Medical School Energy Saving Pilot Project

MCFO (Medical Center Facilities Operations) has recently initiated and completed an Energy Savings Project upgrading and installing new energy efficient LED and fluorescent fixtures with programmable ballast in four of the lecture halls, conference rooms, and classrooms in 3.7661, 1.7619, 2.7545, and G.8534.

“How can lighting damage the environment?

Although it appears innocuous, lighting causes air pollution.  Each day, your local power plant will commonly burn coal, oil, and gas to generate electricity for your lighting system as well as for your other electrical needs.  While burning these fossil fuels produces a readily available and instantaneous supply of electricity, it also generates air pollutants:  carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides NOx).”  (SMARTWATT Energy Inc. 2013)

The Medical Center received a NYSERDA reimbursement of almost 50% of the project or $15,135.06.  The simple payback (based on energy use alone) period was 32.77 months, or under 3 years, and the energy payback (cost incurred changing out lights by mechanics which is significantly less on LEDs and the energy use combined), with after maintenance savings, was just 14.25 months or 1.1875 years!

It resulted in the following efficiencies and savings highlights:

A 72% reduction in total lighting costs in these areas

An annual energy savings of $5,918.28

Five years energy savings of $30,798.95

Ten year energy savings of $64,803.48

Twenty year accumulated energy savings of $143,798.56

This is just the tip of the iceberg concerning energy savings projects and ideas at the Medical Center. We are looking forward to many other projects in the upcoming years.

Submitted by Robert Hibbard, Facilities Area Manager, SMD

photo by Geoffrey.landis at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons