More light, less GHG at Ocean Industries

The Ocean Industries site at Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec, was equipped like many factories with HID (High Intensity Discharge) lighting – a higher energy-consuming technology whose bulbs also contain mercury. The approximately 5,000-square-metre (51,820-square-foot) facility is now equipped with LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. Ocean Industries has invested about $15,000 for the retrofit; the existing electrical infrastructure was reused with minor adjustments. Ocean Industries estimates that the return on investment will take a little longer than in other provinces/countries because Quebec’s electricity pricing is quite low. The company will amortize the purchase and installation over roughly three-and-a-half years, knowing that the LED bulbs have a decade-long minimum service life. The LED bulbs have more than doubled the luminosity in some areas of the plant. The old system necessitated replacing a few bulbs annually, while the new lighting hasn’t require any maintenance since its installation a year and a half ago. The LED system is reducing the site’s carbon footprint by 64%.