Commercial LED Lighting Retrofit in Vancouver (2026): cost, BC Hydro rebate, and tenant-type scope.

What energy reduction an LED retrofit actually delivers

The savings number depends entirely on what is being replaced. LGD's baseline audit measures the existing fixture wattage and operating hours, projects the LED-equivalent wattage, and produces an annual kWh savings estimate before any spec is finalized.

• T8 fluorescent tubes replaced with LED tubes: 30-40 percent reduction. T8 = 32W typical. LED equivalent = 17-22W typical. Lower-effort retrofit (often plug-and-play in existing T8 sockets).
• T12 fluorescent (older) replaced with LED tubes: 50-65 percent reduction. T12 = 40W typical. LED equivalent = 14-22W.
• Metal-halide high-bay (warehouse / industrial) replaced with LED high-bay: 50-65 percent reduction. 400W metal-halide → 150W LED equivalent. Plus instant-on (vs 10-15 min warm-up for metal-halide).
• HPS (high-pressure sodium) parking lot or exterior replaced with LED: 50-65 percent reduction. Plus better color rendering (LED has 70+ CRI vs HPS at 22 CRI).
• Halogen recessed cans or track replaced with LED equivalents: 60-80 percent reduction. 50W halogen MR16 → 7-10W LED MR16 equivalent.
• Incandescent (rare in commercial but still seen): replaced with LED: 80-90 percent reduction. 60W incandescent → 8-10W LED.
• Adding occupancy + daylight controls on top of LED retrofit: additional 15-30 percent reduction. LED stays off when no occupancy detected and dims when adequate daylight present.

BC Hydro Power Smart rebate process

BC Hydro's Power Smart Express Program is the primary rebate stream for commercial LED retrofits in BC. The structure:

• Step 1: Baseline lighting audit. LGD documents existing fixture count, wattage, lamp type, and burn hours. This is the baseline against which savings are measured.
• Step 2: Qualifying-fixture spec. LGD specifies LED fixtures from BC Hydro's qualified-product list (DLC-listed or BC Hydro-approved equivalent). Non-qualifying fixtures don't trigger rebate.
• Step 3: BC Hydro pre-approval. Submit the audit + proposed spec to BC Hydro. Approved rebate amount is locked before work begins. Typical pre-approval window: 2-4 weeks.
• Step 4: Install. LGD performs the retrofit under the appropriate municipal or TSBC electrical permit.
• Step 5: Post-install verification. Submit installation documentation to BC Hydro. Some projects require a post-install verification visit by a BC Hydro contractor.
• Step 6: Rebate paid. BC Hydro credits the rebate to the customer's BC Hydro account or pays via cheque, depending on project structure. Timing: 4-12 weeks after verification.

Rebate amounts vary by fixture type and replaced wattage. Typical examples (verify current at bchydro.com/powersmart):

• LED T8 tube replacing fluorescent T8: $5-$12 per tube
• LED high-bay replacing metal-halide: $100-$300 per fixture
• LED parking lot / exterior pole-mount replacing HPS: $150-$500 per fixture
• LED recessed downlight replacing halogen or CFL: $15-$40 per fixture
• Occupancy sensor: $20-$80 per sensor
• Daylight harvesting control: $40-$150 per controlled zone

Combined rebate typically offsets 20-40 percent of total retrofit project cost. Higher-impact retrofits (replacing high-wattage HID with LED) trigger higher per-fixture rebates and accelerate payback.

Commercial LED retrofit cost by tenant type (2026)

Cost ranges below are net of BC Hydro Power Smart rebates and include LGD labor, fixtures, controls, permit, and post-install verification.

