LEDs Enhance a Santa Monica Landmark

New LED lamps at the Santa Monica Pier and Carousel Building are helping the 97-year-old California landmark conserve energy, increase safety, remove light pollution and reduce maintenance time.

“The old fluorescent lights on the pier burned out, left gaps in the lighting and were in a difficult area to maintain,” states Matt Henigan, energy efficiency engineer for the City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment. “With the new LED lamps in place, maintenance is minimal, and we have already reduced energy consumption. Because the LED lighting is directional, it improves safety and enhances the pier’s appearance without causing light pollution for local residents.”

The 413,056-square-foot Santa Monica Pier includes one of the few, surviving all wooden carousels in the world, part of the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome designed in 1916 by Charles Looff. A favorite for stars like Marilyn Monroe, Joan Baez and W.C. Fields and featured in film and television shows, such as “The Sting”, “Charlie’s Angels” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, the famous building housed hundreds of old, fluorescent bulbs that required constant changing and maintenance.

“Now that the necklace lights on the carousel building have been replaced with LEDs, there are no gaps, they give off a nice, bright glow, and the colors really bring out the colors on the building,” states Jim Harris, Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp. deputy director. “We won’t need to change these bulbs for years, and the LED lamps added to the rest area and Boardwalk outside of the building increase security and provide a well-lit area for people to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the pier.”

The city of Santa Monica funded the LED project with a $668,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.

PHOTOS: LEDtronics

Materials

LED manufacturer // LEDtronics Inc.

• LED Light Bulbs, S14 Style for the Looff Hippodrome

These LEDs consume 1.3W, replacing the 11W incandescent bulbs, and will potentially provide more than 80 percent energy savings.

• LED Post Top Lights in a pendant style with mogul-base fixtures for the outdoor rest area

These LEDs use 20W of power and replace 50 to 70W MH/HPS bulbs

• LED Post Top Pendant Lights for the Santa Monica Pier Boardwalk

Consuming 27W of power, these lights replace close to 150W-plus older MH bulbs and provide instant energy savings.

• LEDtronics TRF-A19-TPW-02 LED Bulbs in the A19-Style were used in beacon light fixtures around the pier’s perimeter

These LED light bulbs provide direct incandescent replacement and up to 90
percent energy savings.