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Lighting & energy retrofits.

LED conversions, controls, and photometric design that lower operating cost and improve the light itself—self-performed across Texas commercial, warehouse, and retail properties.

Overview

Lower the bill, raise the light level.

Pillars Electric retrofits commercial, warehouse, and retail lighting systems across Texas—LED conversions, lighting controls, and photometric design that cut operating cost and, just as importantly, improve the quality of light in the space. The savings only matter if the building works better afterward; we design and install with both numbers on the table.

Most of our retrofits are in occupied buildings. Warehouses that can’t go dark, retail centers that can’t close, parking lots that have to stay lit for security and the lease. We phase the work around operations, schedule lift access around the people who use the space, and keep temporary lighting where code or safety calls for it.

We also do the controls and the rebate paperwork—not just the fixture swap. That’s where the actual energy savings compound, and it’s where most quick-turn retrofits leave money on the table. Our standard is the same as every other scope we run: code-compliant, inspection-ready, on schedule.

What’s Included

Fixtures, controls, and the paperwork.

01

LED fixture conversion

Full fixture replacement and lamp-and-driver retrofits across interior, high-bay, and exterior applications—DLC-listed product where the rebate program requires it.

02

Lighting controls & occupancy sensors

Occupancy and vacancy sensors, daylight harvesting, dimming, time-of-day schedules, and networked control systems sized to how the space is actually used.

03

Photometric design

Foot-candle modeling and layout against the owner's target light levels, IES recommendations, and the local energy code—documented before fixtures are ordered.

04

High-bay lighting

Warehouse and distribution high-bay conversions sized for mounting height, rack layout, and aisle pattern—with controls that knock idle aisles back automatically.

05

Exterior & parking-lot lighting

Pole-mount, wall-pack, canopy, and area lighting—with photocell, time-clock, and lighting-control integration to meet site security and lease requirements.

06

Emergency & egress lighting

Emergency fixtures, exit signs, inverters, and battery backup brought up to current code as part of the retrofit—tested and documented, not deferred.

07

Utility-rebate coordination

Pre-qualification, pre-approval applications, post-install documentation, and rebate-check follow-through with CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, and ERCOT-area utilities.

08

Legacy fixture removal & disposal

Demolition of fluorescent, metal-halide, and high-pressure sodium fixtures—with ballast and lamp recycling handled per environmental requirements.

How We Approach It

Audit the space before you spec the fixture.

It starts with an audit. A walk-through with the operations team, fixture-by-fixture counts, existing wattage and burn-hours, control inventory, and a quick light-level reading on the floor. The audit is what makes the savings calculation real—and what tells us whether the existing layout works once the fixtures change.

Then the photometric plan. We model the proposed layout against the target light level for the space—warehouse aisle, retail sales floor, parking lot—and tune fixture count, lumen output, and spacing before the order goes in. The goal is not just “LED”; it’s the right LED in the right spot.

Install is phased around operations. Warehouses keep running. Stores keep selling. We work zone by zone, schedule lift work for off-hours where it has to be, set up temporary lighting where we’ve pulled the old fixtures, and coordinate with the building’s ops team every morning of the build.

Controls get commissioned, not just installed. A retrofit that drops in LED but never sets the occupancy time-outs or daylight setpoints saves a fraction of what was modeled. We walk the controls, set the schedules and sensors, demo the system to the owner’s team, and confirm the savings story before turnover.

Then we close out the rebate. The post-install documentation, the photos, the spec sheets, the invoices—packaged in the format the utility wants and pushed through to the rebate check. We treat the rebate as part of the deliverable, not a thing the owner has to chase later.

What It Depends On

Cost and scope drivers.

Fixture count & type

Total fixture count and the technology being replaced—high-bay, troffer, exterior pole—set most of the material cost.

Controls scope

Standalone sensors vs. a networked control system with dashboards is a meaningful step in both install hours and product cost.

Ceiling height & access

Lift size, rack-aisle access, and after-hours scheduling shape labor hours far more than the fixtures themselves.

Rebate availability

Whether the utility's rebate program is funded for the year—and which fixtures are pre-qualified—changes both spec and payback.

1M+
SF Powered
5,000+
Units Wired
10+
Years Building
Related

Where this work shows up.

Questions

What owners and facility managers ask.

What's the typical payback or ROI on a commercial lighting retrofit?+
Most warehouse and retail LED retrofits land in a 2 to 4 year simple payback window once utility rebates and operating-cost reductions are factored in. Older T8/T12 fluorescent or metal-halide replacements with controls move faster than that; spaces already on LED stretch longer.
Do you handle the utility rebate paperwork?+
Yes. We pre-qualify fixtures against the utility's rebate program, file the pre-approval application, submit invoices and post-install documentation, and follow the rebate through to the check. CenterPoint, Oncor, AEP, and ERCOT-area utilities each have their own forms—we know them.
Can you retrofit an occupied space without shutting it down?+
Yes. Almost every retrofit we do is in an operating building. We phase the work area by area, schedule around shifts and store hours, use lift access plans that respect the occupants, and keep temporary lighting in place wherever code or safety requires it.
Do you do the lighting controls as well as the fixtures?+
Yes. Controls are where the energy savings actually compound. We install and commission occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting, dimming, time-of-day scheduling, and networked control systems—then verify they work the way the design intended, not just that the breaker's on.
Texas & Gulf Coast

Send us the fixture count.

A walk-through, a fixture schedule, or a utility bill—whatever you have. We’ll model the retrofit and follow up fast.