As reported in Environmental Leader
Retail stores such as Timberland and Basset Home Furnishings are realizing the cost and environmental benefits of switching from traditional store lighting to LED lights.
Retail stores such as Timberland and Basset Home Furnishings are realizing the cost and environmental benefits of switching from traditional store lighting to LED lights.The Timberland Company has saved approximately $100,000 in electricity costs ten months after it partnered with Eco-Story to develop LED lighting track lights for its retail stores. Eco-Story developed special LED track lights for the footwear and apparel maker’s 50 retail stores across the United States.
Depending on each store’s location and size, Eco-story replaced up to 150 50- to 90-watt halogen spotlights per store with 10-watt Par 30 LED bulbs (featuring Cree XLamp LEDs) that were color-matched to client specifications.
“Eco-consciousness led the way in our endeavor to make lighting changes, but with the federal tax incentive and our lowered electric bill, the financial savings has been a significant advantage,” said Al Buell, store planning and construction project manager at Timberland.
In addition, there was no labor costs involved in the transition since Timberland store employees handled the easy lamp change, taking less than four weeks to complete in all 50 stores.
Timberland’s lights are predicted to last 6 to 10 years and have an extremely low failure rate, according to Eco-Story. Only about 15 of the approximately 5,400 lamps installed in Timberland stores have failed, equaling less than one percent.
Paying no upfront costs, the Bassett Home Furnishings showroom in Fife, Wash., recently completed an Energy Star-rated LED lighting project, aimed at improving light quality and energy efficiency.
Installed by Lime Energy, Bassett received a substantial utility incentive from Tacoma Power and will pay for the balance of the installation over time. Scott Selden, owner of the store, expects monthly energy costs to decrease by more than the monthly payment to Lime Energy for the next three years.
The LED retrofit project also is expected to eliminate 311,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1,217 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 772 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
U.S. Foodservice Completing LED Retrofit
As reported in Environmental Leader
U.S. Foodservice is completing a lighting retrofit project, deploying Orion’s LED technology and intelligent occupancy sensors in freezers at five of its facilities.
U.S. Foodservice will replace 400-watt High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures with 150-watt Orion LED fixtures. The actual number of new fixtures installed will be 15% less than what is currently installed. The reduction in watts consumed is expected to decrease the amount of electricity the food-service distributor uses in its freezers by 1.5 million kilowatt-hours a year, while at the same time increase light levels by 30%.
U.S. Foodservice began deploying Orion technology in 2009. To date, the company is reducing its energy consumption for lighting by 30-million kilowatt-hours and saving $3.3-million per year. As a result, U.S. Foodservice will reduce 19,076 tons of greenhouse gasses annually including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury.
U.S. Foodservice is completing a lighting retrofit project, deploying Orion’s LED technology and intelligent occupancy sensors in freezers at five of its facilities.
U.S. Foodservice will replace 400-watt High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures with 150-watt Orion LED fixtures. The actual number of new fixtures installed will be 15% less than what is currently installed. The reduction in watts consumed is expected to decrease the amount of electricity the food-service distributor uses in its freezers by 1.5 million kilowatt-hours a year, while at the same time increase light levels by 30%.
U.S. Foodservice began deploying Orion technology in 2009. To date, the company is reducing its energy consumption for lighting by 30-million kilowatt-hours and saving $3.3-million per year. As a result, U.S. Foodservice will reduce 19,076 tons of greenhouse gasses annually including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury.
University of Kentucky Saving Energy With LED Lighting Retrofit
As reported in Environmental Leader
The University of Kentucky has released details of an energy savings performance contract it signed with Ameresco and on what it will save after the yearlong, energy-savings retrofit of 61 campus buildings, totaling 5.2 million square feet.The overall project is funded by UK-issued bonds valued at $25 million and will produce anticipated annual savings of $2,430,000. UK says these annual savings will more than pay the annual debt service on the bonds. Year one is a small positive savings over and above debt service. More savings take place over the next 12 years as the university’s energy rates increase.
Efficiency improvements will include lighting upgrades, water conservation, insulation, upgraded boilers, steam system improvements, domestic solar water heating, and HVAC system replacements. Along with the efficiency improvements to the buildings, the project will feature an energy education and awareness program for students, university faculty and staff.