• Small storefront retail (1,500-3,000 sq ft): $8,000 to $22,000 net. LED tube retrofit on existing T8 fixtures, dedicated POS and merchandising circuits, occupancy controls in fitting rooms, exterior signage power. 3-5 year payback typical.
• Larger format retail (3,000-10,000 sq ft): $20,000 to $60,000 net. Full track and accent lighting redesign, color-accurate (90+ CRI) merchandising lighting, occupancy and daylight controls. 4-7 year payback.
• Gallery (museum-grade): $30,000 to $90,000 net. 90+ CRI track and rail systems, fine-grained Lutron dimmer banks, dedicated artwork-fixture circuits reconfigurable between shows, conditioned climate-control circuits. See South Granville gallery context.
• Restaurant (dining + kitchen): $12,000 to $35,000 net. Front-of-house dimmer-controlled lighting with scene programming, kitchen task lighting (high-CRI for food prep), exterior signage power, walk-in cooler / freezer LED retrofit.
• Office floor (5,000-10,000 sq ft): $15,000 to $45,000 net. LED panel or troffer retrofit in drop ceilings, occupancy controls in private offices, daylight harvesting near perimeter windows, dedicated AV / equipment-room circuits.
• Office tower per-floor (10,000-25,000 sq ft): $35,000 to $90,000 net. Larger floor plate, more fixture count, sometimes paired with structured cabling rough-in and AV equipment-room work.
• Warehouse / industrial high-bay (10,000-50,000 sq ft): $30,000 to $150,000+ net. Replacing 400W or 1,000W metal-halide high-bay with LED equivalent. High per-fixture rebate. 2-4 year payback on high-burn-hour operations.
• Hotel renovation (lobby, hallway, guest room): $20,000 to $80,000 net. Phased per-floor execution, night-shift work in common areas, guest-room electrical bundled with renovation cycles.
• Gym / fitness studio (3,000-8,000 sq ft): $15,000 to $45,000 net. Higher-CRI workout-area lighting, dedicated equipment circuits (treadmill banks, dryer outlets), occupancy controls in change rooms.
• Healthcare / medical office (clinic, dental, lab): $20,000 to $60,000 net. Hospital-grade fixtures, conditioned circuits, integration with UPS-backed lab circuits where applicable.
• Parking lot / parking garage: $25,000 to $100,000+ net. Pole-mount or surface-mount LED replacing HPS or metal-halide. Sky-glow-minimizing cut-off fixtures (FCO) on airport-adjacent properties. See Marpole YVR-adjacent context.
• Strata building common-area (hallway, stairwell, lobby, parkade): $15,000 to $80,000 net. Per common area scope, often paired with EV-readiness work. Strata council approval required before LGD pulls the permit.
• Restaurant kitchen ventilation hood lighting: $1,500 to $5,000 net. Often bundled with broader kitchen renovation electrical.

Where LGD does commercial LED retrofits across Metro Vancouver

Every Metro Vancouver commercial corridor has its own LED retrofit pattern. LGD's per-area context:

• South Granville: Canada's densest commercial art-gallery row, museum-grade 90+ CRI LED. Plus luxury retail along Granville Broadway-to-16th. Color-accurate merchandising lighting essential.
• Downtown Vancouver: Coal Harbour and Yaletown commercial podium spaces, Robson Street retail, Gastown heritage commercial. Heritage Vancouver coordination on signage in Gastown.
• Mount Pleasant: Main Street and Kingsway commercial corridor. Brewery taprooms, restaurants, small storefront retail.
• Hastings-Sunrise: East Hastings commercial between Renfrew and Boundary, plus PNE perimeter. Small storefront retail, neighborhood restaurants, professional services. 1950s-1980s mixed-use commercial.
• Grandview-Woodland: Commercial Drive corridor, restaurant and retail mix.
• Strathcona / Chinatown: Heritage commercial along Pender / Keefer / Gore / Main, traditional markets, restaurants. Heritage Vancouver coordination on facade-affecting signage.
• Marpole: Marpole Village commercial, YVR-adjacent hotel and parking-lot LED with sky-glow-minimizing FCO fixtures.
• Port Moody Brewers Row: BC's densest craft brewery / distillery cluster. Taproom front-of-house dimmer-controlled LED, exterior signage, packaging warehouse high-bay.
• Fairview / Granville Island: Public Market vendors, restaurants, Arts Club Theatre. Federal CMHC land coordination on Granville Island.
• West End Davie Village: Restaurant and bar corridor. Late-night phased execution.
• Cambie Corridor: Broadway-Cambie SkyTrain station retail / hotel. Oakridge Park redevelopment commercial.
• Kerrisdale Village + West 41st: Neighborhood commercial, medical / dental office cluster, restaurants.
• Dunbar Village: Neighborhood retail, pubs, professional services.
• Richmond: Steveston commercial, Aberdeen Centre, suburban-mall retail. Lansdowne and Brighouse SkyTrain-area commercial.
• Burnaby: Metrotown, Brentwood, Edmonds commercial. High-bay industrial along Lougheed.
• North Vancouver: Lonsdale Avenue corridor, Lower Lonsdale waterfront commercial, Lynn Valley centre.
• West Vancouver: Ambleside, Dundarave, Park Royal mall area commercial.
• New Westminster: Columbia Street, Uptown, River Market commercial.
• Coquitlam / Port Coquitlam: Coquitlam Centre area, suburban-mall and street commercial.
• Surrey: Guildford, Newton, Cloverdale, Fleetwood commercial. South Surrey big-box.
• Delta: Ladner and Tsawwassen commercial, Tsawwassen Mills mall area.
• Langley: Willowbrook mall area, urban core retail, 200 Street corridor commercial.
• White Rock: Marine Drive promenade restaurants, Johnston Road commercial, US border-zone hotels.

