Energy Efficiency  -  August 28, 2023 - By Better Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy

DOE Recognized 14 Organizations for Excellence in Integrated Lighting

Through the Better Buildings Initiative’s Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC), the U.S. Department of Energy recognizes the use of advanced lighting by building owners and managers for increased building efficiency and comfort. This year, the ILC recognized the following organizations for leading the adoption of advanced lighting controls and integrated lighting.

 Morenci Area Schools in Morenci, MI is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category for investing $1.4 million in energy system improvements in their schools. Improvements include lighting controls, LED lighting upgrades, new building automation controls, and an energy management system. The upgrades are expected to save more than $1 million in energy and operational costs over 10 years and nearly 490,000 kWh. The schools' lighting upgrades have noticeably improved the overall lighting experience for visitors, providing consistent, even, and brighter illumination, receiving positive feedback from staff, and offering increased safety, improved athletic facilities, and enhanced maintenance efficiencies.

Freeform in Boise, ID is being recognized under the Advanced Lighting Solutions for Small Buildings and Sustainability in Lighting categories. The project involved a comprehensive redesign of the lighting system, including LED fixtures/retrofit kits, luminaire level lighting controls, motion and photocell sensors, remote access bridge, switches, and individual occupant switches. The project resulted in a 40% reduction in number of fixtures and significant energy savings, in addition to improved lighting uniformity, customization, remote control, and automation capabilities.

City of Berkeley, Public Safety Building in Berkeley, CA is being recognized under the Innovative, Maintenance, Operation, and Financing Service Models category. The project included replacing fluorescent with LED lighting, with additional lighting controls and vacancy sensors. The combined efforts resulted in an annual energy savings of 33%, equivalent to 336,573 kWh, and the implementation costs were fully covered by incentives and grants. This project also used On-Bill Financing (OBF), which is a zero-interest loan that pays the contractor up front, and the customer pays the loan back on their monthly energy bill. The monthly loan payment is equal to, or less than, the monthly energy costs saved by the retrofit. 

The State of Michigan's General Service Building in Dimondale, MI is being recognized under the Innovative, Maintenance, Operation, and Financing Service Models category. The building serves as a secure warehouse for mail reception, IT deployment, printing services, and the state police. The project involved replacing 900 linear fluorescent lamps with 200 18-inch square luminaires. The new lighting system, along with the controls, reduces lighting power by over 90% when compared with the previous fluorescent setup, while also generating significant maintenance savings. The control system allows for mobile phone interfacing, offering features such as occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, and energy monitoring. The implementation resulted in a $110,000 rebate from Consumers Energy. What is exemplary about this project is the use of the State's revolving fund, which uses energy savings from existing energy upgrades to fund future energy efficiency projects.

Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities, Jerry Gamble and Southside Village Clubs in Minneapolis, MN are being recognized under the Energy Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category. The clubs upgraded the exterior and interior lighting resulting in improved lighting quality, cost savings, and a better environment for club members. Inadequate and outdated lighting at the Clubs created safety and well-being concerns and the lighting upgrade set out to address issues such as poor light levels, maintenance costs, safety concerns, and an unwelcoming atmosphere. This upgrade created a $ 7,000-a-year savings and achieved a simple payback of 7.29 years. Grants and rebates helped the club save $38,826, cutting the project's cost in half.

Texas A&M University, Evans Library, in College Station, TX is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category for deploying an energy savings program at the university’s Evans Library. The objective was to increase light levels to meet ADA requirements and allow for bookshelf relocation. By upgrading to LED lighting and installing an IoT lighting control system, the library achieved a substantial energy savings after one year, cutting down on 83% of energy consumption. The project also resulted in saving up to 20% of HVAC energy costs by reducing air-conditioning. The intelligent lighting control system adjusted lighting based on occupancy, incorporated daylight harvesting, and allowed for scheduled lighting.

Lighting Environments in Baltimore, MD is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting and Integration with Other Building Systems categories. Lighting Environments redesigned its Baltimore office in 2019 and took it as an opportunity to turn it into a state-of-the-art showroom displaying the latest lighting controls and technologies. They sought to create an office space that was comfortable and customizable for their employee, but also an example for their customers. The office features lighting technology that can change brightness, and color, and create various lighting effects using pre-programmed shows. It also automatically adjusts the lighting throughout the day to create a dynamic and visually appealing environment. In addition, the building’s HVAC system is integrated with lighting schedules and motion sensors to reduce unnecessary energy consumption. Other reported benefits include occupant safety and all-day comfort. Presence-detection allows for well-lit spaces where occupants are always safe in all areas, and tunable white fixtures can be customized with lighting scenes that best support employee comfort and efficiency throughout the day. The team can also access insights into space utilization to compare occupancy with other features like air quality or CO2 levels

Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, NJ is being recognized under the GUV Systems for Energy Efficiency and Improved Indoor Air Quality category. Kinnelon High School sought a solution to ensure ongoing sanitization and improve indoor air quality in shared learning spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution includes hybrid UVC air purifier and whole room disinfection fixtures with embedded occupancy sensors. During the day, the fixtures perform recommended air changes using HEPA, UVC, and Active Carbon filtration in occupied spaces. At night, scheduled UVC treatments disinfect surfaces and airborne pathogens.

Lineage Logistics in Seattle, WA is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category. As a large cold storage facility, energy usage constitutes a significant portion of their operating costs. Thanks to a $99,000 incentive from Seattle City Light, Lineage was able to reduce the number of lights in their facility from 636 fluorescent bulbs to 585 LED fixtures, which brought down their energy usage from 561,081 kWh down to 109,866 kWh. An LED lighting upgrade project resulted in energy savings of $38,890, refrigeration savings of $5,890, and projected annual maintenance savings of $10,000, resulting in a total annual savings of $54,780.

Ortega Middle School in Alamosa, Colorado is being recognized under the Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls in Lighting category. This project started out as a pilot of color-tuning fixtures in only two classrooms at the middle school. When the school decided to replace asbestos ceiling tiles and install new LED fixtures, based on positive feedback from the pilot project, it was an easy decision to ensure that every classroom had color-tuning lights. The new lighting received praise from teachers for greatly enhancing the learning environment for students. The lighting system includes control capabilities, such as occupancy, daylight, and scheduling controls as well.

Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation in Los Angeles, CA is being recognized under the GUV Systems for Energy Efficiency and Improved Indoor Air Quality category for installing upper room GUV technology in its offices and selected public facilities. The technology is deployed in sites with high employee density and frequent interaction with the public. The fixtures utilize UV-C light to neutralize airborne microorganisms in real time, targeting the upper room of occupied spaces. It achieves a high air change rate, providing at least 12 equivalent air changes per hour (eACH) for efficient air disinfection. This deployment enables Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation to continue operations and provide safe environments for both staff and the community.

The 2023 Recognition of the U.S. Department of Energy's Integrated Lighting Campaign originally appeared as a DOE blog.

About the Integrated Lighting Campaign: Today’s lighting technology is not just for lighting anymore.  By integrating lighting and advanced lighting controls with other building and business systems, you can improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and create comfortable spaces for occupants. The Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) helps facility owners and managers do just that.

The ILC serves as a resource for sharing the latest research on advanced lighting controls and system integration. The campaign offers facility managers and owners third-party, expert guidance and resources on choosing, deploying, integrating, and managing lighting integration. Campaign participants also have the opportunity to receive recognition for innovation and exemplary performance of their lighting project.

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