When the project is completed next November, UK will have a smaller carbon footprint – an annual emissions reduction of about 23,291 tons of CO2. In addition, about 13,987,779 kilowatt hours and 37,673,020 gallons of water will be saved.
Under Kentucky Revised Statute 56.774, that covers energy savings performance contracting, energy service companies guarantee that utility savings generated by facility upgrades are sufficient to pay back the capital investment over a set period (generally 11 to 12 years). If the project does not provide these returns on the investment, the ESCO is responsible for the difference.
For more information and a building-by-building work schedule, visit http://energysavings.facilities.uky.edu.
The University of Kentucky has released details of an energy savings performance contract it signed with Ameresco and on what it will save after the yearlong, energy-savings retrofit of 61 campus buildings, totaling 5.2 million square feet.The overall project is funded by UK-issued bonds valued at $25 million and will produce anticipated annual savings of $2,430,000. UK says these annual savings will more than pay the annual debt service on the bonds. Year one is a small positive savings over and above debt service. More savings take place over the next 12 years as the university’s energy rates increase.
Efficiency improvements will include lighting upgrades, water conservation, insulation, upgraded boilers, steam system improvements, domestic solar water heating, and HVAC system replacements. Along with the efficiency improvements to the buildings, the project will feature an energy education and awareness program for students, university faculty and staff.
When the project is completed next November, UK will have a smaller carbon footprint – an annual emissions reduction of about 23,291 tons of CO2. In addition, about 13,987,779 kilowatt hours and 37,673,020 gallons of water will be saved.
Under Kentucky Revised Statute 56.774, that covers energy savings performance contracting, energy service companies guarantee that utility savings generated by facility upgrades are sufficient to pay back the capital investment over a set period (generally 11 to 12 years). If the project does not provide these returns on the investment, the ESCO is responsible for the difference.
For more information and a building-by-building work schedule, visit http://energysavings.facilities.uky.edu.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Value Energy Solutions Selected By Lanier Parking for Parking Garage Lighting Retrofit
Value Energy Solutions, one of the largest lighting installation and lighting retrofit companies in the nation, recently completed a large lighting retrofit project for AT &T at in the Lindbergh Center located in the prestigious Buckhead Office market. Lindbergh Center, the first transit-oriented mixed use development in Atlanta, features two fourteen story office towers that are adjacent to the Lindbergh MARTA Station. The Lindbergh Center parking decks are managed by Atlanta based, Lanier Parking Solutions, the largest parking management company in the Southeast.
Lanier Parking contacted Value Energy Solutions to determine what energy savings they could achieve by replacing and updating the lighting in their two enclosed parking decks. Value Energy Solutions completed a thorough analysis of the existing parking deck lighting and AT&T’s energy saving goals Value Energy Solutions recommended retrofitting the parking decks with over one eleven hundred 2-Lamp T-5 54wHO (high output) Vapor Tight Fluorescent lights. Lanier Parking selected a 40,000 hour (extended life) rated lamp to maximize their energy savings and reduce lighting maintenance costs.
AT&T has made energy savings and sustainability a significant corporate priority. They have established an Energy Scorecard to benchmark energy savings at all of their major facilities. A major focus of these facility improvements has been upgrading lighting and HVAC systems. The estimated energy savings from the Lindbergh Center lighting retrofit is an impressive 43% and the cost of the lighting upgrade will pay for itself in less than three years with an ROI of 34%.
Value Energy Solutions and Lanier Parking considered numerous relighting options and discovered the best lighting retrofit solutionwas using new fluorescent lighting technology. The Vapor Tight Reflector Series Linear Fluorescent fixtures used in the Lindbergh Center retrofit is the pinnacle of Vapor Tight Luminaries. They utilize T-5 lamping which provides better energy efficiency and equal or superior lumen output.
About Value Energy Solutions- Value Energy Solutions is one of the largest energy efficient lighting retrofitting companies in the United States. Realizing the need for building owners, property managers and facility engineers to find ways to conserve energy and cut their operating costs, Value Energy Solutions provides improved energy efficient lighting products as replacements for existing higher wattage fixtures. Value Energy Solutions was launched as a new venture by owners Dean Nations and Alan Carlquist as an expansion of their existing company, Value Lighting, Inc., a premier lighting wholesaler and distributor of lighting products.
