Downtown tenant cuts lighting costs 64 percent with Con Ed.

When the building manager at 201 Varick Street in Lower Manhattan opens the electric bill this month, he'll see a change for the better. The 11th floor, occupied by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is using 64 percent less electricity for lighting, resulting in a savings of more than $10,000 per year.

These Con Edison bill savings are possible because of the installation of an energy-efficient lighting system and the use of new computers in the 1901 vintage building.

"Visitors to the 11th floor and INS employees step into lighting that's easy on the eyes," said Walter Kain, a General Services Administration (GSA) project manager. "The cost savings are tremendous, and we're considering advanced lighting systems at other GSA locations."

Two awards for the project were presented recently. The 1997 Federal Energy and Water Management Award for Energy Efficiency from the U.S. Department of Energy was given to GSA and the Electric Power Research Institute's EPRI End-Use Leadership Award was presented to Con Edison. The awards honor the pioneering use of energy-efficient products that enhance productivity or comfort.

The 11th floor at 201 Varick Street is a sprawling 23,000 square-foot space with 65 workstations for INS information officers. The lighting system consists of energy-efficient electronic ballasts and fluorescent lamps mounted in highly reflective deep ceiling fixtures. The lights produce less glare on computer screens, and occupancy sensors turn off lights during lunch breaks, after work ends, or anytime employees leave a work area for more than 10 minutes. Window office ceiling monitors sense changes in daylight and adjust lights to save energy on sunny days. The 11th floor also houses an INS national training center, where lights are pre-programmed to adjust to the various tasks performed.

The office is also equipped with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "Energy Star" certified computers, reducing energy use by 23 percent over standard computers.

EPRI worked with Con Edison Research and Development and Energy Services engineers to bring Lightoiler Corporation advanced lighting and USEPA Energy Star office equipment technology to Varick Street. The GSA saw the value in applying this new technology to save energy and partnered with Con Edison to have it installed in the newly remodeled 11th floor.

"With lighting accounting for about one-third of the electricity used in commercial buildings, this type of partnership shows the nationwide potential for wise energy use," said Clark Gellings, vice president of EPRI's customer systems group.

GSA is the federal government's real estate agent, and as such provides workspace for nearly one million federal employees nationwide. Con Edison is one of the nation's largest investor-owned utilities, with nearly $7 billion in annual revenues and $14 billion in assets. EPRI, established in 1973 and headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, manages science and technology R&D for the electricity industry.