•Resort developer adds more energy-efficient lighting to conference areas at The Venetian|The Palazzo Las Vegas

New GE LED lighting is helping Las Vegas Sands Corp. take another key step toward curbing environmental impact at its leading resort and meeting properties. As part of its Sands ECO 360o Green Meetings program, Las Vegas Sands has completed an expansive energy-efficient LED lighting upgrade to its meeting spaces at The Venetian|The Palazzo Las Vegas.

GE's new LED lighting in meeting rooms will save more than $400,000 a year that can be applied to other initiatives demonstrating Las Vegas Sands' environmental commitment.

Halogen bulbs in The Venetian|The Palazzo meeting rooms were replaced with more than 5,700 energy smart® BR30 LED lamps, a product of GE ecomaginationSM. The 12-watt lamps, with a rated lifespan of 25,000 hours, will require fewer change outs and use 108 fewer watts per fixture than the 120-watt bulbs they replaced. This will reduce the resort's annual electricity use by nearly 4.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh), saving more than $400,000 in annual lighting costs that can be applied to other initiatives demonstrating Las Vegas Sands' environmental commitment.

The move to GE's energy-efficient LED lighting solution further enhances Las Vegas Sands' comprehensive Sands ECO 360° Global Sustainability program that features an array of best practices in four integral areas-green buildings, environmentally responsible operations, green meetings, and stakeholder engagement.

Las Vegas Sands first invested in GE's LED and compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) in 2010 at The Venetian|The Palazzo, where 7-watt PAR20 LED lamps and 10- and 15-watt CFL bulbs were installed in more than 7,000 guest suites.

As a result of GE's more energy-efficient solutions, Las Vegas Sands has reduced its annual lighting spend by about $2 million overall including savings in suites and meeting spaces combined.

"The team at GE Lighting impressed us with the range of products that help us conserve even more energy without sacrificing the high aesthetic standards that our meeting and convention customers expect of a five-diamond resort and meeting center," said Norbert Riezler, senior vice president and chief procurement and sustainability officer at Las Vegas Sands. "Globally, Las Vegas Sands aims to lead the industry in environmentally sensitive meetings and business practices, and GE's innovative lighting products are helping us reduce our impact on the environment."

Under the Sands ECO 360o Global Sustainability program, Las Vegas Sands Corp. saves nearly 86 million gallons of potable water per year and diverts on an average 55 percent of waste from the landfill annually. As a result of these and other sustainability initiatives, The Venetian|The Palazzo, in conjunction with the Sands Expo and Convention Center, is the first and only property on the Las Vegas Strip to receive U.S. Green Building Council LEED® Gold Certification for Existing Buildings. Collectively, The Venetian|The Palazzo and the Sands Expo and Convention Center represent one of the largest LEED-EB certified buildings in the world.

"GE Lighting aims to lead innovation in our industry, offering our customers the highest-quality lighting solutions, while helping them advance environmental stewardship goals," said Heather Wilson Coode, hospitality marketing manager for GE Lighting. "Las Vegas Sands Corp. has demonstrated a measurable commitment to protecting the environment with energy-saving practices, and GE's BR30 LED lamps will help the company make an even bigger impact."