Most commercial buildings in South Florida still have some lighting that was installed a generation ago: fluorescent troffers in the office ceiling, metal halide fixtures in the warehouse, a parking lot lit by heads that take minutes to warm up, and exit signs nobody has looked at since the last fire inspection. Replacing all of it at once is rarely the right answer. The better approach is to rank the options by what they save, what they disturb, and what they need from the building's wiring.
This list ranks eight commercial lighting retrofit types, from the ones most buildings should look at first to the more specialized ones. It is written for owners, property managers and facility teams in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. It is not a list of contractors; if you are looking for one, see our list of commercial electricians in Miami or the wider South Florida electrical contractor list.
How we picked
We ranked each retrofit on four things: how common the existing equipment is in South Florida commercial buildings, how much energy and maintenance it tends to save, how disruptive the work is in an occupied building, and how well the result holds up in heat, humidity, salt air and hurricane season. Where we quote savings figures, they come from U.S. Department of Energy, national laboratory or DesignLights Consortium sources, linked in place. Actual savings depend heavily on the building, the hours it runs and what is being replaced.
1. LED troffer retrofit kits
The 2x4 and 2x2 lay-in troffer is the most common fixture in South Florida offices, medical suites, schools and retail back rooms. A retrofit kit replaces the guts of the fixture, meaning the lamps, ballast and often the reflector, with an LED light engine and driver, while the housing stays in the ceiling grid. That avoids opening up the ceiling around each fixture, which matters in occupied suites and in buildings where disturbing old ceiling materials is a concern.
The Department of Energy's LED troffer retrofit best practices and its application guide to retrofit kits, TLEDs and controls walk through the choice between kits, lamp replacements and new fixtures. Kits generally give a result close to a new fixture, and many are available with dimming drivers that work with the controls further down this list.
South Florida angle: ceiling plenums in humid buildings can be hot and damp. Choose kits and drivers rated for the temperatures above your ceiling, and check for corrosion on old fixture housings before reusing them.
2. Networked lighting controls
Networked lighting controls give each fixture or zone a sensor and a network connection, so lighting can be scheduled, dimmed, trimmed to the right level and reported on from one place. The DesignLights Consortium's study of networked lighting control installations found average energy savings of 49 percent across 194 buildings, while stressing that results are highly site-specific.
The best time to add networked controls is during a fixture or kit retrofit, because the driver and sensor go in at the same time. Adding them later means going back to every fixture.
South Florida angle: for buildings that run long hours, such as hotels, hospitals and retail, the reporting side helps facility teams spot fixtures left on overnight and zones lit for no one.
3. Occupancy and vacancy sensors
Occupancy sensors turn lights on when someone enters and off after the space empties; vacancy sensors require a person to switch lights on and only turn them off automatically. They are the simplest control upgrade for restrooms, storage rooms, break rooms, private offices and conference rooms. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that occupancy sensors are far more common in large buildings than in smaller ones, which means many small and mid-size South Florida buildings still have room to add them.
A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory meta-analysis of lighting controls gave 24 percent as the best estimate of average savings from occupancy strategies, and 38 percent where several control approaches are combined.
South Florida angle: in open offices and warehouses, sensors need the right coverage pattern; a sensor that cannot see a person behind shelving will switch lights off on them.
4. Daylight harvesting
Daylight harvesting uses photosensors to dim fixtures near windows and skylights when enough daylight is coming in. South Florida has plenty of sun, and many offices, showrooms, schools and lobbies have large glazed walls, so the fixtures in the first rows from the windows can often run at reduced output for much of the day.
It requires dimming drivers and a sensor per daylight zone, so it pairs naturally with a troffer retrofit or a networked controls project. The same LBNL meta-analysis gave 28 percent as its best estimate of average savings from daylighting strategies.
South Florida angle: tinted and low-e glass, common on South Florida buildings, transmits less daylight than clear glass, so the sensor settings need to be tuned on site rather than left at factory defaults.
5. LED high-bay fixtures
Warehouses, gyms, big-box retail and manufacturing spaces are often lit by metal halide or fluorescent high-bay fixtures. Replacing them with LED high-bays is usually one of the most visible retrofits: LEDs turn on instantly instead of warming up, and they are available with built-in occupancy sensors so aisles can dim when they are empty.
