Con Edison Tints Gotham Green, Installs New Energy-Efficient LED Lights on Headquarters Tower

September 30, 2008 – Con Edison is supporting the greening of New York City’s skyline by introducing new, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting technology atop its company headquarters building. The new environmentally friendly technology will consume less energy while illuminating the night sky.

Con Edison’s iconic clock tower on Irving Place and East 14th Street, a fixture of the city’s nightscape since 1929, will serve as an example of the new technology’s efficiency and luster. The tower has long displayed various color schemes coinciding with holidays and major events using traditional high intensity discharge (HID) lighting. Con Edison also installed similar LED technology at Brooklyn Borough Hall in 2005.

“The new LED lighting is a win-win both for New Yorkers and the skyline we see,” said Peter Jacobson, Con Edison’s lighting specialist. “When fully lit by the LED fixtures, the new tower light installation uses 63 percent less energy than conventional lighting sources, and the lights will not have to be changed for 15 years, reducing maintenance costs. This state-of-the-art LED system enhances the building at night, while producing fewer carbon emissions.”

Jacobson estimated that by implementing this technology in the Con Edison tower, 18.5 tons of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be eliminated, equivalent to taking three vehicles a year off the road.