Press Release: West Chester Area School District Lighting Conversion

Stouch Lighting is pleased to announce the completion of an LED retrofit for the West Chester Area School District. The project entailed improving the exterior lighting quality and decreasing the energy consumption associated with two different Middle Schools (E.N. Pierce and G.A. Stetson Middle Schools). They also wanted a solution that would reduce the time that their existing maintenance employees would have to spend maintaining and repairing the exterior lighting system. The solution involved the replacement of legacy metal halide parking lot fixtures with new, higher efficiency LEDs. The new lights are expected to reduce the District’s energy costs by 66% (74,390 kWh per annum) which equates to $8,926 of annual savings. They were also able to save approximately $6,893 on annual maintenance costs and qualified for an energy efficiency rebate of $5,095. The combined savings were estimated to be $20,915 ($15,820 of which is expected to be an annually recurring savings amount). Stouch Lighting was also able to drastically improve light levels by specifying the appropriate light distribution patterns throughout the parking facilities and installing two different types of high efficiency LED lights. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the higher quality white light provided by LEDs.

The project entailed the replacement of 88 existing lights composed of 250 watt and 400 watt metal halide fixtures with higher efficiency (101 watt and 168 watt) LED lights. Metal halides are a type of high intensity discharge light known primarily for their brightness and the long warm-up periods. For a discussion of the differences between LED and HID lighting in general read here . Although in this case LEDs most significantly reduced energy costs, it is quite often the case that maintenance savings represent the largest windfall. LEDs are such a boon in terms of maintenance savings because they last at least two to four times as long as virtually all conventional lighting solutions (100,000 operating hours or more for LEDs as compared to roughly 10,000-20,000 for different HID lights). This means the organization saves by not needing to repeatedly purchase replacement bulbs but also, and perhaps more significantly, on the cost of the recurring labor required to replace bulbs and maintain the facility. Here’s another image of the project before and after the LED retrofit:

The results of the West Chester Area School District LED lighting conversion project are impressive to say the least. In addition to all of the savings due to maintenance and energy improvements, the District was able to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 83,446 pounds annually. For a more technical discussion of the project please see the table below, read the case study here , or feel free to contact Stouch Lighting at your convenience.

Light

Used For

Watts/Fixture

Energy Reduction Per Fixture

Total Energy Reduction

Color Temperature or CCT

Metal Halide

Parking Lot Fixture

250 Watts

-

Metal Halide

Parking Lot Fixture

400 Watts

-

LED

Parking Garage Light

(Canopy)

101 Watts

149 Watts

264,902 kWh ($31,788 annually)

-

LED

Parking Garage Light

(Recessed)

168 Watts

232 Watts

-

Replacing both legacy metal halide lights and fixtures with new LED lighting can make a big difference in the cost, effectiveness, and aesthetics of an organization’s facilities. Unfortunately, metal halide lamps are still somewhat ubiquitous. There’s a good chance that your facility is still shedding money by using them. If you are interested in learning more about the exciting trend in LED lighting Stouch Lighting can help. We have the knowledge and expertise to guide your organization through the process of an LED retrofit from start to finish. Contact us today to see how we can help, or use the ROI Calculator above to see how much you can save by making a long-term investment in energy efficient, long lasting LED lighting. Interested in learning more about LED parking lot lighting before making the switch? Read our Lighting Education page.

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