Thinking on the Bright Side

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Cutting edge LED lighting technology has been adopted at the Prudential Center garage, reducing operating costs and carbon emissions.

BXP retrofitted conventional T8 fluorescent lighting at the Prudential Center Garage with light emitting diode (LED) tubes. The LED conversion reduces garage operating costs, energy consumption and carbon emissions. The project also improves the garage lighting system reliability and lighting level quality.

Over the course of 6 weeks, 7,552 lamps were replaced with LED conversion tubes by ThinkLite. Existing 30 watt T8 linear tubes and ballasts were removed and replaced with 8 watt driverless tubes at a rate of approximately 5 minutes per fixture. Existing fixtures were reused and augmented with ThinkLite’s G90 sockets. The proprietary sockets prevent fluorescent lamps from being mistakenly re-installed in the future, which helped the utility approve project rebate incentives.

The conversion marks a technological milestone in lighting efficacy. The LED tubes have a lighting efficacy of 131 lumens per watt, compared to a baseline fluorescent efficacy of around 90. The ThinkLite proprietary driverless technology reduces the average number of components in a driver from 156 to 4 pieces, and seals the driver into a tiny microchip. The result is a lighting solution that produces less heat, has a lower depreciation rate of lumens and increased lifespan.

Since the end of 2015, average power demand for the South Garage was reduced 57%. Annually, the system will save 1,500 MWh, amounting to $240,000 per year. The new lighting will also reduce maintenance cost. With a lifespan of 65,000 hours and no ballasts, the LED tubes will run 2.3 times longer than conventional fluorescents, and ballast replacement will never be required.

By the Numbers

  • Lamps Replaced: 7,552
  • Initial Cost: $600,000
  • Savings per Lamp: 22 watts
  • Annual Energy Savings: 1,500
  • MWh Annual Cost Savings: $240,000
  • Annual CO2e Reduction: 440 Tons
  • Simple Payback Period: 2.5 Years
  • 10 Year Net Present Value: $730,000