In the past month there have been numerous news articles in regards to LED lighting solutions, significantly reducing energy consumption and greatly assisting in improved Energy Star scores for commercial businesses in NY and CT.
SL Green Realty Corp. announced their LED retrofit project at 21 of their commercial properties in NY and CT including 360 Hamilton Avenue, in which LEED Gold Certification has been achieved. In addition, many of their other properties have seen improved scores as well. A combined annual savings of $750,000 and a $4.5 million in total life-cycle savings has been stated.
According to Jay Black, sustainability director at SL Green, "LED lighting can serve as an excellent catalyst toward our sustainability goals." When combined with other energy efficient technologies, significant progress toward Energy Star scores can be improved.
Also, on August 7th, Ernst & Young announced the completion of their LED lighting project at New York’s Times Square. The new lighting will not only save the company close to $1 million per year in energy and maintenance costs, it also will cut its lighting energy use by roughly 2.9 million kWh per year and reduce its CO2 emissions by approximately 2 million pounds annually.
“Our lighting project is helping us to deliver on our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Brent Summers, Director, Americas Enterprise Support Services, Ernst & Young LLP. “Over the past few years we have been able to reduce our carbon footprint from energy. This new lighting system will add an even greater reduction. Five Times Square is seeking an Energy Star rating, and the lighting work will be a large part of our application.”
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is redefining the way we think about the places where we live, work and learn. As an internationally recognized mark of excellence, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
I believe that LED lighting has reached a benchmark in the commercial business sector. With the dramatic reduction in energy consumption and the significant financial savings that have been achieved by these industry leaders, we will see more and more LED lighting projects being implemented within many large commercial real estate portfolios.
I am excited about the significant environmental impact of recent energy efficient technologies. A reduction in Co2 emissions in NY has been needed for many years and progress toward sustainability will play a important role in the future of large cities across the U.S