A first for Canada, and North America, the Palace Pier Condominiums at 2045 Lakeshore Boulevard West have committed to converting their interior bulbs to energy saving LED lamps (the bulbs in the hallways, that is).

Thirteen hundred new MR16 LED bulbs (4 watts each) will replace the current halogen versions (35 watts each), offering an energy savings of 87% (around $40,000 per year for the residents of the 44-floor building). This results in a 110-tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per year. Not only that, but the LED MR16 is mercury-free and recyclable, and will last for over four and half years if left on continuously. Now that's a sustainable bulb! When considering both the reduced energy and maintenance costs, the initial purchase will be recouped within 9 months.

The bulbs are being provided by Canadian company CRS Electronics, located in Welland, Ontario. I checked some prices online, and they cost roughly $3.00 each. The bulb replacement is just one part of a $2.4 million renovation project for the interior corridors of the building. $2.4 million - $3900 = $2,396,100. The new carpets and wall treatments must be pretty nice! The Palace Pier plans on replacing the bulbs on their elevators and in the lobbies soon, too, and hopefully in each of the suites, as well.

Jim Lord and the Palace Pier Condominium Board had some help in this inaugural retrofit. Toronto design firm Heather Ann Scott aided in the decision making. greenTbiz was consulted; they're a Toronto program providing energy conservation and efficiency tips to businesses and commercial property owners. greenTbiz facilitates the LEDcity Toronto initiative, as well. Lord is also a principal for the Ecovert Corporation, a full service environmental real estate consulting firm.

This group effort will result in not only saving a lot of people a lot of money, as well as saving the environment, but also shows that a retrofit like this CAN be done economically and with minimal hassle.

Now all the Palace Pier needs to do to become a fully environmentally-friendly building is: get rid of the roof-top swimming pool, let the grass on the putting green return to its natural state, figure out how to sustainably heat the saunas and Roman baths, and encourage public transit/walking/biking by eliminating the convenient car-wash and car-care areas.

Seriously though, as luxurious a building as this is, with all of its superfluous amenities, at least the Palace Pier is taking measures to decrease their footprint (the building is equipped with a lot of energy-saving equipment). A step in the right direction, that I hope will set a precedent for Toronto condos.