by aleida, on April 27th, 2010
Image courtesy of BrightTALK webinar
Right at noon on April 22, 2010, BrightTALK presented the roundtable discussion Ghirardelli Goes Green. Moderated by Deanna Meredith, the Senior Marketing Manager for Willdan Energy Solutions, the panelists were Jane Echlin, the General Manager of Ghirardelli Square and the Developer Representative for Fairmont Heritage Place located in Ghirardelli Square, Darren Nix, the LodgingSavers Program Manager with Ecology Action, and Dr. Densen Cao, CEO of the CAO Group. The discussion was specifically centered on the transition of the historic Ghirardelli sign that sits atop Fairmont Heritage Place to an LED system.
“Ghirardelli Goes Green started last year with a focus on our trash and recycling program, but has morphed into us reviewing other areas here at the property … where we and our tenants can make an impact,” says Echlin. They have tracked gas and electricity use for each tenant through the ENERGY Star website. An assessment of the carbon monoxide emissions in their parking garage concluded they could turn off some fans. And then they organize an actual event – that coincides with Earth Day – attended by various participants who showcase ways that the public can reduce energy use.
Last year, Echlin and her team actively started looking at alternative, lower wattage lighting systems. The property had historically had problems with maintenance with the old type of bulb, which would be affected by the salty air and often go out. But when they started looking at the options “we were confused by the amount of product out on the market and knowing which were reliable products, which were going to last, etc.,” says Echlin. For professional advice, she reached out to Willdan Energy Solutions and PG&E.
The product that was ultimately chosen is called the Dynasty S14 LED Lamp. It is manufactured by the CAO Group, and was recommended by Willdan Energy Solutions. Ecology Action, a non-profit consulting firm located in Santa Cruz, CA, helped secure a $10,000 incentive (in rebates) to aid the Fairmont Heritage Place with the initial cost of the product. The system was installed just on Monday, April 19, 2010. Before the transition, the sign had been operating using an 11 watt incandescent lightbulb array, consisting of approximately 1,200 lamps. That’s just in the sign itself. There were an additional 600 11-watt bulbs located around the perimeter of the clock tower on the Fairmont Heritage building. Each of those 1,800 lamps were all running 24/7, 365 days a year. The Dynasty bulb has brought down energy use per lamp to 1.7 watts. Based on the operating hours, the new lighting system is expected to save 68,000 kWh annually, which translates into approximately $12,000 in savings on the complex’s electricity bill.
Already they have had some fun with the new system, turning the ‘G’ in the sign green for their public event. Echlin sees further opportunity for making a statement with the lighting of the sign by perhaps figuring out something different for 4th of July or St. Patrick’s Day.
To hear the team members speak about the project, please click here.
Click on the icon below for a text only download version of this post:
Incandescent light bulbs will soon be phased out because they waste a lot of energy.`*: