Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Cleveland Schools Saving Money with Energy Efficient Lighting

The Cleveland City School System saved $100,000 on renovation projects at George R. Stuart Elementary by utilizing the school system’s Maintenance Department, Cleveland Board of Education members learned Monday night.

Cleveland City Schools maintenance director Bob True and his crew completed restroom renovations which saved taxpayers $56,000. Cleveland City Schools site representative Gene Bishop refurbished the elementary school’s fire alarm system which saved $40,000. This week, workers estimate completing the installation of energy efficient lighting, ceiling tile, security windows near the school’s front office and completing interior painting.

Through a $104,000 Energy Efficient Schools Initiative Grant, energy efficient lighting will also be installed at the Cleveland City Schools Administrative Office Building, E.L. Ross Elementary and Yates Primary School.

The school board voted to begin receiving bids for a parking lot expansion project at Cleveland High School for the school’s new science wing. Cleveland Schools Director Dr. Rick Denning submitted the parking expansion idea to the board. The design plan would create approximately 150 additional parking spaces.

A Site Committee meeting will be held at the central office Wednesday at 10 a.m. to discuss additional construction project updates.

Read more: Cleveland Daily Banner - Stuart project saving 100K
http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/8745318/article-Stuart-project-saving--100K?instance=latest_articles

Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880

Utility Company Offering Energy Efficient Programs

Indiana Michigan Power, I&M, offered Indiana customers three new energy efficient programs as part of its SMART Programs: Saving Money and Resources Together.

According to I&M, the programs rolled out this year and gave customers more control over their energy usage and helped lower their energy costs. The program offers three options for customers.

The three programs are Residential Rebate Program, C&I Rebates Program and Residential Home Energry Savings Program. Each program offers customers discounts or cash rebates.

Residential Rebate Program allows customers to receive an in-store discount for buying energy efficient products, with a focus on energy efficient compact fluroescent lighting.

Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880
  

Averett University Purchasing Energy Efficient Lighting

Averett University is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from Energy Alliance that will allow the university to purchase energy efficient lighting for its Main Campus as well as its campuses across the state.

"We are very appreciative of the grant from Energy Alliance," said Averett President Dr. Tiffany Franks. "The university is always looking at ways to update and improve facilities around our campuses for our students, faculty and staff. The grant provides us with one way to achieve this and to be environmentally responsible."

As part of Averett's ongoing efforts to 'go green' all light bulbs, fluorescent lighting as well as sodium parking lot lights will be replaced with energy efficient options. Not only will this lighting be more energy efficient, it will be longer lasting. With a historic campus that is more than a century old, Averett is constantly looking for ways to upgrade and modernize its facilities while maintaining its traditions and the integrity of its beautiful campus.

The university will start installing the more energy efficient lighting this fall. Once the project is complete, approximately 1,500 light fixtures in offices, residence halls, classrooms and computer labs around Averett will be more "green."

ALERTSM is an acronym for Advanced Lighting Equipment Replacement Technology. VistaBright Lighting, a national supplier of lighting products, has organized an alliance of leading lighting industry manufacturers, distributors, and electrical contractors to help promote energy efficient lighting through multiple public relation venues.

Blog Sponsor: Value Energy Solutions

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to retrofit lighting with energy efficient lighting upgrades. Experts all agree that energy efficient lighting retrofits are the first step to reducing your energy consumption. Value Energy Solutions was formed to help companies achieve energy savings through energy efficient lighting retrofits. They offer the widest selection of energy efficient lighting and best pricing based on the volume purchases because they are one of the largest energy retrofitting companies in the nation.for more information please visit their energy efficient lighting website or call (678) 501-4880

Austin Texas Event Center Under Goes Lighting Retrofit

The Palmer Events Center is switching $105,961 worth in lighting for high-efficiency versions meant to save about 70,417 kilowatt-hours of electricity and $21,501 in energy costs a year.

The city is paying for the project through a $7.5 million federal stimulus-funded grant awarded to increase energy efficiency in public buildings. Palmer is one of seven municipal buildings undergoing lighting retrofits in the next few weeks. Combined the projects are estimated to save about 576,937 kilowatt-hours, or the equivalent of powering almost 50 homes year round.

The Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, Police Station No. 33 and the Austin Public Library warehouse are among others getting the upgrade.

Austin Energy, which manages the energy efficiency of municipal buildings, is working with city departments on these projects and others. The work is expected to generate about 100 green collar jobs and also reduce carbon and other emissions.

Read more: Palmer Events Center getting $106K lighting upgrade - Austin Business Journal

Monday, July 12, 2010

Pittsburgh International Airport announced plans for a lighting retrofit that will save $158,000 in energy costs once its replaces its current light fixtures with light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LED units will replace the current lighting fixtures at the airport's Parking Garage and Deck and at the Passenger Drop-off and Pick-up areas. Appalachian Lighting Systems, Inc. (ALSI) was selected by the Allegheny County Airport Authority to manufacture and deliver the 1,347 new fixtures, in what may be the largest retrofit of its kind in the country.
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Pittsburgh International Airport announced plans for a lighting retrofit that will save $158,000 in energy costs once its replaces its current light fixtures with light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LED units will replace the current lighting fixtures at the airport’s Parking Garage and Deck and at the Passenger Drop-off and Pick-up areas. Appalachian Lighting Systems, Inc. (ALSI) was selected by the Allegheny County Airport Authority to manufacture and deliver the 1,347 new fixtures, in what may be the largest retrofit of its kind in the country.

