UV Curing worked example

UV LED Retrofit Payback with retrofit installed cost of 42,500 $: a worked example

This worked example runs the uv led retrofit payback numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: retrofit installed cost of 42,500 $ instead of the typical 85,000 $. Compare a UV LED retrofit's installed cost against the annual mercury energy + lamp + scrap savings to see years to payback.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Retrofit installed cost: 42,500 $ (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85,000)
  • Annual mercury savings: 32,000 $ / yr (held at the documented default)
  • Annual LED maintenance: 2,200 $ / yr (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Net annual savings = annual mercury savings − annual LED maintenance.
  • Years to payback works out to 1.43 years to payback at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Net annual savings works out to 29,800 $ / yr at these inputs.
  • Retrofit installed cost works out to 42,500 $ at these inputs.
  • Five-year net cash position works out to 106,500 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where retrofit installed cost sits at 85,000 $ and the headline result is 2.85 years to payback, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 1.43 years to payback.
  • Use it during capital justification when you have a vendor install quote and a credible estimate of the mercury-lamp operating costs the LED system will displace. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Years to payback: 1.43 years to payback (headline result)
  • Net annual savings: 29,800 $ / yr
  • Retrofit installed cost: 42,500 $
  • Five-year net cash position: 106,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live UV LED Retrofit Payback calculator, set retrofit installed cost to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.