Retrofit types by replacement category

• Tube-replacement (T8/T12 fluorescent to LED tubes). Lowest-effort retrofit. Many newer LED tubes are plug-and-play in existing fluorescent sockets (with the existing ballast). Some require ballast bypass (removing the ballast and wiring direct line voltage); LGD pulls a permit for ballast bypass.
• Fixture-replacement. Full LED fixture replacing the entire legacy fixture. Higher cost but typically better optics, integrated drivers (no separate ballast to fail), and better long-term reliability.
• High-bay replacement. Metal-halide or HPS high-bay in warehouses and industrial replaced with LED high-bay. Highest per-fixture rebate, fastest payback, biggest energy delta.
• Recessed / downlight retrofit. Existing halogen or CFL recessed cans replaced with LED retrofit modules. Faster than full housing replacement. Common in office, retail, hospitality.
• Track lighting retrofit. Halogen or CFL track heads replaced with LED equivalents. Critical in galleries, museum, retail. 90+ CRI spec.
• Exterior pole-mount / wall-pack retrofit. HPS or metal-halide exterior replaced with LED. Sky-glow-minimizing FCO fixtures on airport-adjacent and dark-sky-sensitive properties.
• Emergency / exit lighting retrofit. Legacy incandescent exit lights replaced with LED, often paired with self-contained battery backup. CEC Section 46 compliance.
• Outdoor signage retrofit. Neon and incandescent signage replaced with LED. Aesthetic considerations matter (preserving original look).
• Control system upgrade. Adding occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting, scheduling, dimmer systems on top of the LED retrofit. Often the highest-ROI portion of the project.

Control system options

Controls are the multiplier on the base LED retrofit. Adding controls typically adds 15-30 percent additional energy reduction.

• Occupancy sensors. Switch lights off (or dim) when no occupancy detected. Most cost-effective in private offices, washrooms, storerooms, conference rooms.
• Daylight harvesting. Dim lights based on ambient daylight at the fixture. Highest ROI on perimeter zones near windows and skylights.
• Scheduling. Lights on / off / dimmed according to schedule. Standard for retail (open / close times), offices (work hours), hospitality (common-area cycles).
• Manual dimming. Wall dimmer for occupant control. Common in conference rooms, restaurants, hospitality common areas.
• Lutron commercial systems. Quantum and Vive lines for commercial. Higher-cost premium spec with scene programming, app control, integration with building automation. Common in gallery, luxury retail, high-end office.
• nLight / Acuity Brands. Mid-tier commercial control system, common in office and retail.
• Wireless mesh systems. Easier retrofit in existing buildings (no new control wiring). Synapse, Casambi, Wattstopper wireless lines.
• DALI digital addressable lighting. Higher-end commercial standard for individually addressable fixtures. Common in larger office and hospitality.
• Building automation integration. Lighting controls integrated with HVAC, security, AV through BACnet or other building management system protocols.

