2 ways a tower can save power
One firm tinkers with fluorescents Ottawa also backs alternate solution
Bright lights, big city, big waste of electricity. John McCallum, minister of revenue and acting minister of natural resources, is expected to be in Toronto today unveiling a new technology developed in Ontario that could help office buildings dramatically reduce the amount of electricity they use for lighting. The technology, developed by Oakville- based Fifth Light Technology Ltd., “ could deliver major energy and cost savings for office and commercial buildings worldwide,” according to an invitation to the event.
Lighting typically represents more than 30 per cent of a building’s electricity consumption. Most buildings in North America use fluorescent fixtures based on older magnetic ballasts or newer, more efficient electronic ballasts. The problem with magneticballast fixtures, which are being slowly phased out but are still found in the majority of commercial and office buildings in Canada, is that the fixtures are noisy, they get hot and they can’t be dimmed to reduce lighting levels and energy consumption. The fixtures also contain PCBs and other harmful materials, making disposal costly.
Fifth Light, which has been reluctant in the past to talk about the innovation, has developed a microprocessor- based dimmer for magnetic ballasts that improves the quality of light in buildings, extends the life of existing lighting systems and lets building managers reduce lighting levels selectively. The technology, a combination of hardware and software, “ enables building managers to define and redefine lighting zones from a PC, benefit through peak load shedding contracts with utilities ( and) display the energy consumed by each tenant,” according to the firm’s website.
It’s estimated that the average downtown Toronto bank tower could save more than $ 1.7 million annually, based on energy reductions of 30 to 65 per cent.
“ Fifth Light dimmers reduce electricity in direct proportion to the amount of dimming,” according to Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a government funding body that reports to the natural resources ministry and contributed $3 million toward the project. “ This technology offers a substantial advantage over electronic ballasts.” The funding agency estimates that 200 office towers installing the technology would replace the output of a large coal- fired generator or 80 per cent of an average- sized nuclear generating station. Toronto Hydro and Great West Life Realty are partners in the project. The Great West Life building at 33 Yonge St., home to anchor tenant EDS Canada Inc., will be the first commercial building in Toronto to install Fifth Light’s technology throughout. Getting other buildings to follow may prove tricky, however.
Avory Spencer, general manager of Lightland Inc., an energy distributor in Mississauga that serves much of the downtown core, isn’t convinced that dimmable magnetic- ballast fixtures will gain much traction. By 2010, replacement parts for the fixtures will be phased out, he said, and it may be more worthwhile for companies to replace older systems with electronicfixtures, which today represent about 75 per cent of Lightland’s sales.
“ They’re going to have to do it sooner or later,” said Spencer, pointing out that adding a dimming capability to older systems may cost less, but only delays the inevitable.
“ Electronic ballasts are versatile and generate little or no heat, so there’s less demand on air conditioning. There are so many pluses, building owners would be wise to go that route.” The government funding agency may be hedging its bets. In June, the agency agreed to fund a similar light-management project, led by Markhambased Encelium Technologies Inc., which is instead focused on electronic- ballast lighting.
Encelium’s system “ allows every occupant in a building to control their own ‘ environment’ through personal control of light levels in their workspace from their desktop computer,” according to the agency. “ This will reduce overall energy consumption and shave peak demand, thereby easing pressure to build new generation capacity.”
Ontario Power Generation, Toronto General Hospital and Ontario Reality Corp. are already using Encelium’s technology.