Most lighting retrofits that take place in industrial facilities are intended to improve light levels as well as reduce energy consumption and costs. Over the years, metal halide, high pressure sodium and other older technology tends to depreciate to the point where it is not generating enough lumens to adequately light the workspace. However, in some cases, there may be areas that are actually over-lit, producing glare and causing eye strain, not to mention wasting energy.
The Delaware Car Co., a “body shop” for railroad equipment housed in a large brick building near the Wilmington, Del, Amtrak station, contracted GreenTech Energy Services to perform a lighting retrofit project. Goals included energy savings, lowering material and labor costs associated with maintaining existing lighting systems, and avoiding equipment obsolescence with state-of-the-art lighting technology. The owner also wanted to make the lighting more uniform throughout the facility – some areas were cast in shadows while others were overlit.
Approximately 170 400-watt high pressure sodium and metal halide high bay fixtures were replaced with brand new 2×4 fixtures with four T5 fluorescent lamps and reflectors. In areas of the fabrication shop where the lighting was unnecessarily bright, fixtures were removed. As a result, annual energy consumption has been reduced from 282,809kWh to 154,728kWh, translating to $15,370 in energy savings a year, plus $1,981 in operations savings. The project reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 192,121 pounds annually. And there is now uniform lighting throughout the building with a high color rendering index that facilitates better quality control (see before and after photos below).
Thirty percent of the project cost was paid for by a grant from the Delaware Energy Efficiency Investment Fund. This fund was created to help Delaware businesses make strategic investments in capital equipment and facility upgrades that will help decrease operating costs, reduce energy consumption, and improve environmental performance.
