The Adams Electric Team · 2026-08-12 A commercial lighting retrofit swaps your building’s existing fixtures, lamps, and controls for high-efficiency LED equipment, usually reusing the wiring and mounting you already have where it is safe to do so. For most Hollidaysburg businesses, it is the fastest way to cut a monthly power bill, because lighting is one of the largest electrical loads in any commercial building. Lighting accounts for about 17% (208 billion kWh) of all electricity used in U.S. commercial buildings, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Trim that load and the savings show up on every statement. This guide covers what a retrofit includes, how much a Blair County business can expect to save, what drives the payback, the Pennsylvania Act 129 rebates that offset the cost, and how Adams Electric scopes the work. Adams has wired commercial and industrial buildings across Central Pennsylvania since 1919, so this reflects how the job actually runs on a live site, not a spec sheet. Key Takeaways A commercial lighting retrofit replaces existing fixtures, lamps, and controls with LED equipment, often reusing your current wiring and housings where they are sound. Lighting is about 17% of U.S. commercial building electricity use, so it is usually the highest-return efficiency project a business can start with. ENERGY STAR certified LEDs use at least 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting. Real commercial buildings cut lighting energy use by an average of 54% through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interior Lighting Campaign. Pennsylvania’s Act 129 program has saved the state more than 8.8 million MWh and $6.4 billion since 2009, and utilities such as Penelec and PPL offer rebates that can lower your project cost. Older buildings sometimes need a switchboard or panel upgrade before new circuits or added capacity go in, so a licensed commercial electrician should confirm capacity first. What is a commercial lighting retrofit? A retrofit targets the biggest lighting load first, and in a commercial building that load is significant. Lighting makes up about 17% of all electricity consumed in U.S. commercial buildings, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which is why it is the first thing an electrician looks at when a business wants lower bills. In practice, a retrofit means removing old fluorescent tubes, metal halide, or high-pressure sodium lamps and installing LED fixtures or LED-ready components in their place. Many jobs reuse the existing housings, conduit, and circuits, which keeps cost and disruption down. A full lighting redesign goes further, changing fixture layout and light levels, but a straight retrofit is often enough to modernize an office, store, warehouse, or shop floor. Adams handles this as a dedicated service, Commercial Lighting Retrofits and Design, covering interior troffers, warehouse high-bay fixtures, parking-lot and exterior signage lighting, and security lighting. How much can a lighting retrofit save a Hollidaysburg business? Expect a large cut, not a rounding error. Commercial buildings that upgraded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Interior Lighting Campaign reduced