Existing Buildings

Optimizing indoor grow lighting to reduce energy usage


Energy Trust’s Business Lighting program offers an array of incentives to help optimize yields while reducing energy usage and costs for indoor agricultural projects. From simple, 1-for-1 replacement projects, all the way to highly customized projects with multiple grow rooms and a variety of lighting strategies, our team is here to support your projects and ensure that high quality fixtures are installed. 

Indoor grow lighting technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the last several years. While growers have traditionally relied on high intensity discharge (HID) products, they come with a high energy cost. Metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps have long been commonplace across the industry, as they offer consistent light and heat profiles that growers have come to rely upon.  

With the evolution of light emitting diode (LED) technology, growers now have an opportunity to utilize products with an enormous lighting spectrum and drastically lower energy usage, all while avoiding excess heat from the lamps that creates additional energy burdens.  

LEDs are now more accessible than ever for growers, despite the lingering myth that they are cost-prohibitive. Prices for this technology have dropped by over 90% since 2008, with products available for all stages of plant growth and cultivation. Coupled with incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon, LED lights for grow operations make more sense than ever! 

If you serve indoor agriculture customers, we encourage you to learn more about available LEDs. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Tom Morin, Senior account manager, at 503.523.9750.