British Columbia Buildings Corporation

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Richard Blanshard Building, Victoria

The story

With $36,800 in annual savings, we've seen the light.

"The Power Smart lighting redesign is not only generating significant electricity savings but has also improved the comfort and satisfaction of building users. Efficient lighting contributes to prudent fiscal and environmental management of government operations, ultimately benefiting the BC taxpayer."

Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister Responsible for the British Columbia Buildings Corporation.

The situation

British Columbia Buildings Corporation (BCBC) provides cost-effective workspace solutions and a range of service options for the provincial public sector. BCBC ensures that provincial government facilities throughout the province meet its customers' needs and provides the best value for its customers, its shareholder and the taxpayer. Recent work at the Richard Blanshard Building in Victoria is but one example of BCBC's commitment to customer satisfaction.

The lighting system at the Richard Blanshard Building was state-of-the-art when it was built in 1975. Since that time, lighting technology has advanced. It's now possible to operate lights that have improved colour rendering using less energy. The potential for energy savings, better indoor workspace comfort and maintained asset value provided a basis for BCBC to conduct an energy study of the building.

The success of an energy efficiency project at the Richard Blanshard Building hinged on the ability of energy savings to pay entirely for associated costs within a reasonable time frame. BC Hydro's Power Smart Partners funding provided the necessary incentive required to advance the project once it had been scoped out.

The solution

BCBC became a Power Smart Partner in 2002. With BC Hydro's assistance, an energy study was conducted at the Richard Blanshard Building. The study revealed that installing updated lighting technology, plus a redesign of the lighting system, could return significant electricity savings, greatly improve lighting quality for building occupants, and add value to the real estate asset.
The two-phase project was carried out between November 2002 and April 2003.

• In Phase I, existing office lighting consisted of 1x4 recessed fluorescent luminaires with prismatic lenses, 2-T12 lamps and electromagnetic ballasts. These were removed and replaced with new 2x4 deep-cell luminaires with 2-T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. The lighting configuration was also redesigned to better match the workspace requirements.
• Before proceeding to the retrofit installation, a mock-up area of the new lighting design was set up to obtain feedback from occupants. The occupants reacted positively to the new lighting.
• In Phase II, a retrofit of the remaining common areas, T12s were converted to T8s, incandescent lamps in potlights were upgraded to compact fluorescent lamps, and exit signs were converted from incandescent to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting.

Overall, the lighting redesign was a big success and, now, the Richard Blanshard Building is serving as a model for other BCBC lighting upgrades.

The benefits

Reduced operating costs

The lighting upgrade at the Richard Blanshard Building is saving BCBC's customer 682,700 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, equivalent to annual savings of $36,800. In addition, maintenance costs have been reduced by approximately $4,000 a year as a result of extended lamp life.

Greater operational efficiency

As a result of the lighting upgrade, the Richard Blanshard Building has moved from a patchwork of different technologies to a consistent technology throughout the building. This has improved the building's operating efficiency and helps meet government objectives of prudent fiscal management in its operations.

Enhanced employee comfort

The combination of more efficient lighting technologies and lighting redesign has significantly reduced glare and improved the colour temperature, and improved the quality of indoor lighting by improving the lighting colour rendering index. Studies show that these characteristics increase the comfort and productivity of building occupants.

Reduced environmental impacts and demand for new energy

Lower energy consumption results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a reduction in energy demand on Vancouver Island.

Contact us

Find out how Power Smart can energize your bottom line. Call us today at 604 453 6400 in the Lower Mainland or 1 866 453 6400 elsewhere in B.C.