Commercial Lighting Installation & Retrofitting in Santa Monica

LED fixtures use 70-80% less energy than older incandescent or fluorescent systems, cutting your lighting electricity costs dramatically. They last 25,000-50,000 hours (versus 1,000-10,000 for older tech), so replacement and labor costs drop significantly. LEDs deliver superior color rendering for retail near the Promenade or restaurants off the Pier, making products and food look more appealing. Dimming is smooth and silent with modern drivers. The combination of energy savings, longer life, and better light quality typically delivers ROI in 2-4 years.

Phased upgrades work well if your budget is tight. We can target high-use areas (dining rooms, retail floors) first, then add support spaces, offices, and hallways later. Phased work minimizes disruption to customers and staff. We design infrastructure (conduit, panel capacity, control wiring) to support future additions, so later phases install faster and cheaper. For multi-tenant buildings on Wilshire, phasing lets each tenant upgrade on their own timeline without coordinating a building-wide project.

Networked controls (0-10V, DALI-2, Bluetooth Mesh) let you schedule scenes, dim automatically based on time or occupancy, and adjust brightness from any device. Daylight harvesting sensors in perimeter zones reduce lighting when natural light increases (useful with Santa Monica's variable marine layer). Task tuning, scene control, and occupancy sensors cut energy 20-30% beyond the LED savings alone. We integrate with building management systems (BACnet, APIs) so you can monitor energy across your entire portfolio and respond remotely.

Every project must meet California Title 24 lighting power density limits and controls requirements. We calculate power density by space type, design controls to meet mandatory measures (occupancy/vacancy sensing, dimming), and handle all City of Santa Monica submittals. We use certified technicians to perform Lighting Controls Acceptance Testing, documenting that your system operates per code. Our packages include fixture cut sheets, control diagrams, and as-builts. You get complete compliance documentation and a smooth City inspection process.

Salt fog corrodes standard aluminum housings and wiring, shortening fixture and control lifespan. We specify 316 stainless steel or powder-coated aluminum housings, silicone gaskets, sealed drivers, and UV-resistant lenses to withstand coastal conditions. Interior fixtures use high-CRI LEDs (90+) with low glare for retail and hospitality. All wiring is copper, properly supported per seismic code, and terminations are torqued to spec. These marine-grade materials cost 15-25% more but extend fixture life by 5-10 years in our environment.

Most retail and restaurant retrofits complete in 1-3 days depending on scope. We schedule around your operating hours—early mornings, late evenings, or weekends—so customers and staff experience minimal disruption. Pre-planning includes fixture layout, control programming, and testing so installation day is smooth. Once fixtures and controls are installed, we commission the system (verify operation, tune settings, train staff) in 2-4 hours. You're back to normal operations with energy savings and improved light quality immediately.