Lighting and Energy-Efficiency Solutions FAQS

A thorough lighting audit documents your facility's existing fixtures, lamp types, wattages, control schedules, light levels, and current operating costs.

During an assessment, our team evaluates:

• Dark spots, glare, or over-illuminated areas
• Failed drivers, worn ballasts, or flickering fixtures
• Incompatible dimmers or outdated control systems
• High-ceiling access challenges and maintenance pain points

Immediate opportunities to trim energy usage

We record precise baseline measurements so you can evaluate repair, one-for-one retrofit, or complete redesign options side-by-side.

A simple one-for-one retrofit works great when your current fixture layout is effective and you just want to cut energy costs. However, a full lighting redesign is usually the better choice if:

• You are changing the space layout (e.g., an office build-out, retail remodel, or warehouse expansion)
• Current fixtures create harsh glare on screens or work surfaces
• Tall shelving or equipment blocks light in critical work zones
• Your existing layout leaves dangerous dark spots in high-traffic areas

A redesign considers reflected ceiling plans, photometric calculations, and proper control zoning to ensure light is delivered exactly where your team needs it.

To help our team build an accurate lighting proposal, it helps to provide:

• Floor plans or ceiling layouts (if available)
• Operating hours and typical building occupancy schedules
• Ceiling heights and access restrictions (e.g., machinery or high shelving)
• Recent electric utility bills to establish current energy baselines
• Key project drivers (e.g., cutting utility bills, fixing dark spots, tenant improvements, or meeting utility rebate criteria)

If you don't have all these details ready, don't worry — an on-site walk-through with our team will capture everything needed for a complete scope.

Our team provides comprehensive commercial interior lighting services spanning layout design through field installation. Specialized engineering deliverables such as formal photometric light-level calculations, stamped electrical plans, or formal energy audit reports are confirmed on a project-by-project basis.

A commercial LED retrofit replaces or upgrades aging fluorescent, metal halide, or high-pressure sodium fixtures with modern, energy-efficient LED technology.

Depending on your existing equipment and budget, retrofitting can be done through:

• Direct tubular LED (TLED) lamp replacements
• Commercial LED retrofit kits that utilize existing fixture housings
• Brand-new integrated LED fixtures designed for maximum output and longevity
• Redesigned fixture layouts with integrated smart controls

At MK Power, we evaluate your existing panel distribution, ceiling environment, and dimming needs to recommend the most cost-effective retrofit pathway.

Not necessarily. While LED tubes can be a budget-friendly fix for basic troffers, we first inspect the existing fixture housing, socket condition, wiring, and ballast health. In many commercial offices or industrial spaces, installing a complete LED retrofit kit or a new integrated fixture yields better light distribution, longer lifespan, higher utility rebates, and far greater long-term reliability.

Color temperature and color rendering help determine how lighting looks in a space. Color temperature, measured in Kelvin, tells you whether the light appears warm or cool. Color Rendering Index, or CRI, tells you how naturally and accurately colors appear under the light.

• Warm white, around 2700K–3000K: Creates a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. It is commonly used in restaurants, hotels, lounges, and reception areas.
• Neutral to cool white, around 3500K–4000K: Provides a clean, bright appearance. It works well in offices, classrooms, retail stores, and other commercial spaces.
• Daylight-like white, around 5000K: Produces a cooler, brighter appearance. It may be suitable for workshops, inspection areas, warehouses, and other spaces where detailed work is performed.

The best option depends on how the space is used and how you want it to feel. Brightness, natural daylight, glare, wall colors, and the type of work being done should also be considered. Using the same color temperature throughout one area usually creates a more consistent appearance, while different temperatures can be used intentionally in separate areas.

Yes, significantly. Traditional commercial lamps and ballasts fail frequently, requiring repeated ladder or lift rentals to replace. Quality LED fixtures eliminate ballast replacements and run for 50,000 to 100,000 hours.

