Warehouses, distribution and high bay
Fewer, brighter high bays is the most oversold idea in warehouse lighting. Sometimes it is right.
Sometimes that is exactly the job. Sometimes it draws more power and leaves dark aisles. Your ceiling decides, and it takes a tape measure.
Proof, high bay and shop work
Example buildings, real fixture counts, real prices
Two example buildings, drawn at the fixture count I quote
104 fixtures, an example Edmonton shop
94 fixtures, an example dealership showroom
Every square is one fixture. Example buildings at the counts and prices I actually quote, not round numbers.
20.0 kW down to 6.2 kW on a 104 fixture shop, worked in full
Warehouses and high bay shops, shot on the day
Swipe. The high bay work is first. The rest is the same crew on smaller rooms.
Dmitry Naboka, Master Electrician #13824, 14 years in the trade. Co owner Kyle V., Journeyman. Five person crew, no subcontractors. Raydn Renewables has been trading since August 2025.
Who is actually on your roof and in your ceiling5.0 on Google · 70+ verified reviews
What business customers say
Nobody has left us a review on a lighting retrofit yet, so I am not going to show you one. These two are real, from a business customer and a repeat electrical customer.
Swipe sideways for 1 more →
Below the line: bright pools, dark aisles
Above it: fewer, brighter high bays can win
Below the line, flat panels win. Dmitry Naboka, Master Electrician #13824, 14 years in the trade.
Where the watts actually go, high bay
400 W metal halide, what you have
458 W a fixture
The 400 W is the lamp. The ballast adds the rest.
Fewer high bays, 40 at 150 W
6.0 kW total
The pitch everyone leads with.
One for one panels, 104 at 50 W
5.2 kW total
More fixtures, less power, no dark aisles.
Run your own count in the calculator before anyone hangs a fixture.
One for one panels against 400 W metal halide
74 to 74%
less power a fixture
50 W against 458 W at the panel. This is the honest comparison. It is not the fewer fixtures pitch, it is one panel replacing one high bay.
What is normally up there
Three things I find in Alberta warehouses, and they retrofit differently
400 W metal halide high bay
The classic, and about 458 to 465 W each measured at the panel.
Minutes to restrike after a power blip
Probe start holds only about 64 percent of rated lumens in service
The restrike is the part people hate more than the bill. And the room is dimmer than the design ever was.
T5HO strip and high bay
Sold as the efficient upgrade a decade ago. It is the fixture that suffers most in an unheated bay.
60 to 65 W a lamp
A six lamp unit is not far off a metal halide
Worst performer in the cold
I flag T5HO numbers in the calculator as unverified because I have not confirmed them against a primary table yet. I would rather say that than pretend.
T8 troffers in a building that grew
Very common. The office lighting got extended into the warehouse as the business expanded. 110 to 132 W a fixture, hung at 14 ft, lighting the top of the racking instead of the aisle floor.
Great Lakes Energy lighting wattage guideThe high bay decision
The three numbers that decide whether fewer fixtures is right
| What I measure | Fewer high bays works | Fewer high bays is wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Clear ceiling height | Over about 18 ft of open ceiling | Under 18 ft. You get pools and dark aisles. |
| Racking layout | Open floor, or aisles that line up with a wider fixture spacing | Tall narrow racking that shadows the aisle from a spaced out fixture. |
| The arithmetic | Fewer fixtures at higher wattage still lands below your current kW | 40 at 150 W is 6.0 kW and 104 at 50 W is 5.2 kW. Run it before you buy it. |
| Overhead crane or obstruction | Fixtures can be aimed and mounted clear of the travel | Crane rails, ducting or a mezzanine chopping the beam up |
What it costs
Bands, then a site visit
| Path | A fixture | On 40 high bays | Typical payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linear high bay, 165 W class | $490 to $540 | $19,600 to $21,600 | 1.5 to 2.4 years |
| LED tube in the existing troffers, ballast removed | $179 to $215 | $18,616 to $22,360 on 104 fixtures | 1.5 to 2.5 years |
| New LED panel, one for one | $241 to $275 | $25,064 to $28,600 on 104 fixtures | 1.8 to 3.1 years |
What the low bid leaves out on a warehouse
Five things that are true, cost you money, and are missing from almost every warehouse lighting quote
There is no LED rebate in Alberta right now
Energy Efficiency Alberta was wound up in 2020. The Emissions Reduction Alberta Energy Savings for Business program is closed and fully allocated. SEMI is industrial only. If a competitor payback calculation has a rebate line in it, that payback is made up. My calculator has no rebate field, and that is deliberate.
