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We all wish President Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump, a speedy recovery from COVID-19. When we saw that President Trump was flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Marine One, one of our staff remembered reading that three years ago in September 2017, a US manufacturer announced that they had retrofitted Walter Reed with energy efficient and made in USA LED lighting. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is typically more reliable, longer lasting, and more energy efficient than traditional fluorescent tube lighting or incandescent bulb lighting.
President Trump, through the various government procurement channels, was smart to have supported the upgrade at Walter Reed so that his doctors can now care for him under optimal lighting. Moving forward, other companies such as Purge Virus now offer ultraviolet light and bipolar optimization technology that can go in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) ducts to “purge” COVID-19 and help reduce the spread of the pandemic. Trump’s stay at Walter Reed for COVID-19 may inspire him or the administration to look more closely at adopting LED lighting for energy savings and UV Lighting and Bipolar Ionization for germicidal disinfection across the extensive 3 billion square feet of US government real estate. At very least, upgrading the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals could make a positive impact on the government energy budget and the health of veterans.
HVAC ducts and systems are like the “blood lines” of a building, and other opportunities also exist for improvements. As an example, the Energy Intelligence Center (EIC) has proven technology that leverages algorithmic software to optimize HVAC and save 15% to 40% of the energy, without changing existing equipment or upfront costs. EIC’s OptikW platform optimizes kilowatts and creates the cost-effective commercial energy savings that is sought after by so many private sector companies. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID-19 and President Trump testing positive will be a new generation of healthy indoor air buildings with reliable energy efficient lights and optimized HVAC systems. Plus, millions of new jobs in the clean-technology market sector would be created as government and private sector building owners and mangers adopt the advanced technologies.
Walter Reed lighting Press Release from 2007:
LED LIGHTING RETROFIT FOR WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER SETS NEW ENERGY EFFICIENCY BENCHMARK FOR THE HEALTHCARE MARKET
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Forward thinking Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has undertaken a renovation with a comprehensive Light Emitting Diode (LED) retrofit that will serve as an industry leading benchmark. The project may stand as the largest LED lighting retrofit for a hospital across both the public and private sectors. In addition to saving energy, the LED lighting retrofit includes job creation through made in USA LED lights. This lighting retrofit was completed in July 2017, and it is an example of cost-effective government energy waste reduction and new job creation. With the American made technology, the retrofit is in line with the goals of President Donald J. Trump’s Buy American and Hire American Executive Order, signed on April 18, 2017. With over 3.4 billion square feet of real estate, the US government could save over $1 billion in energy each year and create over 20,000 new jobs through LED retrofits.
For WRNMMC, the LED retrofits included a diverse range of fixture types, such as these:
- Recessed Troffer, Volumetric, 1’x4′, 2’x2′, and 2’x4′
- Low Bay and High Bay fixture
- Pendant Narrow Lights
- Strip Fixtures with single and double LED modules
- Vapor Tight Fixtures
- LED Tube Replacements
- Wall Sconces
- Downlights at 6″ and 8″
- Bulbs: A19, PAR20, and PAR38
“With over 50% energy savings and over $1,000,000 in LED products for this LED lighting retrofit, WRNMMC is leading by example. We project over $300,000 in annual savings, said Charlie Szoradi, CEO of Independence LED Lighting. “Over the 10-year warranty of our made in USA technology, WRNMMC will save over $3 million. Those dollars could go toward supporting our active duty service men and women as well as our veterans. Imagine the positive ripple effect across so many other government facilities.”
For this benchmark project, Independence LED’s primary government distributor, Trillamed, LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), worked with Independence LED Lighting to supply the Made in USA LED lighting technology.
TrillaMed see: www.TrillaMed.com. Trillamed’s Director of LED lighting Ken Sharp, after months of diligence and education of federal facilities and contractors, helped secure this project as a win for all parties, which provided employment for many Americans, Veterans and others along with final outcome of reducing Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s energy consumption footprint and energy expenses and providing healthier lighting than traditional fluorescent lighting. Contact Ken for more information on USA made Independence LED lighting at: ksharp@trillamed.com and 734-717-8478
Independence LED Lighting, LLC: www.IndependenceLED.com. In 2010 Independence LED Lighting moved its manufacturing from China to Pennsylvania and has installation including the first LEDs for a VA Medical Center, Marine Corps Base Quantico, over 30 U.S. Navy ships, and civilian facilities ranging from prisons, fire houses, and rescue centers, to the USDA Forest Service. The industry leading 10-year warranty fixtures have also earned installations for the U.S. Embassy in Cuba and the U.S. Air Force base in Oman. Info@IndependenceLED.com 484-588-5401
CONTACT: Charlie Szoradi, Charlie@IndependenceLED.com
