Did GE Spec this job directly with Baltimore Aquarium, and Triangle just do the install?

Can you also provide the original or marketed Energy numbers?

How can I contact this licensed engineer?

I’m assuming because of the Baltimore cold weather the old neon was a 60ma system, if so the neon would have been 7 watts per foot and right around 2,500 watts, giving the GE contour a nearly 40% reduction over neon. BUT, it would have been WAY less expensive to re-retrofit the old neon to a rare-earth phosphor coated lamps and re-engineer for a proper installation and correct loading. The sign neon would stay brighter longer over time and keeping it’s brilliance.

The upfront costs on just materials alone for the GE contour is over $8k (going easy), Neon materials $3k (both without labor). For this lighting to be lit 12 hours a day, 365 days a year you’re only saving $462 a year over a 60ma neon system. Savings versus initial investment alone without labor, you are looking at a 10+ ROI. By the time 5-7 years comes this aquarium is going to be looking at another re-retrofit of the LEDs, just like the CITGO sign.

National Aquarium, if you can please email me the engineer I’d love to talk with them. GE won’t even return emails or inquiries on this job on how 70% is saved.

Regards,

Erik Gastelum
The Sign Syndicate.com
admin@thesignsyndicate.com

This project generated a bit of “buzz” on our side of the ocean as well. Should check figures again. Neon (we call cold cathode) is very energy efficient. LED stip lights used here are made by Philips, but have similar specification. For color blue, cold cathode generates far more light than LEDs. A very “green” lightsource. For color red, LED’s do a little better.

At any rate, the aquarium wave looks very nice (both the old, and the new)!

Kind regards!
Hanns

Munich, Germany
ZeterLight, GmbH

The reason this is generating so much interest, is a leading sign trade magazine published it’s cover story on the Nat. Aquarium’s replacement of neon. Many folks who work in that field found the numbers quoted for energy savings odd.

The old neon consisted of 41pcs of neon, totaling 350 ft. On an older style traditional power supply – properly loaded – this installation should consume approx 1173 watts.

Blue GE Tetra Contour’s product specifications (3.39 watts/ft) bring that installation to 1186 watts.

The neon was likely made locally, in Maryland. It has been replaced with a product made overseas that actually consumes slightly more energy per foot, and produces (according to their own data sheet) considerably fewer lumens for the power used.

If a licensed engineer really came up with these figures, then I’d give him the benefit of the doubt, however the numbers quoted do not sync with experience in the industry. Also, $40,000 per year to maintain 41 pcs of neon? The trade magazine quoted “7000-8000″ dollars per year, quoting Bob Nethan of Triangle Sign who did the installation.

The result was a reduction in annual load (kW) used, that when divided by the annual load (kW) of the original neon wave system resulted in a reduction of 70% of load.

It should also be noted that the new LED wave system will save us $40,000 in annual repair cost for work that was being done to keep the old neon wave system functioning. And, the color of the LED is move vibrant and has greater visibility!

GE Contour LED strips, from their own data sheet, consumes 3.81 watts per foot… more than the neon it is replacing!! And it produces only 19 lumens/ft.

Sounds like “green” in this case may have been red.