Update: Raleigh Parking Garage Lighting Saving More Than Projected

Last summer, we blogged about a parking garage LED retrofit in Raleigh, North Carolina, the first city to participate in Cree’s LED City program in 2007. Raleigh replaced 144 188-watt high pressure sodium fixtures in a local parking garage with 70-watt LED lamps. Also, many of the LED fixtures were equipped with a photocell sensor that turned the lights off for 12 hours during the daylight hours. After the retrofit, the city surveyed those who used the parking garage frequently, and both men and women said they felt safer in the garage, the quality of light was better, and it was cleaner and easier to maneuver through. At the time, electricity savings were totaling to $2,803 annually, and maintenance savings were totaling to $3,325 annually.

Four years later, we can say that the results of replacing those high pressure sodium lamps with LEDs are positive. If you totaled the two amounts above, annual electricity and maintenance savings equaled to $6,128, but actually, the new lighting is saving the city more than $13,000 per year, doubling the first case study’s savings results! Another important area the city was watching was light degradation over time and operation lifespan. As of now, the city is expecting the lights turned on all day to last more than 50,000 hours, equaling 5.7 years. The lights equipped with power sensors are expected to last 11.4 years. So far, they have not had any problems with LEDs. Since this project, Raleigh has completed about 35 LED indoor and outdoor projects. The city has installed lighting in the mayor’s office and the local performing arts center. Outdoor projects include installations in parking garages, streets, parks, freeway underpasses, landscaping, and pedestrian bridges. These projects have saved Raleigh $225,000 annually!

No Electricity Needed with Solar Powered LED Billboards!

Lamar Advertising, the United States’ largest outdoor advertiser, is looking to install LED billboards with solar panels in the Terrebonne and Lafourche areas of Louisiana. During the sunny daytime hours, the solar panels collect energy, and then power the already efficient LED-lit billboards. In 2008, Lamar Advertising tested this lighting setup in Florida and concluded that the solar panels actually generate more energy than necessary to illuminate the LED billboards. Although the project will cost more than $10 million, by 2012, more than 1,000 billboards in Louisiana will be equipped with both LEDs and solar panels. The vice president of operations of Lamar said they are committed to finishing this project to show people they can make the similar changes in their homes. Lamar is also taking other steps to be “green,” including printing boards on recyclable materials and using ink with less dangerous fumes.

Although many local billboard companies have already given their billboards an “update” by installing LED lights, the billboards are not using solar power. Though already cost-effective, saving on printing costs and nighttime fluorescent lighting, solar panels could be the icing on the cake when it comes to conserving energy. We hope to see more local billboards sporting solar panels and LED lighting in the future!

Texas and Vermont Cities Choose Green Lighting Alternatives

You’ve heard it once, and you’ll hear it again from us: parking garages are some of the biggest energy wasters! Many garages are required to have its lights on all day because there is no outside light coming in from other floors, or for safety and security reasons. For a cheaper, brighter, more unified light, operators of parking garages should switch to LED lighting. Dallas is the first major city to replace five of its parking garage lighting fixtures with LEDs. Dallas city councilman Ron Natinsky said the city has been working on making the city greener, and the reduction in energy and maintenance costs really drove them to consider LED lighting. By replacing lighting at parking garages near the Dallas City Hall, Dallas Public Library, Jack Evans police building, the freight terminal beneath Thanksgiving Square, and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the city of Dallas will reduce energy consumption by 60%, over 1,700,000 kWh. Lumetech already replaced lighting in Dallas County School’s parking lot, which reduces electricity consumption by 505,000 kWh annually. The school will see a savings of $363,000 in maintenance and electricity over the lifetime of the new LEDs.

Vermont is also looking into replacing its parking garage lighting and its street lighting fixtures. The city of Colchester has a ballot initiative on the table right now, and if it passes, LED lighting will be installed on all of the city’s streets. The biggest obstacle the city faces right now, and most other cities do as well, is the initial costs of the lighting. Colchester would need to replace 780 lamps, costing approximately $500,000. On the other hand, the LED lighting would cost the city 70% less than the lamps they have installed now. The city has applied and received a few grants so they will not have to increase taxes, so hopefully they get the support they need! The city of Waterbury already installed more than 60 LED streetlamps in the business district, which is saving the city $3,000 annually.

