The time to switch to high-efficiency lighting

Added on 20 July 2023

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The time to switch to high-efficiency lighting

For years, Resource Innovation Institute (RII) has preached the energy efficiency and productivity benefits of light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. We’ve worked with industry partners, utilities, and policymakers to identify best practices for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and increase the adoption rate of these efficient lighting systems. That work has paid off, as more and more operations continue to adopt LED lighting fixtures for their greenhouse and/or indoor CEA operations.

Now equipped with real-world data and use cases, regulators are developing regulations, standards, and technical requirements that will essentially mandate the use of high-efficiency systems. This means there is no better time for operations still using legacy lighting systems to make the LED leap.

Why LEDs?

CEA operations often operate on tight margins. The cannabis cultivation competition is “cutthroat,” says RII member Thomas Lor, an Engineering & Design Solutions Engineer at Southern California Edison. As a representative of the power utility, he works with many cannabis operations in southern California in developing energy load management plans.

“Compared to 2018, their profit margins have contracted an incredible amount and are continuing to see downward pressure in the face of increasing costs and competition,” he shares. “Now that the initial market boom has kind of subsided, savvier operators are realizing that process efficiencies need to be maximized for a lot of these businesses to remain viable.” He notes that energy bills make up a significant portion of total operating costs, and “doing something as simple as moving to LED lighting technology can help slash your energy bill by 30 to 40%.”