The Value Energy Solutions lighting retrofit programs are offered for all commercial building types including Parking Garages, Warehouse/Industrial Buildings, Hotels, Retail Chains, Apartments and Office Buildings. For information on Value Energy Solutions please call Chris Owens, Director of Sales at 770.335.0909. Value Energy Solutions is located at 1110 Allgood Industrial Court, Marietta, GA 30066. To request more information please call or email at chris@valueenergysolutions.com
About Lanier Parking-Lanier Parking Holdings, LLC founded in 1989 is a diversified holding concern whose companies provide parking and transportation management services for hospital, commercial class "A" office buildings, hotels, worldwide events, sports stadiums, restaurants, theaters, entertainment complexes and convention venues throughout the US. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Lanier Parking Solutions is the largest provider of parking and related transportation services in the Southeast, with more than three hundred facilities in 48 cities.
Lanier Parking Solutions' emphasis on customer and quality service has allowed Lanier to grow and thrive in a very competitive environment. In addition to parking garage management, Lanier Parking provides consulting services to building owners and facility managers, innovative payment systems, construction, design and financing services and alternative transportation, traffic congestion and indoor air quality solutions.
For more information please call Joe Wenderoth at (404) 881-6076 or visit their website- www.lanierparking.com
Monday, November 15, 2010
Furniture Row Undergoes LED Lighting Retrofit
As reported in Chain Store Age website
The Furniture Row Cos., one of the nation’s largest family-owned specialty home furnishings and bedding retailers, is installing LED lighting throughout its 330 Sofa Mart Oak Express, Bedroom Expressions and Denver Mattress Co. stores across the United States.
To date, the company has installed nearly 13,000 LED spotlights (from Cree) in its stores, out of more than 80,000 planned. The 11-watt Cree LED lights are replacing energy-wasting 90-watt halogen bulbs.
“We knew we wanted new lighting that addressed our goal of being environmental stewards, but we also wanted to remain fiscally responsible,” said Rod Schnurr, store planning coordinator, Furniture Row, Denver Col. “We also knew that we couldn’t sacrifice the high quality of light needed to accentuate the wood grains and highlight the beauty of the fabrics -- that’s what these Cree lights do.”
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
The first Furniture Row location to install LED lights saved $4,200 on monthly energy costs compared to the original lighting, Schnurr said. In addition to reduced energy consumption for lighting, the LRP-38 spotlights generate much lower heat output thereby saving on air conditioning costs.
Furniture Row also anticipates significant maintenance savings given the much longer service life of the LED lights, which are designed for a 50,000-hour lifetime in open applications. Prior to the LED lighting retrofit, store employees spent an estimated 15 hours per week replacing burned out halogen bulbs.
To date, the company has installed nearly 13,000 LED spotlights (from Cree) in its stores, out of more than 80,000 planned. The 11-watt Cree LED lights are replacing energy-wasting 90-watt halogen bulbs.
“We knew we wanted new lighting that addressed our goal of being environmental stewards, but we also wanted to remain fiscally responsible,” said Rod Schnurr, store planning coordinator, Furniture Row, Denver Col. “We also knew that we couldn’t sacrifice the high quality of light needed to accentuate the wood grains and highlight the beauty of the fabrics -- that’s what these Cree lights do.”
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
The first Furniture Row location to install LED lights saved $4,200 on monthly energy costs compared to the original lighting, Schnurr said. In addition to reduced energy consumption for lighting, the LRP-38 spotlights generate much lower heat output thereby saving on air conditioning costs.
Furniture Row also anticipates significant maintenance savings given the much longer service life of the LED lights, which are designed for a 50,000-hour lifetime in open applications. Prior to the LED lighting retrofit, store employees spent an estimated 15 hours per week replacing burned out halogen bulbs.
