Case Study – Briton House Retirement Centre
Briton House Retirement Centre Reduces Lighting Costs by 72%
Lighting technology has a come a long way since the Briton House was built in 1971. With the dramatic rise in electricity costs the management were looking for ways to reduce their power use, save energy costs and cut maintenance costs. They turned to new technology.
Faraday Lighting was retained to audit, analyse, recommend and implement new lighting solutions that cut energy use, reduced the variety of lamps, cut maintenance costs, and maintain safety and aesthetics. This included delivering a level of light colour and quality acceptable for use in a seniors retirement facility.
The existing lighting was a mix of different fixtures and lamps. There were T12 and T8 fluorescent fixtures in four foot and eight foot lengths in various locations. The fluorescent fixtures had several different ballasts and increased ballast failures resulted in high maintenance and disposal costs. There were incandescent lamps in the stairwells operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, constantly burning out. In a number of the common areas there was a mixed bag of PL CFL, halogen PAR 38 and MR16 lamps. The underground parking had a combination of T12 fluorescent fixtures and metal halide canopy fixtures. In the dining room there were chandeliers with incandescent lamps.
Energy Management Goals
- Drop overall lighting energy costs by at least 50%
- Reduce maintenance costs of replacing PL & T8 lamps
- Maintain high-level of building security, inside & out and improve aesthetics with lighting solutions
- Brighten up parking garage with single solution
- Achieve a payback period of two years or less
Initial Lighting Energy Consumption
Common Areas > 229,543 kWh Enterta5,046 kWh
Total Consinment Areas > 34,748
kWh Nursing Stations > 1,401 kWh
Elevators & Lobbies > 13,245 kWh
Basement > 9,223 kWh
Garage > 7umption > 363,206 kWh
| Energy Use BEFORE | Energy Use AFTER | Energy Drop | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PL Fluorescent | 78,198 kWh 10.2 kW | PAR 30 LED | 22,557 kWh 2.9 kW | 72% |
| T8 Tubes | 79,856 kWh 9.1 kW | T8 LED Tubes | 38,018 kWh 4.3 kW | 52% |
| T12 Tubes | 35,784 kWh 4.1 kW | T8 LED Tubes | 11,430 kWh 1.3 kW | 68% |
| MR16 & PAR Lamps | 62,459 kWh 7.8 kW | MR16 & PAR LED Lamps | 11,682 kWh 1.47 kW | 81% |
| HID - Metal Halide | 24,258 kWh 2.8 kW | T8 LED Fixtures | 7,358 kWh 0.84 kW | 70% |
| HID - HPS | 657 kWh 150 watts | DHID Retrofit | 219 kWh 50 watts | 67% |
| Incandescent | 66,226 kWh 7.5 kW | LED A19 Lamps | 7,726 kWh 0.88 kW | 88% |
| Chandelier | 15,768 kWh 1.8 kW | LED Lamps | 3,153 kWh 0.36 kW | 80% |
| TOTAL | 363,206 kWh 43.45 kW | TOTAL | 102,143 kWh 12.1 kW | 72% |
Implementing LED Technologies
In the parking garage, old T12 fixtures and HID fixtures were directly replaced with 4’ vapour tight T8 LED fixtures. In the balance of the project, fixtures were preserved and upgraded with LED or DHID technology. Fluorescent ceiling fixtures had their ballasts removed and were rewired to receive the T8 LED lamps at half the wattage and twice the life expectancy. The existing PL and PAR pot lights were retrofitted in place, limiting waste the need to repaint ceilings. Changing the incandescent bulbs in the stairwells and chandeliers cut an additional 71,115 kWh. All of the upgrades were eligible for rebates from Toronto Hydro under the OPA’s save-ON-energy program.
The Results
Upgrading the lighting resulted in energy savings of $31,360 per year. Maintenance costs were reduced by $12,380 over five years. The OPA rebate covered 30% of the project cost. The Briton House improved lighting and safety throughout the building while energy use for lighting was reduced by 72%. Total savings over five years was $196,905. Because the installation was completed by Briton House staff the ROI on the project was exceptional at 96% and the payback period was 13 months.
Replacing the metal halide fixtures in the underground parking with T8 LED fixtures provided a whiter light and cut 16,900 kWh.
Energy Saved
72%Energy Savings per
$31,360Total Savings Over 5 Years
$196,905Decrease in Electricity Demand
31 KWDecrease in Electricity Consumption
261,063 kwh
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