A program run by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has enabled Field Environmental Instruments’ Los Angeles branch to cut energy between 30-40 percent.

LADWP’s Commercial Direct Install (CDI) has provided free energy and water efficiency upgrades to approximately 21,000 businesses in Los Angeles. Customers, including retail shops charter schools, warehouses, and small grocery stores averaged an estimated energy savings of 237.7 gigawatt-hours per year. That’s equivalent to removing 39,000 homes from the power grid or reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 89,960 metric tons.

FEI’s office in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Northridge is located in a warehouse built in 1979 where the lighting was “antiquated,” according to Gary Yamron, president of West Coast operations for FEI.

“They (LADWP) came out and evaluated our lighting system and said we were a candidate for the program,” Gary says. “Within three weeks they replaced all of the fluorescent fixtures with LED units in the offices and warehouse. We didn’t pay anything out of pocket.”

CDI was first introduced in 2012 for businesses with an average electricity demand of less than 30 kilowatts per year. In 2016, the program was upgraded to include mid-sized businesses that used up to 200 kilowatts annually. Currently, the program is available to non-residential customers that use less than 250 kilowatts per year.