Common area electricity is often one of the largest expenses on a strata levy. And in many buildings — particularly those 15+ years old — a significant portion of that cost goes to outdated lighting: fluorescent tubes in corridors, halogen downlights in foyers, and incandescent or CFL bulbs in car parks and stairwells running 24/7.
An LED upgrade is one of the few capital improvements that genuinely pays for itself — often within 12-24 months — while making your building brighter, safer, and more attractive.
The Business Case
Let's work through a real-world example for a typical 30-unit Eastern Suburbs apartment building:
Before (Fluorescent + Halogen)
- 60 fluorescent tubes in corridors and stairwells (36W each) running 12 hours/day
- 20 halogen downlights in foyer and lobby (50W each) running 14 hours/day
- 12 car park fluorescent fixtures (72W each) running 24/7
- Annual energy: ~14,500 kWh
- Annual cost (at $0.35/kWh): ~$5,075
After (LED)
- 60 LED tubes (18W each, same light output)
- 20 LED downlights (10W each, better light quality)
- 12 LED car park fixtures (30W each, with motion dimming)
- Annual energy: ~4,200 kWh
- Annual cost: ~$1,470
Savings
- Annual saving: $3,600+
- Reduction: 71%
- Typical upgrade cost: $4,000–$8,000
- Payback period: 12–24 months
After payback, that $3,600+ per year goes straight back into reducing levies or funding other improvements.
Additional Benefits Beyond Energy Savings
- Better light quality — LED provides more even illumination with better colour rendering. Common areas look cleaner and more inviting
- Reduced maintenance — LED tubes and fittings last 25,000-50,000 hours vs 8,000-12,000 for fluorescent. That's years without replacing tubes
- Motion-sensing capability — LED fittings with built-in motion sensors can dim to 10% in low-traffic periods (car parks, stairwells overnight) for additional savings
- Emergency lighting compatibility — LED emergency lights are more reliable and have longer battery life than fluorescent emergency fittings
The Strata Approval Process
- We provide a detailed proposal with current energy analysis, LED specification, expected savings, and ROI timeline
- The proposal goes to the strata committee or AGM for approval (usually a general resolution for common property maintenance)
- Once approved, we schedule the work to minimise disruption — often done in stages over 1-2 days
- We provide before/after energy documentation for your strata records
Manage a strata building with outdated lighting? Call Randwick Electrical on 0413 707 758 for a free energy assessment of your common area lighting.