LOS ANGELES – LEDtronics founder/president Pervaiz Lodhi noticed that the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Sports Arena marquee was deteriorating in quality and brightness. Wanting to give back to the community, Lodhi brought the sign back from disrepair: he replaced the burnt out fluorescent T12 tube lights with LED T8 lamps, for an overall reduction in energy but with an increase in eye-catching glances from motorists driving by.
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LOS ANGELES – Every day, more than 300,000 motorists pass by the electronic sign alongside Interstate 110 that announces coming events at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Sports Arena — the venue listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks and the only stadium to host two Olympic Games (1932 and 1984), two Super Bowls (including the first, in 1967), a World Series and a host of major concerts as well as mass political and religious events.
Pervaiz Lodhie was one of those motorists some months ago. “This is an iconic marquee on a key north-south transportation corridor that connects Los Angeles’ central business district and the Port of Los Angeles,” says Lodhie. “And yet, since the last Olympics, I’ve seen the sign deteriorate in light quality, consistency and brightness.”
Lodhie is founder and president of LEDtronics, one of the first solid-state lighting design and manufacturing companies in the country. He has driven past the freeway sign since the days before the 1984 Olympics, when he was working on his Mechanical Engineering degree. In the 30 years since then, LEDtronics has grown from a small two-person operation to become one of the world’s leaders in the currently flourishing industry of light-emitting-diode (LED) lamps.
“I decided it was time to do something to bring the sign back from disrepair and to improve the image of the city and one of its world-renowned assets,” Lodhie says. “After living the immigrant success story, it was time to give back to the community.”
After contacting the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, his offer to have all 160 energy-hungry, burnt-out fluorescent T12 tube lights replaced with energy-efficient bright LED T8 lamps was accepted.
“With some quick and dirty math, the freeway sign is consuming almost 300 KwH less per day—nearly a 57 percent reduction in daily consumption,” notes Robert C. Joyner, head of the commission’s Stadium Operations and Special Projects. “This dramatic overall reduction is exclusive to these 160 vertically mounted LED tubes. It started in September 2012 and continued to dip through December as we replaced those old fluorescent bulbs illuminating the vertical red, white and blue stripes with the LED tube replacements donated by LEDtronics.”
At an average cost of $.20 per KwH, Joyner estimates that the energy savings amount roughly to $1,800 per month, or nearly $20,000 per year.
The upgraded electronic message board sits on the east side of the Harbor Freeway and provides a total of 3,000 sq. ft. of off-site signage for Coliseum and Sports Arena events as well as commercial advertising. The marquee is elevated some 45 feet from the ground.
The 8-ft LED T8 tube lights consume only 36 watts of power and replace fluorescent lamps that consume up to 60 watts. In addition to energy savings, LED T8 tube lights last up to 50,000 hours with a maximum degradation of only 30 percent in the harsh outdoor environment.
“Whenever I drive by the freeway sign nowadays, I feel glad at what a bit of new technology can do to lift up one’s civic pride and to affirm one’s belief in the American Dream,” says Lodhie. “The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was dedicated in 1923 to honor World War I veterans; what better way to keep that message alive than with an electronic marquee that gleams with red, white and blue lights to thousands of freeway drivers every single day.”
