As part of its commitment to sustainable business practices, Arizona State University has switched out lighting in six parking lot structures with new light emitting diode (LED) lights. ASU expects to save as much as $127,000 annually in energy and maintenance costs from the lighting retrofit.
The 2,000 lights supplied by Lighting Science Group Corp. will reduce ASU’s annual energy consumption by up to 59 percent. The new fixtures also cost less to maintain because they last 50,000 hours, which is three times longer than the original metal halide fixture. By replacing existing metal halide fixtures and lamps, ASU will reduce its energy consumption by 1.5 million kW hours, saving the equivalent of emissions from 208 passenger vehicles.
"Exploring the value of LED lighting solutions is an important component to 'greening' our university," said Bonny Bentzin, the director of sustainable business practices at ASU. "In addition to the superior level of illumination offered by the LED fixtures, installing energy efficient lighting provides financial and environmental benefits."
Sustainability Dedication
ASU is incorporating sustainability into its teaching and business missions. ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability focuses on research, education and business practices, and its School of Sustainability, the first of its kind in the US, offers transdisciplinary degree programs targeting practical solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges.
In fact, ASU was just named among Princeton Review’s 15 “greenest” universities for a second year in a row and has been selected by Walmart to work on developing a sustainable products index based on the lifecycle of products.
West Campus Lighting Retrofit
ASU also just announced a major interior and exterior lighting retrofit project at its West Campus. The project will be completed in December and will improve the lighting in offices, classrooms and public areas and reduce the overall energy consumption of the campus.
This retrofit involves replacing more than 10,000 fixtures throughout 13 buildings. More than 8,564 older, less-efficient interior fixtures will be replaced with energy-efficient 25-watt fluorescent T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Another 1,650 exterior fixtures will be replaced with more efficient compact fluorescent and fluorescent T5 lamps.
Annually, the new lights will save approximately 1.2 million kWh in energy and more than $100,000 a year in utility bills. These savings amount to reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions from 172 vehicles, ASU said.
