Published 18:45, August the 4th, 2009
PECO goes green — and bright
PHILADELPHIA. Thirty three years to the day PECO first debuted its crown lights atop headquarters at 23rd and Market streets., the energy company introduced a new, more eco-friendly technology last month.
Minutes before this year’s July 4 fireworks cracked across a breezy night sky, PECO’s light show made its debut to crowds spilling across the Ben Franklin Parkway and beyond.
“We went from 2,600 incandescent light bulbs to more than two million LEDs,” says PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engle. She says transitioning from 30-watt bulbs to LEDs uses 40 percent less energy. The new lights, installed by Philly’s C. Erikson and Sons and Young Electric Sign Company in Utah, also now offer vivid color and graphics.
“The technology is similar to LED boards in stadiums,” says Engle. But rather than using flat-screen technology, PECO’s lights consist of columns linked together to scroll words and images. It’s the first LED presentation of its kind in the United States, according to Engle, and the next phase of an eco-friendly initiative begun last year.
“We installed a green roof on our headquarters and we began using hybrid and biodiesel vehicles,” says Engle.
PECO’s also working toward LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at work locations through the region, and has petitioned for approval of a multi-million-dollar plan that would provide customers with rebates and compact light bulbs.
