Ford Motor Co. recently announced that it will invest more than $25 million to install light-emitting diode (LED) lighting at manufacturing facilities across the globe. The new lights will save energy and money while improving safety and lighting quality.
The 25,000 new LED fixtures will replace traditional high-intensity discharge and fluorescent lights, and are expected to reduce Ford's energy use at manufacturing facilities by 56 million kilowatt-hours annually, which equates to a reduction of almost 70 percent in lighting energy consumption. Annual energy costs are expected to be reduced by approximately $7 million.
The need for maintenance will also diminish, as LED lighting has a 15-year life expectancy. Studies show LED light output remains steady at less than 1-percent degradation per year over the life of the equipment, while fluorescent and high-intensity-discharge (HID) fixtures require re-lamping in as little as two years. LED lights improve safety by eliminating hazardous materials in fixtures and lowering fire risks. At the same time, the technology provides a brighter work area, better uniformity and improved color perception, resulting in a better quality of light for plant employees.
"Moving to LED gives us impressive efficiency improvement," said George Andraos, director of energy and sustainability at Ford Land. "Ford worked closely with its scientists and suppliers to investigate and closely follow the rapid development of LED lighting."
Work began at the Dearborn truck plant late last month to replace worn and outdated overhead lighting. The LED replacement program will continue through the year at 17 other Ford manufacturing facilities across the globe.
For more information, visit www.ford.com.
