Commercial Office Retrofit Case Study

Eastern Pennsylvania Clinical Research Company

A major clinical research company with offices in the greater Philadelphia, PA region renovated their entire 50,000-square-foot office, modernizing the workspace by partnering with an OEM to integrate control-ready fixtures and wireless network controls.

 Problem 

The end-user’s old office space relied on outdated fluorescent troffers and PL lamp downlights. Employees regularly complained about brightness, flickering, and a total lack of dimming capabilities in their workspace. Furthermore, light switches were improperly placed and grouped, causing too many lights to turn on at once rather than illuminating only occupied areas. Lights were also frequently left on inadvertently overnight. All of these factors contributed to high electrical consumption and highly inefficient lighting use.

Solution

To solve these challenges, the end-user hired National Energy Solutions Inc. (NES). Working through Rexel Energy Solutions, NES sourced control-ready LED fixtures embedded with MeshConnect’s modular USB-C architecture to retrofit the entire workspace. The project scope involved replacing approximately 300 fluorescent troffers with control-ready retrofit kits.

Because each fixture featured our integrated USB-C port for seamless plug-and-play adaptation of sensors and nodes, the installation significantly reduced electrical labor related to wiring controls. Additionally, approximately 200 downlights were upgraded to color-selectable universal downlights, with many tied into network control via network power packs and ceiling-mounted sensors. Standalone Bluetooth wall switches were also added to provide intuitive local control for individual offices and common areas.

 Results 

The entire workspace was organized into 4 discrete zones, each comprising multiple groups of retrofit fixtures and downlights. Individual offices and smaller common areas utilized wireless sensors featuring occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting capabilities. As a result, office lights automatically turn on when an employee enters and dynamically dim or brighten based on ambient natural light entering the room. Personalized wall switches allow occupants to easily override programmed dimming levels. Notably, an employee who previously suffered from light sensitivity and relied on a desktop lamp is now able to comfortably dim the overhead fixtures directly in his office.

For larger common areas, NES deployed wireless nodes that enabled fast, wireless grouping of multiple fixtures, supporting scheduling, high-trim adjustments, and customized scenes entirely without the need for traditional 0-10V low-voltage wiring. The color-selectable downlights also provided the flexibility to tailor color temperatures across different working zones.

Beyond the baseline LED conversion—which is estimated to save approximately 250,000 kWh (saving ~$25K in annual electrical costs)—the effective integration of high trim, occupancy detection, and daylight harvesting yields an additional 30–35% in energy savings.