Energy management firm Building Energy Experts has just completed an LED Lighting and control retrofit of the 18,000 sq ft Student Recreation Facility for The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
This project will save the building approximately $20,000 per year in just energy costs as additional saving in reduced labor costs are also realized, the company said.
The buildings unique architectural details made the project very challenging. Lobby ceiling fixtures are 75 feet up. A specialized man lift is required at a rental cost of $5,000.00 per day.
The indoor multi activity court (MAC), fitness/weight room floor areas and racquetball courts were also retrofit as part of this project.
The areas have been retrofit with longer lasting, more durable, energy efficient LED fixtures which last 100,000 hours vs 20,000 hours of the previous system. The lighting fixtures were integrated in to a Daylight and Occupancy controls system.
As the sunlight shines in to the areas the light level will adjust based on predetermined light requirements. This whole system can be controlled with an app on a dedicated Apple device. The light levels have the capability to be adjusted manually according to the scheduling of each area.
“When the areas are not in use the lights will either dim down or shut off. This saves even more energy and helps extend the life of the fixtures,” said Brian Cousins, UIC director of Campus Recreation. “The project has received great feedback and the energy savings are quite significant.”
A portion of this Project was funded by a DCEO grant made available to various state facilities for building efficiency upgrades.
“With incentives the return on investment will be less than one year in energy savings alone,” Stonis added. “That’s a significant amount of capital which can be reinvested back into the University.”