Lighting Redesign Roadshow

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This summer, representatives from Power Smart took the message of conservation and savings on the road as they promoted lighting redesign in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.

The two roadshows attracted over 80 key commercial customers, from small businesses to schools to hospitals. Through face-to-face dialogue, Power Smart representatives were able to demonstrate the benefits of a full lighting redesign versus a simple lighting retrofit.

"The full lighting redesign allows our customers to maximize their electrical savings," said Paul Seo, Program Manager at BC Hydro. "A simple lighting retrofit is a great first start, but with lighting redesign, organizations can realize more energy savings along with other benefits, like lower maintenance costs."

The Results

A study was commissioned for school districts across Canada that showed the difference between wattage per square meter within classrooms. The study showed the possibility of benchmarking but also showcased two schools on the different ends of the spectrum. The graph shows the best wattage at 6.5 watts per square meter, while the worst energy performance was 20.6 watts per square meter. During the study, it was determined that all schools incorporated energy conservation measures, but the one that performed the best also implemented a lighting redesign component. What does this mean? For example, in a school district with ten schools each being an average of 27,720 square meters in size, the difference in consumption would equate to an approximate savings of $19,542 per year.

In addition to the direct energy savings, maintenance and labour costs are reduced because the new technologies are longer-lasting and there are fewer lights and ballasts to maintain. Lighting redesigns also result in better lighting levels, reduced glare, the elimination of flickering, improved levels of fresh air, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced environmental protection.

Getting Started

Under the Power Smart Partner Program, BC Hydro can offer up to 100% of the funding to conduct an energy study to explore the potential energy savings from a lighting upgrade. Once the opportunities for savings are identified, BC Hydro will cover up to 60% of the capital costs for the customized lighting projects. For simple retrofits, the Product Incentive Program (PIP) provides financial incentives to organizations that replace inefficient products with energy-efficient technologies or add on products to existing systems to make them more efficient.

Learn More

To learn how you can maximize your electrical savings, call our Customer Care team at 604 453 6400 (Lower Mainland) or 1 866 453 6400 (elsewhere in B.C.).