LEDs & Senior Living Communities: Save Money, Improve Health

Did you know assisted living facilities use more energy per square foot than most other types of facilities? According to a study done by the Department of Energy, 43 percent of the electrical energy used in senior living communities is powering lighting systems alone! When running a facility such as a senior living community, keeping costs low and residents safe is important. LEDs can help these facilities achieve both.

Determining Total Life Cycle Costs for LEDs

One of the great selling points of LEDs is their long lifespan. While costs of LEDs have dropped dramatically in the past several years, they are still more expensive upfront compared to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. So how do you determine if LEDs are the right call for your assisted living community? We’ve got an equation for that!

To determine the total life cycle cost of LEDs, or any form of lighting for that matter, you simply add together the cost to buy and install, the cost of energy to run the lights, maintenance costs and replacement costs. By using this equation with LEDS, fluorescents and incandescent bulbs, you’ll see LEDs are the true winner!

Benefits of LED Lights in Senior Living Communities

LEDs offer a great many benefits, but what do they offer to senior living communities in particular? LED lights were shown to reduce energy usage by 68 percent in corridors and 73 percent at nurses stations. In an experiment at the ACC Care Center in Sacramento, the facility tested tunable lights on residents to help with sleep. They programed the lights to become warmer as they day wore on, until nighttime. The tested group saw a 41 percent reduction in agitation when compared to sleep patterns prior to installation!

In the same ACC Care Center facility, they utilized LED rope and recessed wall lights as night lights for the resident’s rooms. These lights were set to motion sensors and were installed under the beds and about a foot and a half above the floor. This allowed residents to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom without having to turn on bright overhead lights that can disturb sleep patterns. These lights were also placed in restrooms by the grab bars.