Pennsylvania Power & Lighting Company Lighting Upgrades

In the early 1980s, Pennsylvania Power & Lighting Company was concerned about the lighting system in the area housing its drafting engineers. The most serious problem was glare reflecting off work surfaces, slowed work and increased error rates. The company converted from general lighting to task lighting, creating more variance in lighting levels. As a result, lighting energy use dropped 69%, and annual operating costs fell 73%. Combined, the direct savings would have paid a 24% return on investment, covering the cost in just over four years. With improved lighting, careful documentation showed productivity jumped by over 13% — worth $42,000 a year to the utility. Simple payback dropped from 4.1 years to 69 days, turning a 24% return into a 540 percent return. Moreover, after the upgrade, the engineers’ average sick leave dropped 25%. Finally, supervisors reported new lighting reduced the number of errors: better quality work was worth $50,000 per year.