CUSTOMER
Montoursville Area School District is located in the Susquehanna Valley of North Central Pennsylvania.
CHALLENGES
Older lamps and ballasts were causing a significant amount of unnecessary energy consumption. Also, high intensity discharge (HID) lighting in the gymnasium was causing a distracting humming noise. Energy was also being drained by exit signs and lights remaining on when buildings/rooms were not in use.
SOLUTION
Energy-efficient fluorescent lamps and new electronic ballasts replaced outdated fixtures. The reduction in energy is not only helping the district save money but enables them to conserve natural resources that are used to produce electricity.
An additional advantage from the lighting retrofit is the savings in maintenance costs. With new ballasts and lamps, the hours of performance far exceed the older systems that were in place. The lamps are uniform in sizes throughout the buildings, reducing the amount of different style lamps the district must keep in inventory. According to Robert Saul, Business Manager for the school district, the biggest achievement was in the gym area; they were able to eliminate the humming noise from the antiquated HID lighting system. Atlantic Energy Concepts updated the lighting to an energy-efficient system along with dimming capabilities. During the normal course of the day the school can use the lights on the lowest wattage setting thus using less energy; however, when additional light is needed all that is required is a flip of a switch and the gym has a higher light level with wattage levels still less than the previous lighting system. The school district also installed occupancy sensors for areas that are not occupied as much during the normal course of the day. This will cut down on electric consumption during the day because the “human” factor of remembering to turn off the lights is no longer an issue.
The new energy-efficient fixtures were tailored to meet the needs and tasks performed in each of the classrooms. The light levels for the classrooms meet levels recommended by the Illuminating Engineering Society, a standards-setting professional/technical organization.
This energy conservation plan was funded through Pennsylvania’s Act 57 program. Brad Salamone of Atlantic Energy Concepts, the energy services company that managed the lighting upgrades, said, “The cost of the systems and their installation is being paid with the savings generated in lowering electricity costs for the school district without increasing its operating budget.”
The Act 57 program enables any governmental unit or state-aided institution to enter into an agreement with an energy service company for not longer than a ten-year period. This agreement has a written guarantee that the energy savings or operating cost savings will meet or exceed the project cost .