What’s the Right LED Upgrade?

February 2, 2021
Decorative luminaires — San Diego, CA — White Horse Electric

Replacing an incandescent lighting system with LEDs is a great way to cut costs and improve the quality of lighting.


There are two ways that it can happen: by replacing everything with LEDs or retrofitting the luminaires with LED. You can choose between the two based on the application and budget. Here are 4 common scenarios.

1. Decorative Luminaires

Acorn or globe style pedestrian and street lighting is a common sight in historic communities and downtown areas. Places with these decorative lighting are usually reluctant to take down the historic fixtures and upgrading them with LEDs. It’s because these decorative luminaires hold cultural and historical value. If the fixtures are in good condition, it’s best to retrofit them.

2. Parking Lot Lighting

When the fixtures are more utilitarian and don’t hold historical or cultural significance, replacing the entire fixture is better. If the wall mounts or poles in ideal shape, they can stay as they are or can be replaced—it’s not an issue. 

3. Recessed Wall and Step Lighting

Recessed wall or step lighting is usually mounted inside masonry or concrete. Replacing the entire fixture and installing a new backbox would destroy the concrete work and will have to be restored accordingly. The best way to go about it would be by installing an LED retrofit that can gel in with the existing backbox.

4. Linear Lighting

LEDs are an unrivaled champion when it comes to energy efficiency and light quality for linear lighting. You can upgrade your linear lighting in two ways: replace the entire fixture or replace the incandescent bulb with LEDs (tubular LEDs).


LEDs are a cost-effective way to illuminate the space. However, with this option, you’ll get less efficient and poor quality lighting. Moreover, if you have a dimming system installed in your home, it won’t work with LEDs. LEDs are also a fire hazard.



Therefore, it's best to install new lighting specifically made for LEDs. As they are manufactured keeping LEDs in mind, they’ll offer better energy saving, light quality, and thermal management. 

White Horse Electric’s Expert Residential Services in San Diego, CA

Contact White Horse Electric for the best commercial electrical services. Our commercial electricians in San Diego can take care of your electrical appliances and help you avoid any unforeseen, unfortunate events because of fluctuating voltages or faulty wiring. Our licensed electrical contractors also manage industrial and residential projects. 

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Structured Cabling in Industries – Integral or A Waste of Time

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Should you focus on haste when setting up cables for a service at your workplace or is it better to take your time to get things down to the T. Structured cabling might actually be a lot more important than you might imagine and the time you save doing a messy job could cost you in the long run. Here are some things that can go wrong: Random Faults Not having structured cables can result in your data lines going down every now and then. Cables can fall out of their end-points, causing one or multiple people or services to go down. For workplaces, this is extremely detrimental to the workflow and can lead to some significant downtime.  In the worst-case scenario, the cables could be hidden away in such a manner that might require a licensed electrical contractor to come in and do the job, only increasing the duration of the downtime.
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Difference Between Residential and Commercial LED Retrofitting

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Retrofitting is the process of adding new technology to older installations, such as adding a new piece of electronic to a vintage outlet. By using the right kind of mounts and connections, older pieces of machinery and electronics can be utilized and repurposed. LEDs fall into this category as well. But should you consider it for your business?