Bright Rebates

For commercial and industrial customers

Funding is available for energy-efficient high-bay lighting. Plus, get commercial lighting tax deduction

Tacoma Power’s Bright Rebates program offers incentives for the installation of high-intensity fluorescent lighting fixtures in high-bay locations.  Fixtures must be located 15 feet or higher above the floor.  Rebates are available for both new construction and retrofit applications. The rebate amount is the lesser of: 

• 33 percent of the project’s cost, or 
• The first-year electricity savings calculated at $0.12 per kWh

Retrofit applications require pre-installation verification of energy savings. Tacoma Power staff will work with you to identify savings and optimize your project.

Additional incentives also available for qualifying fixtures with automatic controls.

What is high-bay lighting?

High-bay lighting is used in areas with high-ceilings such as industrial facilities, warehouses, big box stores, supermarkets, and gymnasiums. High-intensity discharge (HID) lighting fixtures are typically used in these locations. Now, you can save 40 percent or more in electricity use with a high-intensity lighting alternative.

What is high-intensity fluorescent (HIF) lighting?

High-intensity fluorescent lighting fixtures typically use high-output T5 or T8 lamps and efficient reflectors to provide superior light output in areas with high ceilings. They have “instant on” capability and are easily controlled by photocells or occupancy sensors.

Savings potential

• Demand savings between 0.2 kW to 0.244 kW per fixture (45 percent to 53 percent demand savings per fixture)
• Annual energy savings (without controls) of 650 kWh to 2,140 kWh per fixture
• Annual energy savings (with controls) of 850 kWh to 2,700 kWh per fixture

Electricity Cost Comparison*

*  Assumptions:  These costs are based on 100 fixtures operating for 12 hours per day for 365 days per year at $0.05/kWh and 30 percent savings for the controls.

To get Commercial Lighting tax deduction

The Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction
EPAct 2005’s new incentive for lighting and building efficiency

Advantages of HIF lighting over HID lighting are:

Instant start-up and re-strike

HIF lighting achieves full output almost immediately. A typical HID can take anywhere from 6 to 15 minutes to achieve full light output. Some building owners and managers leave HID lights on during unoccupied periods to avoid waiting for the lights to re-energize

More control options

Because of instant re-strike, HIF lamps lend themselves to more control options. Some HIF fixtures have built-in occupancy sensor controls, multi-level switching, and true variable dimming with output proportional to energy consumption. HID lights also can dim, but at 30 percent light output they still use 50 percent of their total energy consumption.

Most HIF lamps are rated at 20,000 hours, with some premium HIF lamps rated at 24,000 hours. Using programmed-start ballasts can extend the lamp life even beyond 24,000 hours. Most HID lamps are rated between 10,000 and 20,000 hours.

HIF lamps have about a 2-to-1 efficacy improvement over HID lights when considering the average lamp lumen output. This means that they provide the same lumen output for one-half the wattage.

The newer HIF T5 and T8 lamps only lose about 5 percent of their original lumen output over time. HID lamps lose about 33 percent of their original light output.

The newer HIF T5 and T8 lamps have a CRI between 80 and 86 compared to a CRI of 65 to 70 for HID lamps. HIF lamps have less color shift than the older HID lamps.