Reduces Energy Costs by $1 Million in Less Than Three Years
Venstar® recently announced that its LED lighting solution is being used at Mission Community Hospital in Los Angeles County. Venstar was hired by Los Angeles-based healthcare consulting company Hallsta to transition the old fluorescent lighting at Mission Community Hospital to LED.
“When working on lighting projects, the installation team is literally in every room of the hospital, from patient rooms to the ICU and surgery rooms. The Venstar team was professional, flexible and adhered to strict requirements. They did a really great job transitioning the hospital to LED lighting,” said Ola Ostlund, co-founder of Hallsta.
Challenge: Cut Energy Costs by Moving to LED Lighting
Mission Community Hospital was spending $2 million on lighting energy annually. Its goals in moving to LED lighting included:
- Reduce energy costs related to hospital lights being on 24/7
- Decrease maintenance costs to replace and dispose of old fluorescent tubes
- Lessen the inconvenience of lighting maintenance for hospital staff and patients
- Improve the quality of light with soft bright LED lighting
- Eliminate the heat of fluorescent lighting and help curb air conditioning costs
- Eradicate the hazards of handling magnetic ballasts and fluorescent tubes
Solution: Venstar’s T8 P-Series LED Tubes
Venstar replaced the old fluorescent lighting at the hospital, acute care facilities, clinics, medical office building and parking structure. The hospital and acute care facility were previously utilizing 28-watt fluorescent tubes, which Venstar replaced with 12-watt LED tubes for energy savings and a brighter, more comfortable environment.
For the medical office building, Venstar removed the original T12 34-watt fluorescent fixtures and replaced them with 12-watt LED tubes. This created a more comfortable lighting environment for healthcare workers and patients.
The parking structure previously had a mix of 55- to 100-watt fluorescent fixtures. Venstar replaced all of the fixtures with vapor-tight, 12-watt LED lamps, providing a brighter, safer environment.
Venstar’s LED tubes have an average rated life of 50,000+ hours, which is much more than the useful life ratings for fluorescent and HID lighting. Venstar LED lights are self-contained, which eliminates the need for ballasts for the fixtures. The longer life and absence of ballasts greatly reduce maintenance requirements.
Results: Cut Energy Costs by $1 Million in Three Years, Rebate Subsidized Installation
With Venstar’s LED solution, Mission Community Hospital cut its annual energy cost by $350,000. In less than three years, it will save $1 million. “The annual energy cost savings from Venstar LEDs is money in the hospital’s pocket every year,” said Kelly Martinez, co-founder of Hallsta.
The Venstar products and installation were greatly subsidized by a rebate from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power for the switch to LEDs.
Benefits of moving to LED also include:
- Improved quality of light. The soft bright LED lighting helps promote a healing environment and eliminates the potential for migraines from fluorescent lighting.
- Reduced maintenance costs. Since LED tubes have a longer life than fluorescent lighting, replacement is less frequent. This also reduces the inconvenience of lighting maintenance on staff and patients.
- Eliminated costly hazardous waste handling. LEDs do not require special maintenance and disposal unlike fluorescent tubes, which are considered hazardous waste.
- Increased environment comfort. Since LED tubes do not emit as much heat as fluorescent lighting, air conditioning usage and costs were also reduced. With LED lighting, the hospital facilities are cooler and more comfortable.
- Improved HCAHPS Hospital Survey Scores. Patients found the LED lighting to be more comfortable, less glaring and safer than fluorescent lighting, resulting in greater patient satisfaction during hospital stays.
About Venstar Inc.
Venstar Inc. is a leading thermostat and energy management system (EMS) manufacturer, known for providing value to its customers via ease of use and installation, proven cost savings, improved energy efficiency, quality and reliability. Founded in 1992, Venstar is one of the largest thermostat suppliers in the world and designs and produces Venstar-branded products, as well as OEM thermostat products for the biggest names in HVAC. Venstar’s Surveyor is a leading energy management system, typically saving small-box retailers 20–35 percent of their energy costs, which translates to tens of millions of dollars in savings each year and dramatic reductions in CO2 emissions. Surveyor currently controls the energy usage of 30,000+ retail locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.