Top 5 Reasons Universities Should Upgrade to LED Lighting

With more than 20 million post-secondary students and over 5 billion square feet of floor space, the higher education sector in the United States spends an estimated $14 billion annually on energy costs (source). Given recent estimates, 31% of energy used by these facilities is directed toward lighting systems, which is the single largest electrical expenditure—space heating and water heating following at 28% and 25%, respectively (source). While greater energy efficiencies can be achieved in many aspects of electrical use, upgrading existing lighting systems represents a unique, and accessible path to reducing both energy use and maintenance costs.

Making the change to energy efficient lighting and controls offers schools an incredible opportunity to free up funds that can be used for academic endeavors rather than operating expenses. Below are the top five reasons colleges and universities should consider upgrading their lighting systems.

1. Lower Maintenance Costs

Campus lighting is everywhere—from classrooms, offices, and halls, to dorms, auditoriums, gymnasiums and coliseums, all the way to parking garages and lots, and building exteriors. With so many various lamps and locations, it is tough for maintenance crews to quickly and efficiently monitor, manage and replace burned out lamps throughout a campus. New LED lighting and controls solutions can last up to several times longer than legacy metal halide or fluorescent sources and up to 60 times longer than incandescent sources. For example, the conversion of 2,800 conventional 4 Lamp T8 fluorescent troffers, found in typical University classroom and office settings, can save schools approximately $94,662 a year —the equivalent of approximately 5 full scholarships.

2. Lower Energy Costs – reduces current and future energy spending (energy costs rise over time)

In the U.S., colleges and universities spend an average of $31,000 a year lighting a typical 50,000-square-foot classroom building—money wasted on utility and maintenance costs rather than the pursuit of academic achievements. A complete and thorough LED retrofit can reduce energy use by at the least, 20 percent over legacy technologies while maintaining and improving the quality of light in the environments they illuminate.

3. Better Light & Better Control – Improves learning environment

LED as a light source is completely dimmable giving users the ability to easily create a variety of lighting scenes, in addition to reducing energy consumption. Unlike traditional fluorescent technologies that require specialized ballasts, dimming comes naturally with LED drivers.

4. Reduced Carbon Footprint

A potential byproduct of reducing lighting system energy use in conditioned spaces is the reduction of HVAC cooling loads by a factor of 3.412 BTU/hr per watt saved. This additional savings can be extremely valuable in warm climates or where peak demand charges are often incurred.

Reductions in energy consumed by lighting systems can make an impact on the environment. Take for example the 50,000 square foot building mentioned above. At 1 watt per square foot, a 50% improvement in lighting efficiency provides the reduction of 6,000 kWh per month, which equates to over 4.1 metric tons (9,117lbs) of carbon dioxide emissions which is the equivalent to 465 gallons of gasoline consumed or 4,442 pounds of coal burned, or the greenhouse gasses emitted by 9,847 miles driven in a passenger vehicle or 1.5 tons of waste sent to the landfill.

5. Demonstration of thought leadership

As the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance puts it, “Colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions across the U.S. hold unique places in their communities.” (source) As “civic, academic, cultural stewards and opinion shapers,” the general public expects higher education institutions to exhibit wise leadership and financial stewardship. Often times, activities that support these cultural ideals involve the local student body, faculty and the community. When successfully demonstrated, these ideals can promote lasting change and provide tangible benefits. Energy efficiency, maintenance expenditures and the environmental implications of doing more of the same is no longer the realm of statisticians, accountants and scientists. These are everyone’s issues and few organizations are pulled harder towards a greater level of financial and environmental sustainability than higher education institutions.

By carefully evaluating and responsibly incorporating energy efficient lighting solutions, colleges and universities can demonstrate leadership beyond the realm of academics. The energy and maintenance saving potential made possible through innovative LED lighting and control solutions not only provides an opportunity for higher education institutions to lower maintenance costs, lower energy costs, improve the learning environment and reduce the campuses carbon footprint, but it also provides an opportunity to demonstrate a culture of innovation, spirit of community and the drive to create change.

 Re-posted from: http://www.hubbelllighting.com/company/illuminations/top-five-reasons-universities-should-upgrade-to-led-lighting/