Retail Financial Crisis: Solved with LED Lighting

The ability to own or lease retail space has really hit the United States hard during the recession, especially in Arizona. Driving around, we see countless empty business spaces. Those who own many of the retail spaces are barely hanging on to their leases, and have cut their budgets and spending habits to the bone trying to stay in the area. According to Retail Traffic Magazine, there is still one more place to cut costs, and that’s lighting! Retail Traffic Magazine says the majority of energy consumption in retail spaces is climate control and lighting, which costs $21 billion. Mark Peternell, vice president of sustainability for Regency Centers Corp. in Florida, says 90% of the energy consumed by his firm is lighting.

LED lighting is the best alternative to incandescent, halogen, and compact fluorescent lighting. LEDs surpass all in efficiency and lifespan. In fact, LEDs are at least five times more efficient than most incandescent lights, and last twenty times longer. Outdoor parking lot lighting is also more efficient, reducing energy consumption by 50% and maintenance by 80%, according to Retail Traffic Magazine. The one thing driving businesses away from purchasing LED lighting is the upfront cost of purchasing the lamps. As a business owner, if you are willing to spend a little money in the beginning, you will reap the benefits over the lifetime of the lamp, thanks to the low level of energy consumption and no maintenance. If you are pinched for money, and own a retail space, consider LED lighting!

Americold Warehouses Save 90% with LEDs

There are millions of warehouses across the globe, many of which operate 24 hours per day. In order to create a safe working environment for employees, there needs to be optimal lighting conditions. Americold warehouses across the country are replacing their metal halide lighting with bright, efficient LED lights. Three Americold warehouses in Massachusetts, Utah, and Wisconsin already had their LED installations completed, and are saving over 90% on energy from a combination of the efficient lighting and occupancy sensors and network controls. The occupancy sensors sense when workers are in a hallway and turn the lights on, and when they detect no movement, the lights dim or turn off. Americold also considered dimmable fluorescent lamps, but the fluorescent lamps were only able to dim to 50% power because the ballast had to stay hot in order to return to full power immediately, when LED lights can turn on and off instantly.

Another problem with the fluorescent lamps is that turning them on and off significantly reduces the lifetime of the lamps, but LEDs aren’t affected as much. The warehouses are also low temperature facilities, and because the LEDs don’t give off heat like the metal halide lamps, the company will also save on air conditioning. The company also considered solar lighting and insulation options to further save on energy, but decided on installing LED lighting because they felt it was a better deal thanks to energy savings, low maintenance, government rebates, and other incentives. LED lighting in the three Americold warehouses is expecting to reduce energy by 2.3 million kWh! Installations will continue in Americold warehouses in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, and Texas. Consider LED lighting for  your warehouse today!

Businesses Going Green May Attract More Customers

Yes, you read that right! Creating a “green” environment for customers is jumping higher on the priority list due to the increasing popularity of sustainability practices in homes and other businesses. Paul Damico, president of Moe’s Southwest Grill, recently changed his business to incorporate more sustainable practices, which has resulted in higher sales, more customers, and great savings on maintenance. Their new restaurant look includes CFL and LED lighting, changes to the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system. Damacio stresses that even though the upfront cost may be high, the changes will ultimately save energy and money. They also offer hormone-free meats, organic tofu and other “green” food practices. A few environmentally friendly changes have gone a long way at Moe’s Southwest Grill.

Greenwala’s “10 Ways to Go Green with Your Business” article gives some ideas to incorporate green business practices into your daily company routine. Check out these five, and then read the rest of the article here.

–          Lighting: We are glad this is number two on the list! Invest in LEDs. They’re so efficient they’ll put cash right back into your wallet. They also have a brighter, more uniform light, so they are less likely to give your employees headaches and gripes. Better lighting also means better looking food for restaurant owners. You don’t want that salad to look like it came out of a bag, do you?

–          Printing: Do you really need to print off that email? Probably not. Printing uses tons of paper and ink. Greenwala suggests organizing your information in Google Docs.

–          Turn the computers off at night: All it takes is hitting that “shut-down” button and you can save energy overnight!

–          Recycle: Keep recycling bins around the office and encourage employees to use them.

–          Upgrade your appliances to ENERGY STAR: If you need a new dishwasher, coffee pot, microwave, or whatever it may be, think about getting an efficient ENERGY STAR product.

Every little change helps the environment. Do your part today!

One Day a Year Isn’t Enough! Participate in Earth Day Every Day!

Earth Day is an exciting time of year for a sustainability-minded company like Relumination. We are happy to report that participation in Earth Day is at an all-time high. Unfortunately one day of participation a year is simply not enough. We need your help every day!

