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HANDMADEELECTRIC LLC
Metro Detroit

Commercial LED lighting retrofits in Metro Detroit

Handmade Electric retrofits commercial lighting across Metro Detroit in warehouses, retail space, offices, and shops. A retrofit changes what is in the ceiling, and it changes three things at once: what the lighting costs to run, how often someone has to get up there to fix it, and whether people can actually see what they are doing.

A warehouse work area lit by ceiling fixtures, with pallets and staff working below
Scope

What determines the scope

The fixture count is the number everyone asks about first. It is rarely the thing that decides the job.

  • Ceiling height and access

    A twelve foot office ceiling and a thirty foot warehouse ceiling are different jobs at the same fixture count, because the second one needs a lift, more time per fixture, and a plan for working over racking and inventory.

  • Retrofit kit or full fixture replacement

    Sometimes the existing housing stays and the internals are replaced. Sometimes the whole fixture comes out. Condition, age, and what you are trying to achieve on light levels decide which, and they cost differently.

  • What is behind the fixtures

    Existing wiring, ballasts, and switching are frequently the actual work. A space that has been reconfigured several times often has circuits and controls that no longer match how the space is used.

  • Controls

    Occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, and zoning change both the install and how much the lighting actually saves once it is running. A warehouse aisle that is empty most of the day is the clearest case for them.

  • Light levels for the work being done

    A parts counter, a packing bench, a retail display, and a storage aisle do not want the same amount of light. Matching the space to the work is the difference between a retrofit that people are glad about and one they complain about.

  • When it can happen

    Work that has to happen outside operating hours costs differently from work that can happen during the day.

Expectations

What to expect during the work

For a facility manager, the disruption question matters as much as the quote.

  • Work is normally staged by area so the whole building is not down at once, and you keep operating.
  • Areas being worked on need to be clear underneath, particularly where a lift has to get in.
  • Circuits are off in the section being worked on, which sometimes affects more than the lighting depending on how the space is wired.
  • Old lamps and ballasts have to be handled and removed properly rather than left in a dumpster out back.
  • Light levels change noticeably. That is the point, and it is worth walking a finished area before the rest of the building is committed.
  • Any utility rebate programs that apply have their own paperwork and their own requirements, and those requirements can affect which product goes in. Worth raising before the order rather than after.
Process

How the work goes

  1. Step 01

    Walk the space

    Fixture count and type, ceiling height, access, existing circuits and controls, and what work is actually happening under each area.

  2. Step 02

    Scope and quote

    You get the approach, the product, and the cost, including anything in the existing wiring or controls that the retrofit would expose.

  3. Step 03

    Schedule around operations

    Areas, sequence, and hours are planned with you, so the work lands where it costs your business the least.

  4. Step 04

    Install by area

    Section by section, with the old material removed as it goes rather than stacked in a corner.

  5. Step 05

    Walk it before signing off

    Look at the finished areas with the lights on during the hours the space is actually used.

Questions

Common questions

Is an LED retrofit actually worth it?
It comes down to three things. What you currently spend running the lighting, how often someone is on a ladder or a lift replacing lamps and ballasts, and whether the light levels are right for the work. A space running old fixtures long hours, especially with a high ceiling where every lamp change is a production, is where the case is strongest. A small space with a few fixtures on a few hours a day is a much weaker case, and you should hear that.
Can you do the work without shutting down the business?
Usually. Retrofits are normally staged by area so you keep operating while a section is done. Some work needs the circuit off and some areas need to be clear underneath, so the sequence gets planned with you. If a piece genuinely cannot be done during business hours, you will hear that when it is quoted rather than on the day.
What does a lighting retrofit cost?
The fixture count matters less than people expect. Ceiling height and access, whether it is a retrofit kit or a full fixture replacement, the state of the existing wiring and controls, and whether the work has to happen after hours are what actually drive it. It needs someone to walk the space.
Should we add occupancy sensors?
In spaces that are genuinely empty a lot of the time, warehouse aisles, storage rooms, and back of house areas, sensors are usually where the real savings are, because the cheapest light is the one that is off. In a space that is occupied continuously they add cost without much return. It depends on the area, and different areas in one building can go different ways.
What happens to the old fixtures and lamps?
They come out and are handled properly. Older lamps and ballasts have disposal requirements, and that is part of the job rather than something left for you to deal with.
Are there rebates for commercial lighting upgrades?
Utility rebate programs for commercial lighting do exist, and the details, eligibility, and paperwork change over time and vary by utility and by program. It is worth checking what is available before the product is ordered, because program requirements can affect which fixtures qualify. Confirm the current terms with the utility rather than relying on what was true last year.
All commercial work
Serving Metro Detroit

Tell us what is going on

Describe the problem or the project and we will pick it up from there. Handmade Electric works across Metro Detroit on residential, commercial, and industrial electrical, and on Generac home standby generators.

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