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State of LED Lighting for Westchester County Government
As we approach Election Day tomorrow and are always concerned about tax rates, I want to tell you about the quiet tax cut that can happen in Westchester County. It's light emitting diodes (LED) lighting in all Westchester County Government. You see, the County pays for energy in every public building and even outdoor lighting on County properties. If the County were to switch those lights to LED lighting you could easily see a reduction of cost in the millions to tens of millions of dollars a year.
Further Information on Energy Efficiency to Help
The first ever Energy Efficiency Market Report was just released by the International Energy Agency, and it clearly illustrates for the 11 countries* it examined that between 1974 and 2010, energy efficiency was the largest energy resource. In 2010, alone, (the most recent year for which data is available) savings from energy efficiency was greater than the output from any other single fuel source – including coal, oil, nuclear and gas. Who knew? We already knew from a recently released NRDC report that energy efficiency – stretching our energy dollars to do more with less— is America’s greatest energy resource. And that despite it being our most productive and cost-effective resource, we keep forgetting it is a resource just like coal and oil but so much cleaner in terms of our air. (Efficiency isn’t even included on the list of the “all of the above” energy strategies being discussed in most public discourse.) This isn’t just an American phenomenon, but a global one that the IEA refers to as the “hidden fuel…hiding in plain sight.”
Where LED Lighting Stands
The last I was able to determine from my work to get LED lighting in County facilities was we have started to put LED Lighting in buildings. This beginning is extremely minimal. The hallways for the County Executive have been replaced and some other small locations around the County. From what I gather though it is not enough to decry tax cuts.
However, here is the good news as an example using my client MSi Lighting. MSi Solid State Lighting announced in 2010 that they helped Macy’s to go green lighting. They helped Macy’s make major strides in its reducing energy consumption and waste as part of the company’s comprehensive program of sustainability and operating efficiency.
One of these steps is partnering with LED lamp manufacturers, including MSi Solid State Lighting, to be the first department store company to implement the use of LED accent lighting on a wide scale.
The company replaced about 117,000 traditional incandescent light bulbs in 86 Macy’s stores with new LED bulbs that use about 73 percent less energy.
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Total energy savings are estimated at about 16,200 megawatts per hour every year, the equivalent of planting more than 65,500 trees.
The LED lamps have an expected life of 10 years (compared with less than one year for traditional bulbs), reducing landfill disposal.
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The conversion to LED was a simple matter of unscrewing the old lights and screwing in the new ones, but the results were immediate and dramatic. Unlike hot burning halogen lights, the extremely efficient LED lights produce very little heat and within hours of installation, store employees had noticed a drop in the store’s temperature. “Many retailers are a little concerned about the initial investment of converting to LED lighting,” said Bruce Johnson, MSi managing partner, “But if they take the time to run the numbers as Macy’s has, they’ll see that switching over produces a tremendous return on their investment.”
LED lighting produces savings that go far beyond just cooling cost. LED’s use a fraction of the power required by halogen spots while producing a clean, clear light that enhances product displays and merchandise.
Additional savings are realized in the lower maintenance and replacement cost for LED lighting. The typical 60-watt halogen light burning 12 hours a day will need to be replaced approximately every six months. The new Macy’s LED lamps burning 12 hours a day will last for more than a decade.
Yet, current research suggests that the productivity of our economy may be more directly tied to greater levels of energy efficiency than to energy supply. And there is still so much more efficiency potential yet to be tapped, according to our 2012 study, The Long-Term Energy Efficiency Potential: What the Evidence Suggests.
In addition, County Legislator Catherine Borgia has introduced a bill to get all County buildings to go LED. The County Legislator and I have had discussions. I have even talked with the County Executive's staff. They all know the possibilities. They get it. It's a sleeping giant so hang tight Westchester County. This issue has just begun to start its' implementation.
This alone can and will save taxpayers a ton of money and do it without having to compromise services at all. That is going green!
