Lighting ballasts used for the fluorescents were removed and then LEDs could simply be plugged into existing sockets, Josephson said. Each garage had roughly 20 bulbs replaced, and another 10 lights were replaced on the exterior of both garages. Josephson had workers remove a bank of lights in one garage, kept on 24/7 for safety, because they no longer served any useful function. “We were burning a lot of electricity on those for no good reason,” he said.
In another garage the LEDs were installed with motion detectors that required a few adjustments before staff grew accustomed to them. The agency adjusted a couple of sensors to cover a larger area of a garage. Other adjustments prevented people in low activity areas from being left in the dark, Josephson said.
The motion detectors could have been less of a problem with planning. “Overall, the occupancy motion sensors provide a much better option than depending upon individuals to remember to shut lights off when they leave a building or room,” he said. “With a little bit more education upfront on the changes the process would be smoother for staff knowing there is a change.”
Mahube-Otwa isn’t quite done with lighting retrofits. The T-8 fluorescent tubes installed a decade ago in the office are aging out and being replaced with LEDs. “We’re slowing converting the rest of the building from fluorescents to LEDs as well,” Josephson said.
LEDs should pay for themselves in 17 months, he added. From April through July the agency saved $550 by substantially reducing electricity consumption. “LEDs are making a big difference for us,” Josephson said.
