8ª Avenida’s lighting retrofit saves enough electricity to supply 25 homes in Portugal

Challenge

Consequently, 8ª Avenida has a lower-than-average electrical energy consumption. The challenge for the shopping centre management team is to think creatively and explore all possibilities to maximise the asset’s efficiency in accordance with Sonae Sierra’s objective to reduce its shopping centres’ energy consumption, associated GHG emissions and financial costs on a continuous basis.

Lighting accounts for around 29% of a typical shopping centre’s energy costs, so the management team was keen to analyse potential projects to improve the centre’s lighting efficiency. The main barriers to be overcome were cost, and the need to ensure that any works carried out would not jeopardize lighting quality or cause any disturbance to the shopping centres’ day-to-day operations.

Solution

They determined that retrofitting the lighting with a ‘best in class’ system in one of the areas with greater potential for energy efficiency improvements – technical corridors – would deliver significant savings as these are areas which are unoccupied for long periods and therefore have no need for continuous lighting.

In 2013 the 8ª Avenida team proceeded with a lighting retrofit that involved the substitution of fluorescent lamps with LED lamps with a built-in motion sensor, enhancing the reduction achievable in low occupancy corridors. The system is also capable of controlling the lamp´s flux, dimming between 10% (stand-by mode, when space is unoccupied) and 100% (in the presence of occupants).

Representing a total investment of €5,400, the lighting retrofit has reduced 8ª Avenida’s annual electricity consumption by around 63,500 kWh, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of around 25 homes in Portugal and 18 tonnes CO₂e. Although the technical corridors represent less than 5% of the total area of the shopping centre, the electricity reduction achieved represents around 3% of the centre’s total electricity consumption in 2016. Furthermore, the electricity reduction translates into a cost saving of more than €5,900 a year, meaning the payback of the project is less than one year.

Abstract

8ª Avenida was designed as an eco-efficient shopping centre and its management team have been proactive in improving its environmental performance in operation, with notable successes. Determined to improve the assets’ efficiency and reduce costs even further, in 2013 the team investigated potential solutions to reduce electricity consumption from lighting. By installing LED technology in technical corridors, they delivered a cost effective lighting retrofit without disruption to the shopping centre’s operations, enabling 8ª Avenida to save 63,500 kWh of electrical energy annually – enough to supply around 25 Portuguese homes.

Introduction

Making sure that the assets we manage are consistently run to the highest standards of eco-efficiency is a day-to-day priority for Sonae Sierra as a means to safeguard natural capital.

As pressure on governments to reduce the potential impacts of climate change grows, regulations regarding the energy consumption of buildings are becoming more stringent. Over the long term, the cost of energy is likely to rise and high-energy consuming buildings are therefore expected to become less attractive to investors and occupiers. On the contrary, more efficient assets are expected to sustain their value for longer into the future.

Although it has a lower electrical energy consumption compared to other Sonae Sierra shopping centres in Portugal, the 8ª Avenida shopping centre team were keen to take on the challenge of making the asset more environmentally-friendly and cost efficient.

Background

8ª Avenida was inaugurated in 2007 having been developed by Sonae Sierra in accordance with the Company’s environmental design standards.

Since the outset, 8ª Avenida has been equipped with a building management system, energy sub-metering and a range of electricity-efficient appliances. The Shopping centre also operates in accordance with an ISO 14001-certified environmental management system (EMS).

The shopping centre team has proceeded to increase the operational efficiency of the centre through a pro-active facilities management approach: in 2015, for example, a 16% energy reduction (equivalent to a €36,000 cost saving) was achieved by reducing the energy demand of the centre’s cooling towers.

Closure

This case study shows that, even in shopping centres which boast an eco-efficient design and good operational performance in terms of electricity efficiency, there is always room for improvement. LED technology offers a cost-effective solution to increasing lighting efficiency, and it is being implemented across Sonae Sierra’s shopping centre portfolio with excellent results in terms of cost savings and reduced environmental impact.