Tim Etheridge was asked by the strata manager, to look at this 3 Level Commercial Strata property in Brookvale, with a view to reducing the power bill.
The building is about 10 years old and well suited to an LED lighting up-grade. There are 3 levels of fire stairs, lift lobbies, an entry walkway and two levels of basement car parking. What makes it attractive to up-grade the lights in this building ?
EVERY light being used in the building was a power-hungry, mercury filled fluorescent tube or globe.
ACTIONS
ENTRY WALKWAY & LOBBIES
REMOVE: Twin CFL (Fluoro globe) down lights were used to give the space a contemporary look. However, they use about 60W watts. They also fail regularly, lasting around 6000 hours.
UP-GRADE TO: Clear white (4000K) 20W LED Downlights with a flush face to give the right light levels and ambience. That’s 66% reduction in energy.
FIRE STAIRS & CAR PARK
The property had traditional Fluorescent tubes, some with Emergency circuits, all burning 24/7.
REMOVE: Single & Twin 36W fluorescent lights, many with Emergency circuits.
UP-GRADE TO: Dimming Linear LED Solid State lights. This is the new-generation linear light – each light has a sensor than can be calibrated for maximum energy efficiency. They are rated to last 50,000 hours – or about 6 years if running 24 hours. Fluorescent tubes are rated to about 10,000 hours.
THE RESULTS
In February 2015 the building used 14,228 kW/Hr of electricity. (adjusted to 30 days). In September 2016 the building used 10,145 kW/Hr of electricity.
This means the LED lights used 4,083kW less electricity in the 30 day month or per year, a 28% Energy Saving of 49,676 kilowatts.
- CARBON SAVED….. This is a 50 tonne reduction of CO2 emissions per year.
- MONEY SAVED…. As part of his work, Tim identified that Energy Australia were charging a bill average of 38 Cents per kW/Hr. The Strata Manager then arranged for competitive quotes and Origin now provide energy at 23 cents average rate.
The power bill is now $2,400 per month rather than $5,100 per month. This is a total saving of $32,400 per Year.- or a reduction of over 50%
At constant prices, the energy savings are $11,500 per year or a ROI of 46%
PAYBACK …. The project cost the client $24,700 after Energy Saving Scheme rebates, so the savings from energy reduction, reduced fire survey and maintenance costs will repay this project about 18 months.