ALSI, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer, developed new solid state lighting products to meet the requirements of the project. “These luminaries are engineered to provide between 73 to 82 percent savings in energy costs, and last essentially maintenance free for as long as 20 years,” said David McAnally, President & CEO of ALSI. The units are said to be maintenance free and expected to last up to 30 years, thanks to company patents that prevent the fixtures from overheating.

Several airports have sought to reduce costs by decreasing their energy demands. Yellowstone Regional Airport and Denver International Airport (DIA) are moving ahead with their expansion plans that center around energy efficiency, solar power and sustainability.

Meanwhile, DIA recently built Green Park DIA, an LEED-certified 4,200-stall parking lot servicing the airport, setting itself the goal to be the world’s greenest parking facility, and a new terminal at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport would incorporate miniature wind turbines to generate a portion of its electricity

Environmental management & energy news delivered daily to your inbox

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/07/12/pit-to-save-158000-on-lighting-retrofit/

Warehouse Lighting Retrofits Make Economic Sense

Proper warehouse lighting helps provide security for your products and increased safety for your employees.Having the right lighting is vital to the productivity of your employees and keeping your products free from damage or theft.Value Lighting Energy Solutions can help you select and install the correct lighting based on your facility's size and specific needs.

To allow your employees to work most efficiently, you need your warehouse lighting to keep all large areas brightly lit. A popular form of warehouse lighting is bay lighting.The type of bay lights will be based on the height of your ceiling. If your ceiling is higher than twenty feet high, we recommend that you use high bay lighting. These are designed to provide the right illumination even from those extreme ceiling heights without sacrificing brightness. For ceiling heights of less than 20 feet you should consider low bay lighting.

A typical lighting option in warehouse or industrial space is a high intensity discharge (HID) light bulb. Value Lighting Energy Solutions carries the four main types of HID lighting: metal halide, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium, and low pressure sodium lamps.HID lamps and light bulbs are more energy efficient than incandescent lighting.

Value Lighting Energy Solutions is not limited to one lighting solution. We represent hundreds of lighting manufacturers. Our large selection and volume purchasing allows us to provide you with the best selection at value pricing. For more information please call 678-501-4880

Successful Lighting Retrofits Use Energy Efficient Lighting

As reported By FMLInk

As with most large projects, lighting retrofits succeed only if several key components come together.

First, maintenance and engineering managers must secure financing to support the project, whether from in-house sources or through incentives, such as rebates and tax deductions. Financing is a huge "if", certainly, but no project gets off the ground without it.

Second, managers have to understand the lighting needs of their facilities. Each building — whether a school, hospital, or office high-rise — has unique operations and conditions that directly and heavily impact the scope and content of the retrofit.

Finally, there is the technology. Financing and an understanding of the facilities undergoing the lighting retrofit will take managers only so far. They also must learn about advances in lighting technology and, more importantly, the way new-generation products and technology can help them achieve the project's goals.

Managers will be better able to complete a successful lighting retrofit by understanding the mistakes product specifiers commonly make, the products that can help them avoid retrofit mistakes, and the codes and standards that most directly affect specification decisions.

In trying to address end users' needs, manufacturers are offering products that offer a host of benefits, but managers also must do their homework.

"Many managers don't understand all of the available technology because of so many changes in the last two to three years," says Bob Freshman, marketing manager with Leviton, who adds that the retrofit's payoff often is worth the effort to plan and execute it. "Lighting efficiency improvements offer faster returns on investment than any other building system."
Lessons to Learn

Fortunately for managers planning or considering a lighting retrofit, they can learn from — and, ideally, avoid — the mistakes others have made. Maybe the most important first step is understanding the costs and benefits of each lighting system component.

"Most energy efficient lighting retrofits are based on return on investment," Freshman says. "So you have to understand what you gain from each level of technology versus the cost." For example, the least expensive level of lighting-control technology, occupancy sensors, offer relatively simple installation and maintenance, along with significant energy savings. The next level up on the cost scale is relay control panels, Freshman says, which specifiers can link to the building-automation system to produce smart controls. Daylight harvesting and dimming generally top the list in terms of cost.

"Mistakes made in specifying lighting controls are not just limited to retrofit projects, but can be associated with any project in general terms," says Jeff Park, manager of sustainable market development with WattStopper. "Misapplication of technology and incorrect installation are leading causes of user dissatisfaction, which in turn, often leads to occupants disabling or removing the controls."

In some cases, managers err by focusing too narrowly on a particular aspect of the project.

"From an occupancy sensor stand-point, the biggest mistake specifiers make is selecting a particular sensor based just on area of coverage," says Ben Hahn, product value stream leader with Sensor Switch. "This leads to poor performance and occupant dissatisfaction. Other factors, such as the type and size of motion that needs to be detected, are just as important as the total area of coverage of a sensor."

Specifying lamps and ballasts for retrofits also can present challenges for managers. Susan Isenhower Anderson of Osram Sylvania says a common misstep is "not considering the impact of legislation and (U.S. Department of Energy, or DOE) rulemakings on what products will be available in the future. Today, the biggest mistake would be to stay with T12 ballast systems. The 2000 DOE fluorescent-ballast rulemaking and the (National Energy Policy Act of 2005, or EPAct) legislation eliminated T12 magnetic ballasts, basically leaving only electronic T12 ballasts available in the marketplace, with even magnetic replacement ballasts eliminated as of July 1, 2010."