Payback analysis methodology

LGD provides a written payback analysis on every LED retrofit quote. The calculation:

• Baseline annual lighting kWh. Fixture count × fixture wattage × annual burn hours.
• Projected annual lighting kWh post-retrofit. Same calculation with LED wattages.
• Annual kWh savings. Baseline minus projected.
• Annual dollar savings. kWh savings × BC Hydro commercial rate (currently ~$0.087-0.115 per kWh depending on commercial rate class, verify current rate).
• Add HVAC offset. LED produces less heat than fluorescent / halogen, reducing cooling load. Adds 5-15 percent additional energy savings on air-conditioned spaces.
• Add reduced bulb-replacement labor. LED lasts 50,000-100,000 hours vs fluorescent 20,000 vs halogen 2,000-3,000. Reduced replacement labor adds savings depending on access difficulty (high-ceiling warehouses save the most).
• Net project cost. Project quote minus BC Hydro Power Smart rebate.
• Simple payback. Net project cost / annual total savings.

Typical Vancouver results:

• Warehouse high-bay retrofit (24/7 operation): 2-4 year payback.
• Hotel common-area + guest room (continuous occupancy): 3-5 year payback.
• Restaurant (extended evening hours): 3-5 year payback.
• Retail (12-14 hour daily operation): 3-6 year payback.
• Office (8-10 hour weekday operation): 5-8 year payback.
• Strata common-area (mostly off-peak): 6-9 year payback. (Lower but still worthwhile because of reduced maintenance access cost in tall buildings.)

Permit requirements for LED retrofits

Most commercial LED retrofits require a City of Vancouver, City of Surrey, City of Burnaby, City of Coquitlam, or Technical Safety BC electrical permit. Specific triggers:

• Permit required: Ballast bypass (removing fluorescent ballast and wiring direct line to LED). Fixture replacement (existing housing removed, new LED housing installed). New circuits added. Control system rewiring or installation. Common-property work in strata buildings.
• Permit not typically required: Lamp-only swap in existing socket (plug-and-play LED tubes in existing T8 sockets with existing functional ballast). Same-watt screw-in lamp replacement (incandescent to LED A19 in residential socket).
• Documentation for inspection: Fixture spec sheets, ballast bypass procedure documentation, control system wiring diagram, BC Hydro Power Smart rebate paperwork.

See the Vancouver vs TSBC permit guide for the per-jurisdiction breakdown and the electrical permit cost guide for fee schedules.

Where commercial LED retrofits get tricky

• Existing ballast compatibility. Some LED tubes only work with the existing fluorescent ballast (Type A). Some require ballast bypass (Type B). Some need an LED-specific driver (Type C). Spec correctly or risk premature fixture failure.
• Dimming compatibility. Not all LEDs dim smoothly. Lighting designer specifies dimmer + driver compatibility list; LGD installs.
• Color temperature matching across an existing space. Replacing only some fixtures creates inconsistent color across the space. LGD specifies CCT (color temperature) to match existing or plans full-space retrofit.
• CRI requirements vary by tenant type. Gallery / luxury retail: 90+ CRI minimum. Standard office / warehouse: 80 CRI acceptable. Spec depends on what the lights illuminate.
• BC Hydro Power Smart pre-approval timing. 2-4 weeks pre-approval window. Don't start work before approval or rebate may be denied.
• After-hours phased execution. Operating retail, restaurants, and hospitality require night-shift execution. Quote and schedule accordingly.
• Heritage Vancouver coordination on signage retrofits. Gastown, parts of Chinatown, parts of Strathcona, some Shaughnessy commercial. Heritage Alteration Permit required on exterior signage changes.
• Strata council approval on common-property retrofits. 60-90 day approval cycle typical, 30-60 days on newer buildings with established lighting policies.
• Disposal of replaced fixtures. Fluorescent tubes contain mercury and must be disposed of through licensed handlers (LightRecycle BC). LGD handles disposal as part of the project package.
• Multi-trade coordination on whole-building retrofits. HVAC, security, AV, building automation often touched simultaneously. LGD coordinates the electrical sequence.

LGD process for a commercial LED retrofit

• 01 Site walk-through and baseline lighting audit.
• 02 Fixture spec, control system design, payback analysis in writing.
• 03 BC Hydro Power Smart pre-approval application.
• 04 Permit application (City of Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Coquitlam municipal, or TSBC).
• 05 Installation. After-hours phased execution where required.
• 06 Post-install BC Hydro verification.
• 07 Final inspection. Certificate of inspection or letter of completion.
• 08 BC Hydro rebate credit confirmation.
• 09 Disposal of replaced fixtures through LightRecycle BC.

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