The City of Harmony’s Community Center is located inside a refurbished 1950’s-vintage elementary school but it now boasts new energy efficient lighting and occupancy sensors that are saving the community both time and money. With the aid of a $32,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the City of Harmony (population 1,021) upgraded lighting and installed occupancy sensors in the Community Center, as well as the city’s Visitor Center and Maintenance Shop.
The improvements are projected to save at least $5,000 per year in energy costs. Four-bulb fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient fixtures providing brighter light with just two bulbs. The greatest savings came from replacing the old sulfur light fixtures in the gym of the community center.
“The motion detectors are saving staff time as well as reducing energy costs,” reports Chris Giesen, of the Community Economic Development Authority (EDA). Previously, someone would have to walk through the entire building to make sure the lights were turned off in restrooms and classrooms, but with the motion detectors they now automatically switch off when not in use.
“The improvements have been well-received by the city,” says Giesen. He also noted that while the EECBG process was not difficult, it involved considerable paper work and lots of light bulb counting. Even though parts of the project were less than glamorous, the successful energy savings of this project allows everyone involved to view their work as time well spent. It’s an example of a community coming together to address how to save money, time and energy; the results of which will have long-term benefits for the City of Harmony.
Project Details
Visitor Center: Replace 24 4-lamp fixtures with 24 2-lamp 25W T8 fixtures; 38 – 2-lamp 40W fixtures with 22 2-lamp 25W fixtures; and 9 100W incandescent fixtures with 9 24W fluorescents; Install 8 occupancy sensors
Community Center: Replace 32 incandescent fixtures in hall and gym with 20 4-lamp T-8 fluorescent fixtures; 168 2-lamp 40W fixtures in hallways and classrooms with 87 4-lamp 25W fixtures, 52 2-lamp 40W fixtures in halls with 52 2-lamp 25W fixtures; and 15 4-lamp 40W fixtures with 11 4-lamp 25W T8 in an office and 4 2-lamp 25W fixtures in C. Hallway; Install 31 occupancy sensors
Maintenance Shop: Replace 21 2-lamp 40W fixtures in the West Shop with 18 2-lamp 25W T8 fixtures; Install 5 occupancy sensors
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
