming or an auxiliary input. This is now one of the fastest ways for LED-only buildings to capture more savings. EDE is doing these retrofits today.

Traditional lighting runs on fixed schedules or breakers, often at 100% whether the bay is occupied or not. Network lighting controls use sensors, software, and gateways so output follows occupancy and daylight. That typically adds 30–40% lighting energy savings, can increase rebate value, and supports scheduling, emergency-fixture checks, and energy reports.

A 150 W LED fixture that stays at 150 W all shift wastes light whenever the floor is empty. With controls it can drop to about half output when occupancy is partial and much lower when the area is empty. Heat maps in the software show occupancy so settings can be tightened as data arrives.

Lumens per watt (LPW) is how much light a fixture delivers per watt. Many supply-house fixtures land at 140–150 LPW. For the past six years EDE has specified a 200-LPW fixture and has not seen field failures attributed to that choice. Higher LPW lets a lower-wattage fixture deliver similar light: a 150 W fixture at 140 LPW yields about 21,000 lumens; a 100 W fixture at 200 LPW yields about 20,000 lumens and uses 50 W less per hour.

EDE uses ultrasonic leak detection, tags and photographs leaks, estimates cost, and often logs the compressor plant for up to two weeks. Listening walks and soapy water miss most leaks.

Plants still use auditory walks and soapy water. Those methods miss a large share of leaks. Ultrasonic detection is the professional method EDE uses because it finds leaks that cannot be heard over production noise.

It depends on rates, incentives, and demand charges — not a generic year count. Federal Investment Tax Credit support has been 30% through 2032. Storage can cut peak demand. EDE still starts with waste reduction; generating power for a leaky plant is more expensive than fixing the plant first.

EDE typically sees solar simple payback in the 8–10 year range. Demand-charge reductions of about 4–10% are often where the extra value shows up. Solar also locks a share of energy cost against utility inflation. We model that against current rates rather than a brochure claim.