Philips saves $1M/yr in energy cost with Ernst & Young NYC office lighting conversion

Ernst & Young LLP, a global consulting firm, has teamed with JAS consulting, Philips Lightolier Energy Services and lighting design firm One Lux Studio, to retrofit 32 floors of its US headquarters in New York City with LED lighting solutions from Philips Lighting. The new installation will save the company close to $1M per year in energy and maintenance costs, while reducing lighting energy use by 2.9 million kWh per year and reduce its CO₂ emissions by approximately 2 million pounds annually.

Team room before and after “Over the past few years we have been able to reduce our carbon footprint from energy. This new lighting system will add an even greater reduction,” said Brent Summers, director, Americas Enterprise Support Services, Ernst & Young. He added, “Five Times Square is seeking an Energy Star rating, and the lighting work will be a large part of our application.”

The office lighting system, which serves 5200 employees, formerly consumed 6.2 million kWh annually. The team of JAS consulting, Philips Lightolier Energy Service Group and One Lux Studio selected customized LED fixtures, assessed lighting control systems and coordinated with the local labor union to ensure a smooth installation of lighting systems throughout the building’s open office areas, private offices, conference rooms and common areas. The team also identified utility rebates that allowed Ernst & Young to lower its upfront costs by more than 13%.

Cubical area before and after “Ernst & Young has looked at the return-on-investment for their new lighting system and has seen that it gives them better light quality, a lot more control over their energy usage and reduces maintenance, making good business sense,” said Zia Eftekhar, chairman of Philips Lighting North America. “More and more forward-thinking businesses are looking at the long term value of their lighting investment and realizing that LED technology can lower their environmental impact and their electricity usage.”

In total, the new lighting system will reduce Ernst & Young LLP’s lighting-related energy and maintenance costs by more than 50% a year and its annual lighting energy use by 54%.

Stephen Marguiles, president of One Lux Studio added “Luminaires that were commonly used when this project was originally designed were not necessarily very efficient. The new equipment optimized LED and fluorescent efficacies, as well as ensuring light levels were ‘right sized’ for each space type.”