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LED Lighting Solutions Can Help Turn Parking Lots Green
 Building green is quickly becoming the staple of commercial construction as many quantifiable solutions — such as commercial outdoor illumination — make their way into the industry.
There are about 4.9 million commercial buildings in the U.S., and these facilities’ lighting systems consume more than 30% of all electricity. Energy use is one of the most expensive operating costs for a commercial property and, with no end in sight to rising energy prices, the industry is always seeking innovations to reduce consumption.
Energy-efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) for commercial applications provide a unique opportunity to fulfill general outdoor illumination requirements. They can dramatically lower energy costs and help protect the environment.
In addition, LED lighting fixtures can also reduce system maintenance — a huge factor when calculating ROI and payback.
LEDs are small, semi-conductors used to produce millions of different colors and brightness levels of light with significantly less energy than traditional lighting methods. Early adaptations made use of color mixing but did not deliver substantial light levels or have the output necessary to match high intensity discharge (HID) light sources.
Today, LEDs convert an electrical current directly into light, eliminating energy waste. They do not burn out like a standard lamp, so individual diodes do not need to be replaced.
Instead, the diodes gradually produce lower output levels over a long time. Well-designed fixtures can last more than 100,000 hours, and if one LED fails, it will not cause a complete fixture outage.
Another advantage of LEDs is that they do not require any special equipment or drivers to deal with temperature conditions. They are able to tolerate high heat and humidity and can work effectively down to negative 40 degrees Celsius. This enables them to be operated by instant on/off control without specially designed circuitry. Additionally, LED lighting for general outdoor use provides durability and a longer life span.
This new LED technology enables lighting designers to provide quality lighting within the requirements of the latest energy codes as well as life-long energy savings and decreased re-lamping costs to facilities’ owners.
Many of us have seen buildings, parking facilities and outdoor lots that use too much light at night — strapping their owners and operators with high electric bills and causing light pollution for the neighbors and glares for passers-by.
With non-LED lighting technology such as HID, 30% of outdoor lighting is wastefully directed skyward. LED fixtures can direct more of the light to where it is needed. With more innovative design and dozens of individual LEDs, light control is managed via individual optics on each LED, making them inherently easier to prevent light pollution and glare.
According to the 2007 Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions report, commercial buildings account for 80% of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the pollution associated with the energy needed for lighting accounts for about 450 million tons of carbon dioxide and 3 million tons of smog-generating nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide annually.
If the city replaced 1,000 streetlights with LED luminaires, green house gas emissions could be reduced annually by about 294 tons of CO2.
Commercial buildings account for about one-third of all California electricity consumption, at an annual cost of $9 billion. Although aggressive efforts by California to improve building design have led to significant increases in commercial building energy efficiency over the past 20 years, the savings are still well below technical and economic potential.
Across the country, electricity consumption in buildings doubled between 1989 and 2005, and if this growth rate is sustained, electricity demand in buildings will increase another 150% by 2030.
If high-efficiency LED luminaires were used for outdoor illumination, energy costs could decrease by 50% or more. These savings add directly to the bottom line.
What does this mean in real numbers? With the current cost of energy, even a 50% reduction in energy consumption can lower operating costs by nearly $42,000 per year for every 50,000 square feet of office space.
Exterior lighting is a key to safety, security and ambiance for commercial properties and city streets. Both the private sector and municipalities need to address these issues while also considering controlling costs.
Kevin Orth is national sales manager for Beta LED, a manufacturing company specializing in LED lighting products for outdoor commercial applications. For more information, e-mail Orth, or call him at 800-236-6800 x3132.
Enter Commercial Builders Awards of Excellence by Aug. 1
Applications for the National Commercial Builders Council’s (NCBC) 2009 Awards of Excellence program are due Aug. 1.
The awards recognize achievements in the national commercial building industry for design (remodeling and new construction), market appeal, energy efficiency, challenges faced during building and overall success of projects and are open to projects from less than 5,000 to more than 100,000 square feet.
Eligible projects must have been completed after Dec. 31, 2005 and may be entered in commercial, industrial, institutional, medical, mixed-use commercial/retail, recreational, retail and green building categories.
Details can be found on the Commercial Builders Council section of the NAHB Web site, or for more information, e-mail Kisha DeSandies at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8455.
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