Exit Signs / LED Light Bulbs / Eco-friendly Lighting

LED Art Gallery - Greentorch converts Pharmaka

GreenTorch welcomes you to the newly renovated Pharmaka Art Gallery. This is the first “green” art gallery of its kind in America. Pharmaka’s Molly Barnes Collection is lit entirely with GreenTorch LED lights. GreenTorch LEDs far exceed the energy efficiency of conventional light bulbs, such as compact fluorescent, and last thousands of hours longer.

Our LEDs are unique because we do not sacrifice the light’s color quality to achieve the desired increase in energy efficiency. GreenTorch LEDs use pigment infused lenses and other new technologies to provide a color quality previously unattainable from energy efficient light bulbs.

Before the renovation, Pharmaka was illuminated by fifty 75 watt incandescent bulbs, housed on a track lighting system, with a total energy consumption of about 3,750 watts. Shane Guffogg, director of Pharmaka, expressed to us that the incandescent lighting system was not doing the job he had originally envisioned. The lights were too powerful and overbearing for the artwork, causing the focus to be shifted away from color, to texture. This incandescent system produced exorbitant amounts of heat, making the environment uncomfortable and heating the artwork.

For our new GreenTorch LED lighting system we started by separating general illumination from accent lighting, dedicating 3 watt LED MR16s for the artwork, and using 12 watt 6” LED Recessed Can Lights to provide general lighting for gallery patrons. We blended two different colors of MR16s together to create balance and softness for the artwork that the previous lighting system did not convey.

Overall, the light quality was improved significantly and a 90% energy reduction was achieved with the implementation of GreenTorch’s new LED lighting system. The original 3,750 watts was reduced to approximately 400 watts, which will save Pharmaka approximately $6,100 in energy savings over the next five years. Pharmaka will also save money through reduced material and maintenance costs, as they no longer have to change light bulbs every few months; GreenTorch LEDs last 48,000 hours.

Environmentally speaking, our lights contribute to sustainable development by significantly reducing energy consumption, waste production, and CO2 emissions.

Lighting the Molly Barnes Collection are the new GreenTorch Optique and Balance Series MR16s, which are ultra-energy efficient and feature the newest LED technology. Using only 3 watts of power, these powerful compact bulbs efficiently deliver high-quality light and are offered in different color temperatures. Compared to a 35-50 watt incandescent Halogen bulb, which last about 3000 hours, GreenTorch’s Optique and Balance Series lights consume 90-95% less electricity and have a 48,000 hour life span.

Through reduced energy and material costs GreenTorch LED MR16s pay for themselves in less than a year, depending on the number of hours operated. The Optique Series features three pigment infused optic lenses that create a warm, sunset colored light in the shape of a bell curve, perfect for spotlighting artwork and accent applications, while the Balance Series spreads white light evenly over larger surface areas. Both models are used in combination throughout the gallery. Since LEDs produce very little heat, it was easy to touch and reposition these lights to get the right color lift for each painting.

With the artwork lit by our LED MR16s, we turned our focus to Pharmaka’s general illumination lighting situation. Previously, artwork and general lighting were combined on a one track lighting fixture. To fine-tune each, we separated the two different applications. We installed ten GreenTorch LED Recessed Can Lights (RCLs) to fill the general lighting void. This can light installs easily into recessed 6” can housings and uses a standard Edison screw-in base (the RCL is also offered with a GU-24 base). The RCL is ultra-energy efficient, utilizing only 12 watts of power and is rated for a 48,000 hour life span. Using less power, lasting thousands of hours longer, and producing a much higher quality light, the RCL is a more attractive and efficient option to compact fluorescent bulbs.

We constructed wood boxes to house the recessed cans and hung them from the ceiling, making sure that they were above the track lighting level so as not to cause any shadows on the artwork. The high-quality white light produced is powered by twelve powerful 1 watt LEDs and is offered in two light colors. Featured in Pharmaka is the white light RCL; GreenTorch also offers a softer yellow that prefecetly replicates a 75 watt incandescent bulb.

GreenTorch RCLs can pay for themselves, through reduced energy and material costs, in less than two years. Furthermore, the combination of the GreenTorch MR16 and Recessed Can Light will lower Pharmaka’s power bill for lighting from $6,500 to $400.

GreenTorch with Alter Eco at the Greening Of Pharmaka Art Gallery

Pharmaka with Alter Eco at the Greening Of Pharmaka Art Gallery

Shane Guffogg explains to GreenTorch how the 75 watt halogen bulbs overpower the painting's colors and how he'd hope GreenTorch would balance the colors with LED lighting.

 

GreenTorch at work: conduit installed, custom light boxes made, pre-existing tracks expanded, and low voltage 12v LED MR16 bulbs are utilized. Balance and contour is restored to the room.

LED Lights

PHARMAKA GOES GREEN
Raising the bar for sustainable design standards, Pharmaka’s non-profit art exhibition space has gone "Green." With help from the Discovery Channel and Byrd Development, Pharmaka has made substantial eco-friendly changes to their gallery space in downtown Los Angeles. Improvements include replacement of inefficient incandescent track lighting with state of the art LED light fixtures provided by GreenTorch and an air circulation system provided by Big Ass Fans. Additionally, new furniture supplied by Ford Brady is made of 100% sustainable materials. With these new improvements, Pharmaka reduced their annual energy consumption by 90% and set a new standard for sustainable design.

Located at the corner of 5th and Main street, Pharmaka is a pioneer in the redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles and is at the center of this new urban landscape. Created by artists and run by Shane Guffogg and Rebecca O'Leary, Pharmaka bridges the gap between museum exhibitions and commercial gallery shows. As a non-profit organization, Pharmaka is able to exhibit artwork that is socially relevant and unlikely to be seen at other venues.

The greening of Pharmaka was filmed during the week of May 3rd for "Alter Eco" will air on the Discovery Channel in late July.

About ALTER ECO
Adrian Grenier, star of HBO's hit series Entourage, is a real life "greenie" who wants to show audiences how they too can live the "green life." Grenier's team is using an LA home currently undergoing its own green makeover as base camp; this 13-part series follows his "Green Team" of experts as they help both celebrities and ordinary people learn the small steps they can take to transition their lives into green bliss. Grenier is joined by green guru Boise Thomas, sustainable style expert Angela Lindvall, and eco-renovation expert Darren Moore.