Only 2% of home-owners and one third of businesses actually recycle their used CFLs, according to sustainablebusiness.com while the rest of the population throws them in the garbage. The broken lamps end up in landfills, and approximately four tons of mercury from the lamps are released into the Earth, according to the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers.

The U.S. government passed the Energy Independence and Security Act in 2007 in order to phase out incandescent lamps that consume too much energy. Consequently, the government and other businesses have been promoting more efficient lamps, such as compact fluorescents. CFLs do consume less energy than incandescent lamps, but with one huge problem: they contain enough mercury to contaminate a 6,000-acre lake.

Incandescent lamps are also contributing to mercury emissions. In fact, coal-burning power plants are the number one contributors to mercury emissions, which produce energy for these lamps to run. CFLs are releasing about 10% as much mercury emissions as coal-burning power plants. What can we do to curb these toxic emissions? Sustainablebusiness.com suggests a federal recycling law, like automobile batteries have. The best thing for consumers to do is to put the CFLs back on the shelf and choose LED lighting instead. LEDs don’t contain mercury, consumer far less energy than CFLs, and last three to five times longer!

In the meantime, recycle your CFLs at your local Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, or Ikea.

Happy Earth Day from your friends at Relumination!

The Facts about the Incandescent Lamp “Ban”

In a little less than year, the new incandescent light bulb law will be going into effect. After doing a quick search on the internet, there still seems to be a bit of confusion about what exactly will happen on January 1, 2012 when it comes to incandescent lamps. Will the government be banning the lamps, or will they just not be manufactured anymore, or will they still be allowed in homes? We’re here to shine some light on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with some help from a Seattle Times article titled, “Shedding Light: New Bulb Law Goes Into Effect in 2012.”

The Energy Independence and Security Act was passed in 2007 by President George W. Bush in order to cut electricity consumption in the United States. With the passage of this law, incandescent lamps that consume too much energy will be phased out over the next few years. And using the word “ban” is not accurate, either. The government isn’t necessarily banning incandescent lamps, but just limited the amount of energy they consume. You can keep the ones in your home right now, but you won’t be able to purchase some of them after 2012. This law applies to 40-watt, 60-watt, 75-watt, and 100-watt lamps.

Also, all lamps will have a lighting facts label printed on them, which will start sometime later this year, and you can compare how many lumens are being produced in comparison to other lamps. Don’t be scared off by the prices of the efficient lamps, because they actually end up being cheaper to use! According to the U.S. Department of Energy, incandescent lamps cost $4.80 a year to run, halogens cost $3.50, CFLs cost $1.20, and LEDs cost a measly $1.00! Take this opportunity to replace your incandescent light bulbs with LEDs; it will save you money in the long run!

LEDs Illuminate Popular Chain Restaurants & Help Them Save

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, restaurants consume more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings and are typically lit 16 – 20 hours every day. That’s a lot of energy to be consuming with inefficient incandescent and halogen bulbs. Over the last two years, three nationally known restaurant chains have installed LED lighting and saved thousands, if not millions of dollars! In 2009, Red Robin, a casual dining restaurant known for its gourmet burgers, replaced roughly 12,000 incandescent and halogen lamps with 7-watt General Electric LED lamps. The new LEDs consume 77% less energy and last six times longer than their previous lights, saving Red Robin $120,000 annually. Red Robin also said the LEDs deliver “perfect lighting for a restaurant setting.”

In 2010, Chili’s, an informal Tex-Mex cuisine restaurant, replaced 125,000 of its indoor and outdoor lights with LEDs. At the time, it was the “largest U.S. roll-out of LED lamp technology to date,” said Eco-Story. Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s, said the new lighting will save each restaurant $87 per week for a combined total of $3.7 million each year from its 827 restaurants! Brinker has also said the warm white LED light has also helped with the look and atmosphere of the restaurants.

In the beginning of 2011, Denny’s, a restaurant chain known for being open 24-7 and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day long has installed Cree LR6 LED downlights in all of its new and renovated restaurants. Denny’s in Colorado Springs, Colorado, installed 400 LED lights in the dining rooms in five of its restaurants. These five Denny’s restaurants saved $15,500 annually on energy, with one of the restaurants consuming 6,000 kWh less each month. A LEED-certified Denny’s in Joliet, Illinois, uses LEDs and natural lighting for its restaurant and has reduced energy costs by 83%.

Restaurants, make the switch to LEDs to save and improve customer experience while helping the environment!