by Shane Henson — October 3, 2012—After taking note of the reduction in energy costs achieved in other buildings by switching from fluorescent lights to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), Davis & Warshow, a New York-based dealer of luxury kitchen and bath fixtures and plumbing materials, has converted its entire 209,000-square-foot Queens distribution center from fluorescent tubes to LED tube lighting.
In making the switch, the company can stake claim on having the largest single-facility LED tube installation with the most energy-efficient lighting in watts per-square-foot in the United States to date, it says. Additionally, it is said to be the country’s first facility to achieve net-zero lighting costs with LED tubes thanks to a rooftop solar array installed in 2010 that exceeds the 200,000 annual kWh to power the lighting.
Independence LED, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer, was the source for the more than two miles worth of LED tubes required for the Davis & Warshow retrofit. Prior to the conversion, lighting equaled nearly 65 percent of the structure’s total power usage, costing almost $50,000 per year. It now has decreased to less than 50 percent of the building’s total energy use and costs less than $20,000 per year to run—reducing the company’s lighting tab by 60 percent or nearly $40,000 a year, says Davis & Warshow.
Both the installation of the solar array and the LED conversion are part of Davis & Warshow’s Practically Green program—a pragmatic, small-steps approach to going green that the company inaugurated in 2008, it says.
“Our small steps are adding up to a giant leap in sustainability, and we are proof positive that even small companies like ours can make a difference in reducing their environmental footprint for the better of the planet,” said David Finkel, president of Davis & Warshow.
