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News & Announcements3/1/2011 | Long-term contract permits investment in LED lighting Roy Kirton, facility manager at the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre (GLDHCC) in Vancouver says a long-term contract has allowed the centre to invest in sustainable lighting alternatives resulting in wins for both the client and service provider. The 30-year agreement, which began in 2006, makes investment in LED technology more manageable for all parties involved. In the atrium of the GLDHCC were 120 halogen bulbs that were constantly burning out, causing waste, replacement and aesthetic issues. The bulbs were replaced with light emitting diode (LED) technology which will result in a savings of $19,000 over the term of the contract. The savings are a shared win, as the mechanical and electrical subcontractor Johnson Controls LP (JCLP) benefits 60 per cent of the savings, and the client benefits 40 per cent. Kirton says the energy savings are the tip of the iceberg in terms of solutions the change brings. The bulbs were in difficult-to-reach locations above fixed public seating in the health-care centre, meaning JCLP, who performs the mechanical and electrical maintenance on the contract, had to make the changes after hours or on weekends and unbolt furniture to change the bulbs. "A simple little task was turning into a monstrous task. So they investigated something more durable, and these LEDs are certainly proving that," says Kirton. The halogen bulbs were failing at a rate of 50 per cent per annum, so the switch to LEDs will decrease the waste stream of failed bulbs, reduce the amount of time to replace bulbs, and keep subcontractors off ladders from those replacements. "In the past year, not one of the new LED lamps has needed to be replaced," says Kirton, which has removed 60 lamps per annum from the waste stream. The switch to sustainable energy solutions is a priority for BLJC, but the switch has also had a significant aesthetic impact. The atrium is a focal point of the health-care centre, and the failed lamps were visible from the floors below, which Kirton described as an eyesore. Now the lights are always on, enhancing the curb appeal while saving energy. A power-saving rebate has been applied for from BC Hydro that offsets the cost of new LED bulbs by almost 50 per cent. |
