New Lights in County Buildings Save Energy, Money

Description

Property Services worked this fall to coordinate the relamping of the Government Center, providing jobs and cutting energy costs over the long term. Relamping projects replace aging lamps with new, energy-efficient lamps. For this project, that means replacing overhead lights in offices and public spaces throughout the Government Center.

The county contracted with Retrofit Companies to work overnight shifts beginning October 25 to ensure the project was completed on time and with minimal interruption to daily county business. Workers replaced 21,658 lamps over six weeks.

Though many of the bulbs were likely nearing the end of their life spans anyway, the relamping project offered the county the opportunity to upgrade to more energy-efficient 25-watt lamps that aim to cut operating costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing all the light bulbs at once is more efficient than replacing a handful at a time as they burn out.

Hennepin County — realizing the importance of energy-saving measures — dedicated more than $1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to cover the cost of this and other projects to improve efficient lighting in county buildings. The stimulus project also does more than cut energy costs for the county. This project alone retained 2.37 full-time employees with the Retrofit Companies.

Xcel Energy is encouraging the relamping effort by providing a rebate of $1 per lamp. The total project had a cost payback of less than two years. Several other county buildings have also been relamped in the past year.

It is estimated that this conservation effort will save the county 475,000 kilowatt-hours of energy -- about $55,000 in cost savings annually.