When comparing products, many owners use the DesignLights Consortium Qualified Products List, which many utility programs use to decide which fixtures qualify for incentives. Our warehouse and industrial electrical page covers the wider scope for these buildings.
South Florida angle: un-air-conditioned warehouses get very hot near the roof deck. Check each fixture's ambient temperature rating against the conditions at mounting height.
6. Parking lot and pole lighting
Parking lots and garages run their lights for long hours every night, so they are often the quickest retrofit to pay back. LED area lights and garage fixtures, often with dimming or motion controls, replace metal halide and high-pressure sodium heads and reduce the number of lamp changes done from a lift.
South Florida angle: a pole is designed for a certain fixture weight and wind area. In hurricane country, confirm that a new head and bracket are within the pole's rating before swapping, and inspect the pole base and anchor bolts for corrosion while the lift is on site. Coastal properties should choose fixtures with finishes suited to salt air.
7. LED exit signs and emergency lighting
Exit signs are lit every hour of every day, so old incandescent or fluorescent signs are an easy target. The Department of Energy has federal energy conservation standards for illuminated exit signs, and current LED signs use a small fraction of the power of the older types. Many buildings replace exit signs and emergency lighting units together, since both run on batteries that age out.
South Florida angle: this is life-safety equipment inspected by the local fire marshal, and battery units should be tested on a schedule. Heat and humidity shorten battery life, so plan for replacements. Our life-safety electrical systems page explains the electrical side.
8. Tubular LED lamps (TLEDs)
TLEDs are LED tubes that replace fluorescent tubes in the existing fixture. They are the lowest-disruption option, but they come in types that matter for safety and maintenance. The Department of Energy's retrofit application guide explains that Type A tubes run on the existing ballast, Type B tubes are wired to line voltage with the ballast bypassed, and Type C tubes use a separate external driver. Mixing Type A and Type B lamps in one building can put line voltage where a ballast-compatible lamp is expected, so a building should standardize on one approach and label the fixtures.
We rank TLEDs last not because they do not save energy, but because a kit or fixture retrofit usually gives a better long-term result, better dimming options and fewer mismatched parts in the stockroom.
South Florida angle: ballast-compatible tubes inherit the age and failure rate of old ballasts, which run hot in un-air-conditioned spaces.
Codes and permits in Florida
Florida's energy rules for commercial buildings are in the Energy Conservation volume of the Florida Building Code. According to the Building Codes Assistance Project summary of the 8th Edition (2023), the energy code took effect on 31 December 2023 and is based on the 2021 IECC, with an ASHRAE 90.1-2019 compliance path for commercial buildings. A lighting project large enough to count as an alteration can bring the new work under the code's lighting power and control requirements, so ask your designer or building department early whether yours does.
Most commercial lighting retrofits that change wiring, add controls or replace fixtures need an electrical permit. Our page on commercial electrical permits explains what building departments usually look for.
Frequently asked questions
Should I retrofit fixtures or replace them?
If the housings are in good condition and the ceiling layout works, retrofit kits are usually the better value. If the fixtures are corroded, damaged, or in the wrong places for how the space is used now, new fixtures make more sense.
Can lighting controls be added without replacing fixtures?
Room-level occupancy sensors at the switch can be added on their own. Dimming, daylight harvesting and networked controls usually need compatible drivers, which is why they are best done with a fixture or kit retrofit.
Can the work be done while my business is open?
Usually, yes. Retrofits are typically phased room by room or done after hours so the space stays usable. Talk through the sequence with your contractor before the work starts.
Does KRW Electric do commercial lighting retrofits?
Yes. KRW Electric installs commercial lighting controls and LED retrofits as well as general lighting installation, and handles the permit and inspection on its jobs. For ongoing upkeep see our preventive maintenance service.
Plan your retrofit
A lighting retrofit is easiest when it starts with a walk-through: what is installed, how each space is used, and what the building's circuits and panels can handle. If you manage a commercial property in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach, get in touch with KRW Electric and we will help you work out which of these upgrades fits your building first. More on our commercial work is on the commercial electrical services page.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
