Project Overview
Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue is a 38-story residential condominium tower in downtown Seattle, near Pike Place Market. Designed by Weber Thompson and completed in 2008, the building contains 143 residences and was the first high-rise residential tower in Seattle to achieve LEED Silver certification.
In 2015, Radiance Energy was selected to upgrade common-area lighting throughout the property, including the parking garage, stairwells, storerooms, maintenance closets, and other shared spaces.
The Challenge
The property relied on conventional fluorescent fixtures across high-use common areas. Existing fixtures used two 32W fluorescent tubes plus ballast load, resulting in approximately 64W per fixture.
For a premium residential tower with extensive common areas, the objective was to reduce lighting energy use and maintenance requirements without compromising visibility, reliability, or the quality expected in the building.
The Solution
Radiance Energy upgraded the building’s common-area lighting with high-efficiency LED technology across the parking garage, stairwells, storerooms, maintenance closets, and other shared spaces.
The existing fluorescent fixtures were converted from approximately 64W per fixture to 18W LED lamps, with ballasts removed to reduce energy use and simplify ongoing maintenance. The LED solution also carried a 10-year warranty.
Project Results
- 70% energy cost savings
- 56% of project cost covered by rebate
- 2.4-year ROI including maintenance
- Reduced fixture power from approximately 64W to 18W
- Improved lighting quality across common areas
High-Performance Lighting for a High-Performance Building
Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue was already designed around premium residential quality and strong sustainability standards. The lighting retrofit extended that performance into the building’s day-to-day operations.
By targeting common areas with long operating hours and recurring maintenance needs, Radiance reduced energy consumption while creating a more efficient lighting system across the property’s shared infrastructure.
