Dec 10 2009
Just as winter grips the Northeast, Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the country's largest owner, developer and manager of high quality retail real estate has taken another step towards "greening" its malls in the region.
From New Jersey to New Hampshire, nearly 650 carts and kiosks in 29 malls have been retrofitted with 10,000 energy efficient SoL(TM) LED (light emitting diode) MR16 lamps from Lighting Science Group Corporation (Pink Sheets: LSCG).
The self-standing carts and kiosks have grown in popularity in Simon malls across America. The carts and kiosks generally feature specialty products such as jewelry, cosmetics, cell phones, art and tee shirts. Some offer seasonal items like holiday decorations, costumes or calendars. Typically, they were illuminated with thirteen 35-watt halogen MR16 reflector lamps. Simon chose to replace these lamps with the 5-watt Lighting Science retrofit LED lamps.
"While providing the same high quality lighting that Simon mall shoppers have come to expect, the Lighting Science Group energy efficient LED lamps will reduce energy consumption by 85%, save over 1.3 million kWh of electricity annually, and will have a positive impact on the environment by avoiding the emission of 944 metric tons of CO2," said George Caraghiaur, Vice President of Energy Services at Simon. "That's enough energy to power 131 homes for a year and the equivalent amount of carbon sequestered annually from 24,197 tree seedlings grown over 10 years."
"Simon Property Group is a leader in adopting emerging green technologies. This retrofit project represents one of the first major LED lighting upgrades in the Northeast," said Zach Gibler, Chief Executive Officer of Lighting Science Group. "Not only will Simon create a positive impact on the environment in the communities that it serves, but the company will also realize an immediate positive impact on its bottom line -- an annual operational savings of over $250,000 and a payback in 10 months -- doing good makes good financial sense."
The Lighting Science SoL LED MR16 lamp used to illuminate the kiosks at Simon's northeast properties is a compact reflector lamp that can be used in both commercial and residential track and downlight fixtures. The light source consumes only 5 watts and will last about 35,000 hours or 8 years in this particular application, thereby significantly reducing maintenance costs. The Lighting Science LED retrofit lamps offer a warm and pleasing light color, and its performance is validated by an independent testing lab that is approved for LM-79 Testing for ENERGY STAR for Solid State lighting by the United States Department of Energy CALiPER program.
"We chose to partner with Lighting Science Group because they are a leader in the field of LED lighting." said Caraghiaur, "We were looking for a solution that meets Simon's stringent energy and environmental requirements without sacrificing light quality. LED lighting will be part of our continued sustainability strategy."
Source: http://www.lsgc.com/