Novo Nordisk Case Study
CHALLENGE: Expensive, Spotty Exterior Lighting was Prone To Outages…
Exterior lighting for a 5-story, 167,000 square-foot office building in Princeton, New Jersey, was inadequate, expensive, environmentally unsound and prone to outages. Metal halide fixtures were inefficient and costly to maintain requiring frequent replacement with a bucket truck. Areas of the parking lot posed security and safety concerns as old inefficient lights failed.
SOLUTION: Vanguard Designed Bright, Low Maintenance Lighting…
Commercial real estate specialists Cushman & Wakefield tasked Vanguard Building Solutions, a leading energy and infrastructure solutions company in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to design and install brighter, more uniform lighting that saved energy, incorporated advanced technology and reduced maintenance. Modifications required review and approval by Plainsboro Township authorities and Princeton Forrestal Center leadership as well as sensitivity to tenant operations by Novo Nordisk. The project demanded sophisticated management skills to meet strict budgets.
RESULTS: Vanguard’s Reliable, Environmentally Smart Illumination Will Save $218,000
The building’s exteriors now glow under 119 bright, environmentally advanced fixtures. LED technology features fixtures with 23-year lifespans – far longer than 15,000-hour metal halide lamp life – which eliminates maintenance costs. “The design delivers higher, more uniform output with less light pollution,” says Mike Sherman, Vanguard’s president. “Further, energy and operational savings will likely exceed $218,000 over 10 years.” Project challenges included changing walkway bollard fixtures mid-project. “We switched to a more expensive bollard because the original model we chose weren’t fitting the existing in-ground supports to our satisfaction,” Sherman explains. “Increased costs to our client? Zero.” Unique to the building industry, Vanguard strictly adheres to proposal prices. “No change orders – ever,” Sherman emphasizes.
“Clients know exact costs right up front and our final bill matches the proposal.” Vanguard’s expert project management, in fact, lowered project expenses by boosting expected rebates. “We tracked changes in the New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, resubmitted applications and gained extra money in rebates,” Sherman explains. Vanguard adroitly coordinated concept, approvals, permissions and installation among four stakeholders: Cushman & Wakefield, building owner, local officials and tenant. Novo Nordisk liked the results so much that Vanguard is now revamping the building’s lobby lighting. Cushman & Wakefield needed something extra. “They were thrilled with the project and asked for a case study for their own marketing purposes,” Sherman relates.
Finances at a Glance:
- New lighting saves $218,000 in energy and operational costs over 10 years
- Tough, environmentally smart LEDs replaced costly, metal halide fixtures.
- Maintenance costs dropped drastically with LED fixtures’ estimated 23-year life span.
- Vanguard boosted expected Clean Energy rebates.
- Vanguard’s strict “no change orders” policy guaranteed original project price despite higher expenses.
