CUSTOMER
The Reading, Pennsylvania, Parking Authority is preparing to do what the federal government wants all businesses to do-reduce the amount of energy it uses. It’s South Penn Street Garage is one of it’s largest, at 985 spaces, indicating it was a good place to begin.
CHALLENGES
The project started with an energy audit of the garage’s current lighting system conducted by Atlantic Energy Concepts, a Reading, Pennsylvania-based energy services company that can actually ensure lower energy bills for businesses. “The audit found the garage has a serious lighting problem,” explained Philip L. Oropesa, the Authority’s executive director. “It’s far from energy efficient.”
Brad Salamone, of the energy services company, confirmed, “It has a ravenous appetite for electricity.” It’s an inefficient fluorescent lighting system totaling 440 fixtures and 880 lamps that provide uneven illumination for the first three levels of the 300,000 sq. ft. garage, including stairwells, waiting areas and offices,” according to Salamone.
SOLUTION
To remedy the situation, the energy services company is removing all of the 440 inefficient fluorescent fixtures and their 110- watt energy-eating lamps. Replacing them are 220 high intensity discharge, vandal-resistant fixtures, 100- watt lamps and energy-efficient ballasts.
The new lighting produces more illumination that is more evenly distributed than the old system, yet consumes less energy. The higher light level provides an enhanced sense of security for customers, an important feature in an urban parking structure. Photocells that detect daylight replaced old-fashioned
timers. They are connected to the new fixtures on the roof level to turn off the lamps when light is not needed, increasing the system’s energy efficiency.
An added incentive is that the Authority will pay no money for making the garage’s lighting system more energy-efficient. In real dollars, the Authority’s $7,000 a month energy bill for lighting the garage will drop to about $3,500. This savings will pay the total cost of the system and their installations over four years, then directly accrue to the Authority’s bottom line after that.
“We’re going to cut our electricity bill for lighting by 50 percent at our 985-space South Penn Garage,” said Philip L. Oropesa, the Authority’s executive director. The direct savings should total more than $40,000 per year and the best part is that the Authority doesn’t have to spend a dime to add those dollars to the bottom line, according to Oropesa.
The total energy savings generated by the new lighting translate into the projected $40,000 a year savings. Because the new lighting will last longer, maintenance costs, primarily in labor for changing failed lamps, will drop as well.