Harvard University Finds Smart Way To Save Energy is Parking Garage Lighting Retrofit
From the Harvard University Sustainability website
During the summer of 2009, Transportation Services installed energy efficient lighting fixtures and sensors within 10 University parking garages and at the Fleet Management facility at 155 North Harvard Street. The project is expected to conserve significant amounts of electricity and save approximately $400K a year.
The standard metal-halide lights, which use 198-watts per hour, are being replaced with 3-bulb/2-ballast super T8 fluorescent fixtures which use just 92-watts per hour – a reduction of more than 50%. Even though these parking garage lighting fixtures consume less energy, they provide the same amount of light. Motion sensors will further reduce energy use by turning off certain lights in areas where there has not been any activity for ten minutes. However the parking garages will never go completely dark. An extensive amount of research was conducted to ensure that there will always be sufficient lighting levels at all times.
Funded through the Office for Sustainability Loan Fund and a $200K rebate from NStar, the project is expected to pay for itself in approximately three years.
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
Transportation Services is also embarking on another lighting initiative targeting above-ground garages. The goal is to replace the rooftop metal-halide fixtures with highly efficient LED lighting. Much more testing is needed to ensure proper light levels and a positive comprehensive lifecycle cost analysis, but if it proves successful, the project will be yet another step by University Operations Services (UOS) towards helping the University reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30% by the year 2016.
During the summer of 2009, Transportation Services installed energy efficient lighting fixtures and sensors within 10 University parking garages and at the Fleet Management facility at 155 North Harvard Street. The project is expected to conserve significant amounts of electricity and save approximately $400K a year.
The standard metal-halide lights, which use 198-watts per hour, are being replaced with 3-bulb/2-ballast super T8 fluorescent fixtures which use just 92-watts per hour – a reduction of more than 50%. Even though these parking garage lighting fixtures consume less energy, they provide the same amount of light. Motion sensors will further reduce energy use by turning off certain lights in areas where there has not been any activity for ten minutes. However the parking garages will never go completely dark. An extensive amount of research was conducted to ensure that there will always be sufficient lighting levels at all times.
Funded through the Office for Sustainability Loan Fund and a $200K rebate from NStar, the project is expected to pay for itself in approximately three years.
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
Transportation Services is also embarking on another lighting initiative targeting above-ground garages. The goal is to replace the rooftop metal-halide fixtures with highly efficient LED lighting. Much more testing is needed to ensure proper light levels and a positive comprehensive lifecycle cost analysis, but if it proves successful, the project will be yet another step by University Operations Services (UOS) towards helping the University reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30% by the year 2016.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Forbes Reports on Colleges and Universities Energy Saving Efforts
As reported in Forbes magazine
Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., has pledged to be completely carbon-neutral by 2020. Overlooking Monterey Bay on the West Coast, the University of California-Santa Cruz saves an estimated 300,000 on water each year by eliminating trays in its dining halls. And in the Deep South, the University of Georgia, which subsidizes public transportation on campus, now has nearly 30 student organizations related to sustainability.
These schools all make our annual list of America's Greenest Colleges and Universities, and if they're any indication, environmentalism is booming on campuses nationwide. Among the reasons: money. By investing in energy-efficiency measures, schools can save millions of dollars over the long haul. For example, Harvard University, which also makes our list, last year installed energy-efficient lighting in its parking garages. It's expected to save the school an estimated $400,000 per year on its electric bill, according to the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI).
Each year since 2006 the institute has released a College Sustainability Report Card, grading more than 300 institutions (this year) on a range of green efforts, including student involvement, transportation and green building policies, investment priorities, food and recycling programs, and the administration's overall approach to sustainability. This year seven schools received A grades: Brown University, Dickinson, the University of Minnesota, Oberlin College, Pomona College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Yale. Another 45 earned a A-minuses.
"It's really impressive how far a large portion of higher education has come in the last four years," says Mark Orlowski, SEI's founder and executive director. He says in many cases students have been a driving force behind a school's green tide. Conversely, schools are increasingly aware that if they want to attract the best students, they need to show a commitment to sustainability.
In compiling our own list of greenest colleges, we've used the SEI's report card as a starting point, but we've also taken other factors into account. Does the Princeton Review also include a school on its elite Green Honor Roll? Does the Environmental Protection Agency recognize the institution as one of its top collegiate purchasers of green power? Is a school tracking its own efforts at environmental stewardship through a program run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education? Has it signed on to the Presidents' Climate Commitment to achieve net neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions? Is environmentalism a theme of its academics?
