So being that I've got a green streak and my electrician buddy knows this, he suggested that I look at the LED lighting solutions from LED Lighting Fixtures in Morrisville, N.C. Then in true (sales) fashion of demonstrating the light, he swapped one of the (R40) CFLs in my existing office with a new LED (LR6) bulb.
I called on the customer support staff at LED Lighting Fixtures and found out CREE Lighting Solutions recently acquired their company. The LED bulbs LR6 and LR6C are warranted for 3 years by the manufacturer except against improper installation, breakage, abuse, accident, mishandling, failure to follow operating, or maintenance or environmental instructions prescribed by the factory or for electrical current fluctuations.
We purchased 60 of the LED bulbs at $80 each and installed 42, with the remaining to be installed upon construction completion. The bulbs have a 20-year life expectancy or 50,000 hours of burn time. I'm not too worried about "electrical current fluctuations" since we utilize two methods of whole panel protection or Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS); the primary from Leviton TVSS and the secondary TVSS from our capacitors used to correct our Power Factor from Power-Save Company. L-enterprise sites will likely utilize isolation or other transformers.
Sidebar: I've long been a supporter of whole panel TVSS. The facts are staggering. Transients, spikes, surges and lightning create billions of dollars of losses annually. Most people think- if they don't see the lights blink, lightning or some other visual/audible indicator, that their power is good. Many transients occur from internal sources and it's those voltages that kill the gear. See: Power Protection-Pay A Little Now, Or A Lot Later.
The LR6 or LR6C bulbs install in standard 6 inch recessed lighting housings. Some cans are not compatible so it remains up to the electrician to swap them out. Luckily, our new offices have all new cans (housings) from Lightolier that are compatible.
According to the customer service folks at CREE, they have sold over 100,000 bulbs with near zero returns in the past 12 months. So it seems that the LED technology of lighting is pretty reliable. In my short term use here's what I've observed:
Above is a cross-section of an LED bulb, and a table showing the savings. The installed cost of the LED bulbs was $3,841 and even if the bulbs last 20 years we will only save in current dollars, $2,162 in energy costs over the CFL bulbs. When you compare that the CFLs will need replacing every 5 years (or sooner - defects), then we may save an additional $1,344 by not buying and replacing the CFL bulbs. We do know that Maryland rates for our section of the grid will double by 2011, and again if the LED bulbs last 20 years, then we can expect an additional savings of $3,676 (or $216.24 yearly) from 2011 through 2027, thus the acceleration for the known increases. So maybe the savings and recapture of this investment will accelerate enough but still depend upon the future rates. No labor is calculated in this, so for those in the large enterprise space, consider those costs too. Our situation may be different in that we have been using CFLs and the savings from going from those to LEDs are less dramatic. An online calculator is found here for comparisons with incandescent.
Lighting always plays a role and for data centers it maybe a source of heat you want to consider. LED lighting and other green initiatives have taken off in Las Vegas, yielding substantial savings where you'd think money is always flowing in. For immediate impact, LED lighting reduces heat and energy consumption. Then, going back to what I've said before, I do expect to build an alternative energy power plant and maybe it will help us reach what is a "Net Zero" carbon footprint. Important to consider is maximizing what you use and plan to use before building your own plant. Otherwise, you will build your own AE/RE (Alternative Energy/Renewable Energy) power plant and it will generate power - but how much of that power will be consumed for waste? Conservation and efficiency should be first on your list, otherwise, poor power factors and inefficient operations aren't improved, and you won't likely maximize or even realize a return (ROI), if there is one.
Whether or not you adopt AE/RE you will need to weigh the benefits for your companies. The clock for federal tax incentives for Solar PV, Solar thermal, geothermal and wind (AE/RE) is set to expire at year's end. We hope to avoid significant energy costs due to rate increases in the near future. LED lights are another leverage against increases in energy costs. It's not just a light bulb or any light bulb, and it's a high hope that our wallet doesn't run to Net Zero in an attempt to get green. Either way, it's worth a look, especially if you factor in labor. Buying in bulk has its advantage too - especially if you order 500 bulbs or more.
Above is a cross-section of an LED bulb, and a table showing the savings. The installed cost of the LED bulbs was $3,841 and even if the bulbs last 20 years we will only save in current dollars, $2,162 in energy costs over the CFL bulbs. When you compare that the CFLs will need replacing every 5 years (or sooner - defects), then we may save an additional $1,344 by not buying and replacing the CFL bulbs. We do know that Maryland rates for our section of the grid will double by 2011, and again if the LED bulbs last 20 years, then we can expect an additional savings of $3,676 (or $216.24 yearly) from 2011 through 2027, thus the acceleration for the known increases. So maybe the savings and recapture of this investment will accelerate enough but still depend upon the future rates. No labor is calculated in this, so for those in the large enterprise space, consider those costs too. Our situation may be different in that we have been using CFLs and the savings from going from those to LEDs are less dramatic. An online calculator is found here for comparisons with incandescent.
Lighting always plays a role and for data centers it maybe a source of heat you want to consider. LED lighting and other green initiatives have taken off in Las Vegas, yielding substantial savings where you'd think money is always flowing in. For immediate impact, LED lighting reduces heat and energy consumption. Then, going back to what I've said before, I do expect to build an alternative energy power plant and maybe it will help us reach what is a "Net Zero" carbon footprint. Important to consider is maximizing what you use and plan to use before building your own plant. Otherwise, you will build your own AE/RE (Alternative Energy/Renewable Energy) power plant and it will generate power - but how much of that power will be consumed for waste? Conservation and efficiency should be first on your list, otherwise, poor power factors and inefficient operations aren't improved, and you won't likely maximize or even realize a return (ROI), if there is one.
Whether or not you adopt AE/RE you will need to weigh the benefits for your companies. The clock for federal tax incentives for Solar PV, Solar thermal, geothermal and wind (AE/RE) is set to expire at year's end. We hope to avoid significant energy costs due to rate increases in the near future. LED lights are another leverage against increases in energy costs. It's not just a light bulb or any light bulb, and it's a high hope that our wallet doesn't run to Net Zero in an attempt to get green. Either way, it's worth a look, especially if you factor in labor. Buying in bulk has its advantage too - especially if you order 500 bulbs or more.
