According to many manufacturers, LED Lighting products are poised to catapault
that technology into a leading position in numerous lighting markets. While
the acceptance of LED solutions may be slower than the promotional hype may
suggest, we have been interested in reporting on case histories that describe
actual LED applications that have been recommended as a realistic choice
to cut energy consumption, and that have been successfully installed.
Unfortunately, most LED case history news that we’ve uncovered fails to impact
the lighting product categories most important for distributors.
Currently, most available LED case histories – especially those that report
actual measured energy cost savings/ROI/payback period data which we see as
critical to report on -- are not focused on LED products that are designed for
residential and commercial applications such as downlighting, wallpacks, and
pole-top outdoor applications.
While many new LED products flood the market, the vast majority have little
or no installed base to provide case histories. Sure, Philips reports the use
of the company’s LED components being used to upgrade Future Lighting Solutions’
64,000 sq-ft London-based HQ. But in reality, such LED makeovers are marketing/sales
showrooms for the manufacturers.
Meanwhile, while there are ample examples of LED sales for advanced OEM LED
components, fixtures for retail showcase lighting, and for theatrical lighting,
it’s harder to determine where the commercial/resi LED lighting market is at
the moment. So while we continue to speak with leading LED manufacturers, let’s
look at some other proven Green Electrical sales successes:
1. ProLogis, a leading global provider of distribution
facilities was hired by Sears Holdings, the nation's fifth largest broad-line
retailer, to build a new 780,400-sq.ft. distribution center in Stockton, California.
For the lighting, Exposure Illumination Architects was asked to meet a list
of lighting needs that included maintained 30-footcandle light levels, good
lighting uniformity, and high energy efficiency.
The lighting designers specified 16,000 linear ft. of Cooper Lighting’s Metalux
MB Series T5HO Micro-Bay fixtures in linear rows mounted 32 ft. off the floor.
The result is one of the most efficient warehouse buildings in the country,
with an effective lighting power density of 0.18W/sq.ft.—78% less than the maximum
prescribed by California’s Title 24 energy code. Select luminaires were specified
with emergency battery backup, providing mandatory illumination in the event
of a power outage.
According to Daniel S. Spiro, AIA, IES, president of Exposure Illumination
Architects, Micro-Bay luminaire’s narrow profile increased design flexibility.
“The building code required obstructions wider than 2 ft. to be at least 2 ft.
away from sprinkler heads. By being less than 1 ft. wide, we were able to place
the luminaire within 1 ft. of the sprinkler heads. The luminaire could be as
close as possible to the aisle center as a result.”
One of the primary advantages of fluorescent over metal halide is its instant-ON
operation, making automatic energy-saving switching strategies much easier to
implement. A Cooper Controls Greengate lighting automation system keeps lighting
in critical spaces ON all day for safety reasons. During the night and on cloudy
days, power is fed to the rest of the lighting rows, which are turned on if
occupancy is detected by occupancy sensors. If the daylight contribution is
high enough, the lighting is kept OFF.
And the payoff is significant! Sears is benefiting from a projected $399,000
in energy savings per year (compared to a standard HID solution complying with
Title 24’s requirement of 0.8W/sq.ft. maximum power allowance), which is being
confirmed via monitoring. After a major incentive provided by the local utility,
PG&E, the net premium cost can be recovered through the energy savings in
less than eight months, generating a return on investment of 154%.
2. Siemens Industry continues to enhance its
energy efficient i-3 Lighting Control TechnologyTM which is an economical
lighting control system that combines circuit breakers and lighting control
in one panel through the use of controlled pods.
Most recently i-3 Control Technology 30A pod has received UL 489 and UL 67
certification and offers more capabilities and configurations that will allow
users to take control of even larger lighting loads. Using what Siemens claims
is the industry’s smallest control breaker lighting panel, the i-3 Control Technology
“is a compact solution for controlling circuits remotely with a time schedule
or external signals.”
Siemens indicates that “…the i-3 Control Technology offers an affordable approach
to connecting the lighting control systems to an enterprise-wide solution. It
can be easily integrated with energy management, security and building automation
systems through the most widely used open protocols, such as BACNET or ModBus,
to provide a more comprehensive energy management system.”
The company claims the i-3 Control Technology provides a rapid return on investment
(ROI). “By integrating standard products into a standard lighting panel, i-3
provides easy installation, with no external hard wiring required for the simple,
single panel solution. Its innovative touch screen, System Controller,
uses the latest Microsoft’s Windows® technologies reduces commissioning
and training costs,” indicated a Siemens source.
We are seeing an explosion in Green Electrical applications, from warehouses
to office buildings, better ways to cut electrical costs, improve occupancy
comfort and eliminate wasted energy consumption. Moving forward, I expect we’ll
be seeing the LED marketers slowly add more of their own success stories to
the green building market.