For example, for the last 39 years Northland College in Ashland, Wis., has given its liberal arts curriculum an environmental twist. Students can enroll in courses of study focused on sustainable agriculture, man's connections with nature, or the Lake Superior watershed (which includes a one-month trip around the watershed itself). Maine's Unity College, which bills itself as "America's Environmental College," offers green-study programs such as Conservation Law Enforcement and Environmental Writing. Both schools make use of renewable power sources to feed their electricity needs.
Schools get high marks for energy efficiency and green building standards. Some institutions, including Yale and the University of Minnesota, have their own co-generation power facilities, which produce both heat and electricity. Oberlin College in Ohio and Boston's Northeastern University are among many schools that require all new buildings meet at least LEED silver standards (a level of green certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council). Oberlin has also committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025. Two years ago Northeastern replaced nearly 70,000 light bulbs on campus with more energy-efficient options in an effort to save $1.2 million over six years.
To read the complete article and view a slide show please visit www.forbes.com.
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
These schools all make our annual list of America's Greenest Colleges and Universities, and if they're any indication, environmentalism is booming on campuses nationwide. Among the reasons: money. By investing in energy-efficiency measures, schools can save millions of dollars over the long haul. For example, Harvard University, which also makes our list, last year installed energy-efficient lighting in its parking garages. It's expected to save the school an estimated $400,000 per year on its electric bill, according to the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI).
Each year since 2006 the institute has released a College Sustainability Report Card, grading more than 300 institutions (this year) on a range of green efforts, including student involvement, transportation and green building policies, investment priorities, food and recycling programs, and the administration's overall approach to sustainability. This year seven schools received A grades: Brown University, Dickinson, the University of Minnesota, Oberlin College, Pomona College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Yale. Another 45 earned a A-minuses.
"It's really impressive how far a large portion of higher education has come in the last four years," says Mark Orlowski, SEI's founder and executive director. He says in many cases students have been a driving force behind a school's green tide. Conversely, schools are increasingly aware that if they want to attract the best students, they need to show a commitment to sustainability.
In compiling our own list of greenest colleges, we've used the SEI's report card as a starting point, but we've also taken other factors into account. Does the Princeton Review also include a school on its elite Green Honor Roll? Does the Environmental Protection Agency recognize the institution as one of its top collegiate purchasers of green power? Is a school tracking its own efforts at environmental stewardship through a program run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education? Has it signed on to the Presidents' Climate Commitment to achieve net neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions? Is environmentalism a theme of its academics?
For example, for the last 39 years Northland College in Ashland, Wis., has given its liberal arts curriculum an environmental twist. Students can enroll in courses of study focused on sustainable agriculture, man's connections with nature, or the Lake Superior watershed (which includes a one-month trip around the watershed itself). Maine's Unity College, which bills itself as "America's Environmental College," offers green-study programs such as Conservation Law Enforcement and Environmental Writing. Both schools make use of renewable power sources to feed their electricity needs.
Schools get high marks for energy efficiency and green building standards. Some institutions, including Yale and the University of Minnesota, have their own co-generation power facilities, which produce both heat and electricity. Oberlin College in Ohio and Boston's Northeastern University are among many schools that require all new buildings meet at least LEED silver standards (a level of green certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council). Oberlin has also committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2025. Two years ago Northeastern replaced nearly 70,000 light bulbs on campus with more energy-efficient options in an effort to save $1.2 million over six years.
To read the complete article and view a slide show please visit www.forbes.com.
LED Lighting Retrofits- BLOG Sponsor
A good practice for businesses looking to reduce energy expenses is to consider an LED lighting retrofit. Lighting retrofits replace lighting with newer technology such as LED linear lighting to save on energy costs and maintenance costs. Many building experts recommend a lighting retrofit as the first step to reducing energy costs. Redbird LED is an Atlanta based manufacturer and designer of Premium LED lights at value price points. For more information please visit their LED Retrofit website or call ( 678) 733-2473
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