Campus Life

LED light fixtures in Penn State Hershey parking garages save energy and money

During the late summer and fall of 2014, Penn State Hershey’s Facilities Department performed a lighting retrofit on the Centerview and South parking garages. They replaced more than 1,000 existing 175-watt metal halide fixtures with 55-watt LED light fixtures. The change has resulted in an annual energy savings of 1,553,345 kilowatt hours, which is worth more than $138,000 and is equivalent to the amount used in a year by 147 homes. Additionally, the project will prevent 1,071 metric tons of carbon gas from being released into the atmosphere every year. It would take 878 acres of U.S. forest to absorb that much carbon annually. In addition to the environmental benefits, the project will pay for itself in four years.

The new lighting system features sensors that control the light levels with respect to existing daylight levels and occupancy.

The elevator lobbies and stairwells in both garages were upgraded to LED fixtures, which increased the amount of light while lowering electricity consumption.

Last Updated June 24, 2015