AT&T LED Signage Reduces Carbon Emissions, Saves Energy

by | Jul 23, 2009

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attlighting1Looking to replace outdated signage on more than 6,500 AT&T office buildings and retail locations, AT&T chose to retrofit its 7,000 channel letter signs with a LED lighting system that significantly reduces its energy use and carbon emissions. The benefit: A savings of more than 5.8-million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and a reduction of 3,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. AT&T said this is the equivalent of planting more than 950 acres of trees.

AT&T’s lighting retrofit included the installation of 2.6 million LEDs from Lumination, GE Consumer & Industrial’s LED business. The GE Tetra LEDs replaced both high-voltage, high-maintenance neon and less-efficient linear fluorescent lighting, which typically performs less favorably than LEDs in cold climates, according to the company.

GE said the LEDs are up to 80 percent more energy efficient than commonly used neon, and with a 50,000-hour rated life it outlasts fluorescent systems by more than three years, which will also result in a financial cost savings for AT&T.

AT&T is also working on other ways to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Earlier this year, the company announced that it will replace about 8,000 gasoline-powered vehicles with transport that runs on compressed natural gas over the next five years, and replace 7,100 passenger vehicles with alternative fuel models by 2019.

In November, AT&T launched the 1E NightWatchman PC power management solution on 310,000 desktop computers, which is expected to save the company more than 135-million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and eliminate about 123,000 tons of CO2 emissions. The company also announced plans to install and operate a 1-megawatt solar power system at AT&T’s facility in San Ramon. Click here for other sustainability initiatives.

If your company needs help with converting older fluorescent fixtures to LEDs, the latest white paper from solid-state-lighting (SSL) system manufacturer Albeo Technologies can provide some useful tips. The white paper addresses issues such as performance, reliability and cost for LED conversion kits and LED drop-in replacements. For a more hands-on experience, here’s a video of a real-time conversion process.

Financial aid may be available for some of your LED retrofits. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $162 million in funding for state energy programs in seven states and territories from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Those in line to benefit include Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.

Projects eligible for State Energy Program funding include energy audits, building retrofits, education and training efforts, transportation programs to increase the use of alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles, and new financing mechanisms to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments. Click here for a list of state-by-state funding.

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