3 minute read
LED-to-LED Upgrades: An Emerging Opportunity
from Oct/Nov 2025
By Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP (education director for the Lighting Controls Academy.)
As the replacement of traditional light sources with LEDs slows with market saturation, a new market is emerging— upgrading early-generation LED installations. This shift offers opportunities to achieve higher energy savings, improve lighting quality, and add advanced controls.
With some utilities beginning to offer rebates for these projects, the trend is poised to grow.
The market for upgrading legacy systems to LED has entered the late majority phase. The installed base of LEDs already reached virtual parity with traditional lighting in the commercial sector as early as 2020. In the past five years, LED adoption continued to advance. The remaining market represents the late majority and laggards, which are more difficult to capture.
Upgrading existing LED installations offers a new opportunity. Early LED products were groundbreaking but often limited in quality, controllability, and efficiency compared to what is available today. Modern LEDs deliver better color rendering and consistency, higher efficacy, improved optical distribution, and longer life. Many also include built-in dimming and are designed for compatibility with external controls.
For owners, an LED-to-LED upgrade means improved efficiency, flexibility, and light quality, often with a faster payback when paired with utility rebates. For contractors and distributors, it provides a new opportunity to revisit early adopters and offer solutions as systems approach end-of-life.
Significant energy savings are available. The DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) 2015 and 2020 Technical Requirements reveal performance improvements during that period. Efficacy requirements increased by 20 percent for 4-ft. TLED products, 29 percent for 2x4 troffers, and 50 percent for high-bay luminaires. Replacing older models with newer ones can deliver substantial savings, especially for facilities with long operating hours or high energy costs.
Early adopters in markets such as outdoor lighting, parking garages, downlights, high-bays, and linear systems are now prime candidates for upgrades. Products installed prior to 2018 are especially relevant, as many are approaching end-of-life and beginning to exhibit failures such as lumen depreciation, color shift, or outright failure.
LED-to-LED upgrades are an ideal time to add lighting controls. Modern luminaires are more likely to be controls-ready or equipped with integrated sensors. Options range from basic occupancy sensors to luminaire-level controls and networked systems capable of managing entire buildings or campuses. Pairing upgrades with controls maximizes energy savings, enhances comfort, and future-proofs the system. In many cases, rebate values increase significantly when controls are added.
Utility programs are beginning to recognize LED-to-LED retrofits as a new energy-saving category. In 2025, 27 programs specifically addressed these projects, representing about 6 percent of all incentive offerings. Examples include rebates for TLED-to-TLED conversions, troffer replacements, and high-bay upgrades, often with additional incentives for controls.
Size up the potential in your served markets. When assessing opportunities, key questions include:
• Was the facility’s LED upgrade completed before 2018?
• Are there signs of system degradation such as low light levels or inconsistent color?
• What are the building’s operating hours and energy costs?
• What is the wattage of the current system, and how much could be saved with replacements?
• Are rebates available to help reduce costs?
• Can lighting controls be added to maximize performance?
As first-generation LEDs reach the end of their useful life, LED-to-LED upgrades represent a growing market. These projects can deliver better lighting quality, significant energy savings, and new opportunities for controls integration, supported by a pool of rebates that is likely to expand. For building owners, contractors, and distributors alike, this opportunity is just beginning.
