20 June 2012
By Laura Peters
SL Green is upgrading 21 of its office buildings in New York to LED lighting, a move that will reduce energy use by $630,000 annually.
SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE: SLG), a large commercial property owner in New York, NY, has announced it has begun the installation of LED lighting throughout 21 of its properties, which is expected to save more than $630,000 in annual use. The company is calling it one of the nation’s largest LED lighting retrofits with more than 16,000 LED lamps replacing incandescent, halogen and florescent bulbs.
“SL Green is exited to take the next step in sustainable lighting by utilizing LED technology,” said Edward Piccinich, executive vice president, Management & Construction at SL Green. He stated, “Lighting comprises 30% of a building’s typical energy use. LED lighting products addressing 24/7 lighting areas, including garage, stair, and mechanical areas, will yield significant cost savings and quick paybacks.”
Piccinich added, “LED equipment allows us to significantly impact lifecycle costs.” Affecting energy use and lamp life, 90% of lighting’s lifecycle costs, will yield a project payback of only three years, providing $4.5M in total lifecycle savings.”
Jay Black, SL Green’s director of sustainability stated, “We selected LED lighting because it reduces energy use by more than 55%, and provides superior lamp life, often greater than eight years, which is three to four times longer than other lighting technologies. SL Green reviewed a variety of products comparing cost, efficiency, quality and warranty, ultimately selecting Seesmart Technologies, a leading LED manufacturer based in Simi Valley, California.”
In July, SL Green will begin the next phase of its LED lighting upgrade program to retrofit 4.5 million square feet of office space at the addresses of 420 Lexington Avenue, 100 Church Street, 919 Third Avenue and 125 Park Avenue. Completion of that project is slated for August 2012.