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Scotiabank operates more than 950 branches across Canada, many of which function as customer-facing retail environments during regular business hours. For facilities teams, lighting systems are evaluated not only on performance and aesthetics, but also on how they support efficient operations and maintenance over time.
At the Yonge and Bloor location, Scotiabank implemented a new lighting power systems as part of an interior lighting deployment.
This created an opportunity to evaluate the lighting power architecture with a focus on service accessibility, component longevity, and lifecycle operating costs, rather than defaulting to a conventional AC lighting approach.
Reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions is a core part of Scotiabank's ESG strategy, particularly across its retail branch network where lighting loads operate for extended hours. Achieving meaningful reductions in operational energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions requires systems that also support lower long-term operating and maintenance costs.
At the Bloor street branch, Scotiabank was evaluating new LED lighting for prominent customer-facing areas, including fixtures visible from the exterior. The lighting solution needed to deliver high visual quality while meeting the energy performance expectations. like all LED systems, the fixtures operate on direct current (DC), while the utility grid supplies alternating current (AC). In conventional installations, each fixture contains its own driver to convert AC-to-DC, an approach that introduces conversion losses and additional heat at every luminaire.
Scotiabank sought an electrical system that could supply DC power more efficiently at the same level, reducing energy losses associated with repeated AC to DC conversion. The solution was designed to deliver sustained reductions in energy use while supporting long-term operating performance over the building lifecycle.
Scotiabank partnered with Cence Power and Omnify Lighting to deliver a lighting system that aligned with these operational, energy, and ESG objectives.
Cence Power provided centralized DC power to support the LED lighting in the customer-facing banking areas, delivered in partnership with Omnify Lighting (their OmniBlade product). The system is built around Cence LVDC, which centralizes AC to DC conversion in an accessible utility space rather than distributing drivers throughout the ceiling. Lighting circuits are powered by remote lighting modules housed in a Cence Hub.
Centralized power and accessible maintenance
Instead of placing drivers at each luminaire to convert Alternating Current(AC) to Direct Current (DC), power conversion and regulation occur at the central Cence Hub. This consolidates the electronics most likely to require service into a location that facilities staff can access without ladders, lifts, or ceiling disruption.
The lighting modules are hot-swappable. When a module requires replacement, it can be exchanged at the hub without shutting down adjacent lighting zones, subjec tto local authority having jurisdiction requirements.
Class 2 wiring for deep retrofit efficiency
Our inherently safe Class 2 DC distribution permits non-raceway deployment of plenum-rated cabling, removing the requirement for conduit and junction boxes at every node. This Direct-to-Load architecture optimizes installation labor and significantly lowers Material Intensity (MI) compared to traditional line-voltage layouts.
Centralized Power Architecture
By delivering regulated DC power directly to the lighting system, Cence LVDC eliminates the need for individual AC-to-DC conversion at the fixture. This decoupled design (separating driver from the luminaire) relocates heat-sensitive power electronics away from the ceiling plane, optimizing the thermal environment and significantly extending the operational lifespan of both the luminaires and the power components.
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Maintenance occurs in utility spaces rather than ceilings
With centralized power modules located in an accessible utility closet, most lighting maintenance no longer requires ceiling access in customer-facing areas. Modules can be monitored, serviced, or replaced without ladders or lifts on the banking floor. This reduces disruption, lowers labor costs, and simplifies routine maintenance planning.
Improved alignment between advertised and practicalLED lifespan
In conventional LED systems, driver failure often occurs well before LEDdegradation becomes an issue, typically in the 25,000 to 50,000 hour range. Byrelocating power electronics out of thermally constrained fixture housings, theLED arrays operate under more stable thermal conditions.
At the Bloor branch, this design approach supports projected operatinglifetimes closer to manufacturer-rated ranges of 80,000 to 100,000 hours, withdriver replacement handled centrally rather than at each fixture.
Reduced energy losses through centralized conversion
Centralizing AC to DC conversion reduces the cumulative lossesassociated with hundreds of individual fixture drivers. Cence LVDC performspower conversion at approximately 95 percent efficiency, with a singlecentralized conversion point supplying multiple fixtures.
This architecture reduces conversion-related energy losses and improves system-level efficiency compared to decentralized AC lighting systems.
Lower installation cost in deep retrofit conditions
Using Class 2 low-voltage wiring during the retrofit eliminated the need for conduit and junction boxes at each fixture location. The result was:
A comparable Power over Ethernet lighting system would have resulted in approximately 50 percent higher upfront costs compared to Cence LVDC. While both approaches deliver low-voltage DC power and support intelligent lighting systems, differences in power distribution architecture and infrastructure requirements drive meaningful cost variation.
Capital cost advantages with Cence LVDC include:
Operational savings are driven by several factors:
Centralized DC power is a system‑level power architecture that rethinkshow energy is distributed, protected, and maintained within a building. Itsvalue is shaped by project conditions such as electrical infrastructure, accessconstraints, operational priorities, maintenance strategy, and long-termperformance goals.
Cence engages with owners, engineers, designers, and contractors to discuss these considerations early in the process. These conversations focus on sharing technical context, outlining economic and operational implications, and helping teams understand how centralized DC power can support objectives related to capital efficiency, operating cost reduction, maintainability, and sustainability.
Want to know if a Cence solution is right for your upcoming project?
Talk to a specialist | Read our Scotiabank - Yonge and Eglinton case study
