Vancity has taken energy efficiency a step further by applying LED technology to their exterior signs at their two downtown office tower locations and branches throughout the lower mainland and Victoria.
At their two Head Office towers and close to 50 branches across BC, Vancity is changing their exterior signage from neon to LED. In 2004, a pilot retrofit project was completed at 11 Vancity branches with the assistance of BC Hydro. Energy savings from the pilot were 85% of what the signs originally used. Other advantages for Vancity were a reduction in maintenance costs, fewer failures, and reduced safety hazards.
As a result of the pilot project, Vancity has committed to changing all the exterior signage at their locations to LED and this has become the standard for new locations. The initial cost is similar to that of neon signs, but LED has a much better life cycle cost when considering energy and maintenance cost savings.
The LED sign located at the top of the Vancity Centre building is seven feet high and 35 feet long, proving that LED has some lofty applications. The entire sign draws only 1,260 watts, less than 25% of the sign it replaced.
For more information on this application of LED technology, contact Casey Gaetz at Prism