During our initial evaluation, we explain manufacturer warranties, driver replacement options, and access requirements so your facilities team can eliminate unexpected maintenance expenses.

In most cases, yes. Persistent buzzing or flickering in older fixtures is usually caused by failing magnetic ballasts or incompatible dimmers.

When upgrading to LED, our electricians ensure that all new drivers, dimming switches, and occupancy sensors are digitally matched to run silently and flicker-free. If flickering occurs after an upgrade, our team can quickly troubleshoot whether the issue stems from an incompatible dimmer switch or a circuit voltage fluctuation.

Occupancy and vacancy sensors prevent energy waste by automatically dimming or shutting off lights when conference rooms, restrooms, breakrooms, or storage areas are unoccupied.

To work properly, sensors must be selected and positioned correctly based on space layout:

• Passive Infrared (PIR): Detects line-of-sight motion; great for small offices.
• Ultrasonic/Dual-Tech: Detects minor movements around cubicle walls or partition obstacles.

Our team fine-tunes motion coverage and time delays during installation so lights stay on while staff are working and turn off promptly when they leave.

Daylight harvesting utilizes ambient light sensors to automatically dim electric indoor lights when natural sunlight streams through windows or skylights. Common in modern Utah offices, retail spaces, and warehouses, daylight harvesting maintains consistent, comfortable light levels across the room while drastically reducing daytime power consumption.

Networked lighting controls link your facility’s fixtures, motion sensors, wall switches, and time clocks into a unified, programmable network.

Key benefits include:

• Centralized scheduling for different zones or business shifts
• Automated demand-response capabilities during peak energy hours
• Detailed energy usage reporting and automated maintenance alerts
• Easy re-zoning via software when office or floor layouts change

Commissioning is the process of testing and programming your lighting controls to ensure sensors, dimming thresholds, and time clocks operate exactly as intended. A control system can be wired perfectly, but if the motion delay or daylight sensitivity settings are wrong, it will annoy occupants or waste energy. MK Power commissions every control system we install and provides your facilities team with clear operational training.

Emergency lighting and illuminated exit signs provide critical backup illumination during a utility power failure, ensuring employees and customers can safely navigate egress paths out of the building.

Emergency systems can be powered by:

• Internal battery backup packs within individual fixtures
• Central inverter systems
• Dedicated emergency backup generators

Emergency lighting is strictly regulated by Life Safety Codes (NFPA 101) and local Utah building codes, making professional installation essential.

Battery-powered emergency lights and exit signs generally require two routine tests:

• Monthly test: Operate the equipment for at least 30 seconds to confirm that the emergency lights turn on and function properly. The test may be completed manually or through an approved self-testing system.
• Annual test: Operate battery-powered equipment for at least 90 minutes to confirm that it can remain illuminated during an extended power outage.

The property owner should keep records of the test dates, results, equipment tested, and any repairs made. These records should be available if requested by the local fire-code official.

A quick test only confirms that the light turns on. It may not show whether the battery has enough power to keep the light running during a longer outage. A weak battery, charging problem, damaged component, incorrect wiring, or an issue with the emergency circuit can all cause the light to fail later.

Proper inspection checks the battery, charging system, power supply, and transfer operation. Any emergency light that does not work correctly should be repaired or replaced promptly.

This service should be confirmed because testing scope, required documentation, access, and life-safety responsibilities vary by facility. A commercial electrical inspection can help identify visible electrical concerns, but it should not be represented as a complete fire or life-safety inspection unless that scope is expressly defined.

Basic energy savings are calculated by comparing your existing fixture wattage against the proposed LED wattage, multiplied by your annual operating hours and electric utility rate:

Annual kWh Savings = [(Existing Watts − Proposed Watts) × Annual Operating Hours] ÷ 1,000

A complete financial analysis performed by our team also factors in peak demand charge reductions, lower maintenance labor costs, and available utility rebates to show your true return on investment (ROI).

