Press Release: Parking Garage LED Retrofit at The Franklin Institute

Stouch Lighting is pleased to announce the completion of an LED retrofit for Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. The Franklin Institute is a science museum and education and research center based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stouch Lighting was recently enlisted to reduce the energy consumption associated with the Institute’s existing parking garage lighting as well as to implement technology designed to adapt lighting levels to the variable occupancy rates within the different levels of the garage.

The solution involved the replacement of legacy high intensity discharge (HID) canopy lights and HID recessed fixtures with more energy efficient, higher performing LED lights. The new lights are expected to reduce the Organization's energy costs by 66% (264,902 kWh per annum), which equates to $31,788 of annual savings. The Franklin Institute was also able to save approximately $7,674 on annual maintenance costs, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a million pounds annually. The combined annual savings were estimated to be $39,462.

Stouch lighting was also able to drastically improve light levels by specifying appropriate light distribution patterns throughout the garage and installing three different types of high efficiency LED lights. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the increased light levels and the absence of blind spots (areas not receiving light) in the garage, noted in the before and after photos below.

The project entailed the replacement of 288 existing lights composed of 175 watt HID fixtures and 32 watt T8 linear fluorescent lamps along with the implementation of 72 occupancy sensors around the garage. For a discussion of the difference between LED and HID lighting read here, or between LED and Fluorescent lighting read here . Although in this case LEDs most significantly reduced energy costs, it is quite often the case that maintenance savings represent the largest windfall. LEDs are such a boon in terms of maintenance savings because they last at least two to four times as long as virtually all conventional lighting solutions (100,000 operating hours or more for LEDs as compared to roughly 10,000-20,000 for different HID and fluorescent lights). This means the organization saves by not needing to repeatedly purchase replacement bulbs but also, and perhaps more significantly, on the cost of the recurring labor required to replace bulbs and maintain the facility in good working order.

Light

Used For

Watts/Fixture

Energy Reduction Per Fixture

Total Energy Reduction

Color Temperature or CCT

HID

Parking Garage Light (Canopy)

175 Watts

-

HID

Parking Garage Light (Recessed)

175 Watts

-

Fluorescent

T8 Linear Tube

32 Watts

-

LED

Parking Garage Light

(Canopy)

66 Watts

109 Watts

264,902 kWh ($31,788 annually)

-

LED

Parking Garage Light

(Recessed)

52 Watts

123 Watts

-

LED

LED Linear Lamp

17 Watts

15 Watts

-

Replacing both legacy high intensity discharge (HID) and fluorescent lights and fixtures with new LED lighting can make a big difference in the cost, effectiveness, and aesthetics of an organization’s facilities. Unfortunately, HID and fluorescent lamps are still somewhat ubiquitous. There’s a good chance that your facility is still shedding money by using them. If you are interested in learning more about the exciting trend in LED lighting, Stouch Lighting can help. We have the knowledge and expertise to guide your organization through the process of an LED retrofit from start to finish. Contact us today to see how we can help, or use the ROI Calculator above to see how much you can save by making a long-term investment in energy efficient, long lasting LED lighting.

Here's what the Franklin Institute had to say about working with Stouch Lighting:

"In our efforts to cut down on our utility expenses we determined that replacing the lights in our parking garage would provide us with a noticeable reduction in our electricity expenses. Stouch Lighting was a great partner throughout the entire process. Justin Stouch met with us several times and presented us with the best options for our facility. He was able to provide us with a detailed review of our potential cost savings, which led to the project being approved by our executive team. Justin was readily available for questions by phone/email and he helped us maximize our "Smart Ideas" incentive by providing us with key information when we needed it. It was a pleasure doing business with Stouch Lighting and I look forward to working with them on future projects."

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