Planning a lighting upgrade for 2027? Apply before you sign anything

Q4 is when many Ontario facility managers lock in next year's capital budget. If a lighting upgrade is on that list, the order you do things in matters as much as the fixtures you pick.

Here's the one rule that catches people, and four decisions to make around it.

The rule: apply before any binding commitment

Save on Energy's Retrofit program asks you to submit your application, and accept the participant agreement, before you enter into a binding commitment. Save on Energy gives three examples: a purchase order issued, a contract signed with a service provider, or equipment purchased, including equipment ordered but not yet paid for.

You can start work once the application is submitted. But if you start before it is pre-approved, Save on Energy says you risk a lower incentive, or the project not being approved. Pre-approval is the formal notice that your project is eligible and you can go ahead.

Save on Energy incentives cover up to 50% of eligible project costs. That makes the order of steps worth getting right.

Decision 1: Lamps, fixtures or controls?

A lamp swap is the cheapest start. New fixtures last longer and usually perform better. Controls, like motion sensors, schedules and networked controls, cut the hours your lights run. Most sites need a mix. Decide it on a walkthrough, not from a catalogue.

Decision 2: When can the work happen?

Occupied offices, retail and warehouses rarely shut down for a lighting job. Plan around nights, weekends or phased areas, and put that in the scope from day one so the quote matches reality.

Decision 3: What will you measure?

Pick one or two numbers before you start: monthly kWh, lighting hours, or maintenance calls. That's how you'll know the project did what it promised.

Decision 4: Who handles the paperwork?

Applications ask for quotes with model numbers, a list of existing equipment, spec sheets and photos of what's there now. Decide who owns that before procurement starts, so nobody issues a PO while the file is still being built.

The short version

Walk the site. Pick the scope. Apply. Then sign.

Want help sequencing a 2027 lighting project? We'll walk your facility and check what qualifies before you commit to anything. Email info@circuitlighting.ca.

Sources: Save on Energy, Retrofit program FAQs and Pre-Project Submission Checklist (saveonenergy.ca).