Lighting Systems
Cut Your Lighting Energy Bill in Half.
Fluorescent and HID lighting systems were designed around the technology available when they were installed. That technology is now significantly outpaced by LED — in energy efficiency, lamp life, light quality, and maintenance costs. Every month a commercial building continues running older fixtures is a month of higher utility bills and ongoing lamp and ballast replacement costs that LED eliminates entirely.
Loch Monster Electric manages the full retrofit process across the Twin Cities Metro — fixture selection, installation, and rebate documentation for utility services— so you capture the energy savings and the available incentives without having to coordinate multiple vendors.
Fluorescent and HID fixtures do not fail all at once — they degrade gradually. Lamps dim before they burn out, ballasts start cycling and humming before they fail completely, and the light output of a fixture running aging lamps is often significantly lower than what the fixture was originally rated for. By the time fixtures are failing regularly, the system has typically been running below specification for some time. A full LED retrofit replaces the degrading components with fixtures that carry rated lifespans of 50,000 to 100,000 hours, eliminating the recurring cost of lamp and ballast replacements for years. The payback period on most commercial LED retrofits is two to four years through energy savings and eliminated maintenance alone.
LED fixtures draw 40 to 60 percent less power than the fluorescent or HID systems they replace, delivering the same or better light levels at a fraction of the energy cost. For a commercial building running lights 10 to 12 hours a day, that reduction shows up on every utility bill from the day the retrofit is complete. Utility services may offer commercial LED rebates that offset a meaningful portion of the upfront project cost. We document all replaced fixtures, calculate the qualifying wattage reduction, and prepare the rebate application so you receive every dollar the program makes available — without having to navigate the paperwork yourself.
Magnetic ballasts in older fluorescent fixtures operate at 60 Hz — the same frequency as the AC power supply — which produces a flicker that is below the threshold of direct perception but affects visual comfort over the course of a workday. Failing ballasts and aging tubes make this worse, and the color rendering of older fluorescent technology shifts as lamps age, making spaces look dingier than they actually are. Modern LED fixtures eliminate ballast-driven flicker entirely and maintain consistent, high color-rendering-index light output across the full rated life of the fixture. For workplaces where visual comfort and accurate color matter — offices, retail, food service, medical — the difference is noticeable immediately after installation.
Want An Led Retrofit?
Who We Are
Time And Materials Pricing—So You Only Pay For What Your Job Actually Needs.
Licensed And Insured Electricians Who Treat Your Home Or Building With Respect
Clear Communication—We'll Walk You Through What We're Doing And Why
Local Folks Who Care About Doing Things The Right Way—Not Just The Fast Way
LED fixtures typically use 40 to 60 percent less energy than the fluorescent or HID systems they replace. On top of that, LED lamp life — typically 50,000 to 100,000 hours — means lamp and ballast replacements largely disappear as a maintenance cost. For most commercial buildings, the combined energy and maintenance savings produce a payback period of two to four years.
A retrofit kit replaces the internal components of an existing fixture — the ballast, lamp, and sometimes the reflector — while keeping the existing housing in place. A full fixture replacement removes the old housing entirely and installs a new LED fixture. Retrofit kits are faster and lower-cost, but they depend on the existing housing being in good structural condition and compatible with the retrofit components. Full replacements are the better long-term option for fixtures with corroded or deteriorating housings. We assess each fixture type during the initial walkthrough and recommend the approach that makes the most sense for your building.
LEDs use significantly less energy and last much longer than traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs. Beyond the cost savings, LEDs produce very little heat, which reduces the load on your air conditioning. We install dimmable LED systems that allow you to customize the mood and color temperature of any room.
In most cases, yes. LED retrofits are typically done section by section through the facility, keeping the majority of the space operational while work proceeds in one area at a time. For spaces that genuinely cannot tolerate any lighting downtime — surgical suites, 24-hour manufacturing floors — we can discuss the approach with you before the project starts so the schedule fits your operation.
It depends on the scope of work. A straight lamp-for-lamp replacement using plug-in retrofit kits generally does not require a permit. Work that involves modifying circuits, changing fixture types, or adding controls typically does. We pull permits where they are required and coordinate the inspection, so the work is documented correctly and there are no issues if the building is inspected or sold later.
Why Choose Us
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GOOGLEOur Electrical Services
From panel upgrades and rewiring to EV chargers and modern lighting, we help homeowners keep their electrical systems safe, reliable, and ready for their unique life inside.
From office buildouts and lighting retrofits to panel upgrades and code compliance, we keep your business powered and protected.
We work with HOAs and property managers to keep common areas, amenities, and residential units safe and up to code.
Where We Work
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