ERA Energy Savings for Business program overviewERA Energy Savings for Business FAQEnergyRates.ca on the wound up Alberta business programThe write off is real, though
Commercial lighting normally lands in capital cost allowance Class 8 at 20 percent declining balance, and Class 8 qualifies for the accelerated first year allowance through 2027. Talk to your accountant about that, not to me. I am an electrician.
CRA capital cost allowance classesThe 347 volt trap, and why the cheap swap stops being cheap
Alberta STANDATA 24-ECB-030 says a luminaire with double ended lamps on a ballast rated over 150 volts to ground, disconnected and reconnected, counts as a new luminaire and needs disconnecting means. It extends that to energy conservation retrofits. Most Alberta warehouses and commercial buildings are 347 volt. So the cheap ballast bypass lands inside that sentence. A new fixture with no double ended lamps does not.
Alberta STANDATA 24-ECB-030Field modifying a certified fixture voids its certification
A proper retrofit uses a certified retrofit product and a new label on every single fixture, per CSA C22.2 No. 250.1, and the retrofit kit has to be certified for the fixture it goes into per STANDATA 24-ECB-002. I price the label. Most low bids do not, and the building owner inherits that at insurance or resale time.
CSA C22.2 No. 250.1Alberta STANDATA 24-ECB-002Fewer, brighter high bays is not automatically less power
40 high bays at 150 W is
6.0
kW
104 flat panels at 50 W is
5.2
kW
The fixture count going down does not mean the load went down.
And under 18 ft of open ceiling you buy bright pools and dark aisles for the privilege. I measure the ceiling with a tape and run both before I recommend either.
Straight answers
What I get asked on warehouses and high bay shops
Should I replace my metal halide high bays with fewer LED high bays?
Only if you have about 18 to 20 ft of open ceiling
and the racking does not shadow the aisles
And only if the arithmetic works
which it does not always
40 high bays at 150 W is
6.0
kW
While 104 flat panels at 50 W is
5.2
kW
I measure the ceiling with a tape and run both before I recommend either.
What does a 400 W metal halide actually cost me to run?
About 458 to 465 W at the panel once you count the ballast, not 400 W. On 40 fixtures at 4,000 hours and 20 cents delivered that is roughly $14,700 a year in power. The lamp rating on the box is not the load.
Why is my warehouse dimmer than it used to be?
Two reasons and they compound. Metal halide fades hard, probe start holds only about 64 percent of its initial rating in service. And if the bay is unheated, open fluorescent loses a large share of its output in the cold. Your eyes tracked down with the room over years so nobody noticed.
Do I need a permit for a warehouse LED retrofit?
Yes. Converting HID or fluorescent to LED is an improvement to the installation, not maintenance. A $28,000 retrofit carries a $405 permit plus a $16.20 Safety Codes Levy on the 2026 Edmonton schedule. That is under 2 percent of the job. There is no honest reason to skip it.
Next step
Book the walkdown
Free. About an hour.You get a written scope with the option prices side by side.
What I measure while I am there
- 1
I count the fixtures
- 2
I meter one
- 3
I put a tape on the ceiling height
- 4
I confirm your supply voltage
- 5
I read your municipal lighting bylaw before I show up
On a warehouse the ceiling height decides the whole recommendation, so I measure it rather than ask you.
Booked. I have your number.
I will call you within 24 hours to set the time. If you want it sooner, call or text me at (780) 904-3462.
I do the walkdown myself. I meter a fixture, count what is actually up there, read your municipal lighting bylaw before I show up, and hand you a written scope with the option prices side by side. No pressure, and no rebate that does not exist.
Dmitry Naboka, Master Electrician #13824, 14 years in the trade