BACKGROUND:
THE SITUATION
Located at 200 Lexington Avenue, the New York Design Center (NYDC) is the country’s oldest furniture and design building. For over 80 years, the NYDC has worked to transform and enhance living and working environments in styles that range from classic creations to avant-garde, contemporary designs.
A few years ago, the NYDC decided to make the switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). With nearly 100 showrooms at the center showcasing more than 500 lines of fine, traditional, contemporary, residential and contract furniture, as well as fabric, floor covering, wall covering, kitchen and bath and decorative accessories, having high-quality lighting that accurately renders color is critical. While the CFLs provided significant energy savings over the previous lamps, the center wanted to improve on the light quality in their facilities. Working with LEDVANCE to determine the best solution, the NYDC chose to test the benefits of LED technology by retrofitting the lobby space at their offices.
THE SOLUTION
By replacing the 40 CFLs in the NYDC lobby with SYLVANIA ULTRA LED BR40 lamps, the center noticed marked improvement in light output and quality. The SYLVANIA ULTRA LED lamps provided higher light levels in the lobby space, increasing illuminance readings from 10 to 13 footcandles in the low lobby and from 22 to 23.5 footcandles in the double-height space. Also, the center noted significant improvement in light distribution as the optics of the new LED lamps more effectively directed their output to improve the vertical illumination of the walls. The light from the ULTRA LED lamps was greater in deep red content (higher R9 value), creating a much richer environment where vendor displays became much more vibrant than with the CFLs they replaced.
While improving the light quality of the lobby space was the primary goal, energy efficiency was still very important. Not only do the SYLVANIA ULTRA LED lamps consume 22 percent less energy than the previous 23-watt 8,000 hour CFLs, they also last more than 300 percent longer with a rated lamp life of 25,000 hours, allowing the NYDC to save on energy and maintenance costs.
“The New York Design Center is proud to work with LEDVANCE in efforts to improve the lighting at the NYDC while also conserving energy and saving money,” said Alix M. Lerman, director of marketing & communications, New York Design Center. “It is wonderful to see the difference the new LED lighting makes in the lobby of the building.”
THE PRODUCT
The SYLVANIA ULTRA LED BR40 lamps are energy saving replacements for incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent lamps. With 70 percent lumen maintenance at the rated lamp life of 25,000 hours, the lamps offer more years of service and reduced maintenance costs when compared to other lighting technologies.
SYLVANIA LED lamps are environmentally preferred products as the lamps are RoHS-compliant and contain no mercury, lead or other hazardous materials. The 2700K color temperature and 80 color rendering index make them more suitable replacements for incandescent lamps by providing better color appearance than CFLs. In addition, SYLVANIA LED lamps are ideal for any showroom because they do not emit UV or IR radiation that can cause fading and discoloration of fabric or artwork.
THE EFFECT
At the New York Design Center, the building management is thrilled with the warmer, more efficient light in the lobby and is considering retrofitting the remaining square footage of their headquarters with SYLVANIA ULTRA LED lamps, a move that could further increase the facility’s energy savings.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Switching to LED lighting from LEDVANCE in the lobby space led to a 22 percent reduction in energy consumption and reduced maintenance costs for the New York Design Center, all while improving the light quality and the amount of light in the space.