Simple payback is the time required for energy savings to recover the net upfront cost of the project:

Simple Payback Period (Years) = Net Installed Project Cost ÷ Estimated Annual Cost Savings

For example, if a commercial LED retrofit costs $10,000 out-of-pocket after rebates and saves $5,000 per year on utility bills, the simple payback is 2 years.

Yes! Utah commercial utility customers can qualify for substantial cash incentives through Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Business program. Incentives are available for qualifying LED retrofits, occupancy sensors, daylight controls, and high-efficiency exterior lighting upgrades.

Incentive applications often require baseline documentation and pre-approval before purchasing or installing equipment, making early coordination essential.

Not unless the current program rules expressly allow it.

Some incentive pathways require an application, baseline verification, or offer letter before equipment is ordered or installed, and starting too early can make an otherwise qualifying project ineligible. Retain equipment schedules, invoices, labor breakdowns, application documents, and inspection records, and confirm who's responsible for each submission.

Incentive assistance is a company-specific service, and participation in certain programs may require an approved trade ally or vendor. The public page should not imply that MK Power can guarantee eligibility, approval, or payment.

In many cases, yes. A commercial lighting retrofit can often be completed in stages so portions of the building remain open while work is underway. Depending on the project, the installation may be scheduled by area or planned around the business’s operating hours to reduce interruptions.

Some work may still require temporary access restrictions, equipment shutdowns, or coordination with employees, tenants, and customers. Before the project begins, our team reviews the space, operating schedule, safety requirements, and installation scope to create a practical plan that limits disruption.

Verify voltage, mounting, dimensions, environmental rating, light output and distribution, color characteristics, controls compatibility, dimming protocol, emergency function, listing, warranty, lead time, and access for installation and maintenance. Confirm ceiling conditions and existing wiring through field review — a fixture that looks equivalent in a catalog may not perform or fit the same way on site.

Closeout should confirm fixture operation, controls sequences, sensor coverage, dimming, emergency functions, labeling, finish condition, and correction of punch-list items. Where performance matters, we compare light levels or energy assumptions with the approved design. 

Facility staff should receive control instructions, warranties, product information, and final settings. Early post-occupancy feedback can reveal adjustments needed for comfort or operations.

LED fixtures can fail sooner than expected when they are exposed to excessive heat, power problems, incompatible controls, or poor installation conditions. Common causes include:

• Heat building up around the fixture or driver
• Incompatible dimmers, sensors, or lighting controls
• Voltage fluctuations or electrical surges
• Loose connections or improper wiring
• Low-quality drivers or fixtures that are not suited to the space

At MK Power, we look beyond wattage and price when recommending LED fixtures. Our team considers the installation environment, controls, voltage, fixture ratings, heat management, and warranty requirements. We also verify that the equipment is installed correctly and is compatible with the existing electrical system. These steps can reduce the risk of early failure and help the lighting system perform reliably over time.

If you manage several commercial properties across Utak, start with the locations where an upgrade will provide the greatest safety, operational, and financial benefits.

Address safety concerns first:

1. Repair failing emergency lights and improve poorly lit walkways, entrances, stairs, parking areas, and other locations where visibility affects safety.
2. Review areas with long operating hours: Warehouses, parking areas, hallways, and 24-hour facilities may offer greater savings because their lights operate for more hours each year.
3. Consider maintenance problems: Locations with frequent lamp failures, outdated fixtures, hard-to-find replacement parts, or repeated service calls may benefit from earlier upgrades.
4. Check incentive eligibility and project costs: Review utility rates, estimated energy savings, equipment costs, and available Rocky Mountain Power incentives. Eligibility should be confirmed before purchasing equipment because some programs require preapproval.

Starting with a pilot project at one location can help the business evaluate light quality, energy savings, controls, employee feedback, and maintenance needs before upgrading the rest of the portfolio.