News

Tim Hortons switching to LED lighting to reduce energy consumption

April 22, 2014

Tim Hortons announced a new initiative to replace all existing lighting fixtures in its more than 4,400 restaurants throughout Canada and the U.S. with more energy-efficient LED lighting from Royal Philips.

The move is part of the company's commitment to environmental sustainability, according to a news release. The program will begin by transitioning 485 restaurants to LED lighting this year, which will lead to an estimated 6.4 million kilowatt hours in energy savings.

In partnership with Royal Philips, all newly built and renovated Tim Hortons restaurants will have their existing fluorescent and halogen lights replaced with LED fixtures, which use up to 40 percent less energy than fluorescent bulbs, the release said.

"At Tim Hortons, we are always looking to new technologies and designs to improve energy efficiencies in our restaurants and reduce our overall environmental footprint," said John Macey, manager, Sustainable Design, Tim Hortons Inc. "Switching to LED lighting is an easy way to save energy while improving the light quality and atmosphere in our restaurants to ensure the best possible guest experience."

The projected annual energy savings for a standard 2,500 square-foot restaurant with more than 60 lights (from exterior signage to illuminated menu boards to overhead lighting in the kitchen area, washrooms and dining room) is approximately 18,336 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity. With 485 North American restaurants scheduled to receive LED lighting by the end of this year, the program will save approximately 6,366,780 kilowatt hours of electricity this year.