AC Transit Cuts Lighting Use In Half With Bi-Level LED Lighting Retrofits
News Articles
03/29/2011
AC Transit will soon be using 50% less electricity to light five of its parking areas thanks to advanced LED lighting and control technologies. The technologies will be installed as part of a retrofit project supported by the Energy Technology Assistance Program (ETAP) and a $120,000 grant provided by California’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
ETAP provides free technical assistance and incentives to local governments, agencies, and public institutions for energy saving facility upgrade projects
AC Transit’s lighting retrofit will replace 105 old, inefficient lighting fixtures in parking areas at facilities in Emeryville, Hayward, and Oakland. The new LED fixtures and bi-level lighting controls will be in place by June, reducing the energy use of all the fixtures by 50 % annually.
In addition to the reduction in energy use with the new LED fixtures, the bi-level controls and sensors will automatically dim the lights when surrounding areas are unoccupied for even greater energy conservation. In total, AC transit expects to save about 83,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually and reduce peak demand by 4.2 kilowatts (KW).
“We are constantly looking for ways to save costs and become more environmentally responsible. This collaboration with the Energy Technology Assistance Program enables us to do both,” said Interim General Manager Mary King. “We appreciate the technical support on this cost-saving, energy-reducing project. The program’s sound analysis of the retrofit opportunities has been key to getting this project off the ground.”
As part of the program, ETAP provides technical support, audits and project analyses at no charge to AC Transit. Materials are purchased with the STIP funds and installation is done with in-house electricians whose salaries are easily offset by rebates from ETAP and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The LED lighting is longer lasting, requires less maintenance, yields better quality light, and has better color rendition than the previous HID fixtures.
AC Transit’s lighting retrofit is part of a continuing commitment to reduce costs, energy use and airborne pollutants. Efforts include:
• The agency’s Board of Directors has adopted a Climate Action Plan to reduce its vehicle greenhouse emissions by 15 percent.
• AC Transit is the first transit agency to join the California Climate Action Registry to inventory and monitor is greenhouse gas emissions.
• Solar systems installed at two facilities are expected to produce about 775,000 kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy a year+ and dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• Installing exhaust-after-treatment traps in all older buses to cut particulate pollution by 85%; reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by an additional 25-30%; and hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by up to 90%.
The Energy Technology Assistance Program (ETAP) provides technical support, implementation assistance, financial incentives, and training to accelerate the adoption of advanced, market-ready energy efficiency technologies in local government and public institutions in California. The program focuses on three energy efficiency technologies: bi-level lighting fixtures in parking lots and garages, wireless lighting controls, and wireless HVAC controls.
Over twenty local government agencies are currently participating in ETAP. To date, ETAP has identified about 12.7 million kWh in energy savings at 85 local government facilities. The program will run through March 2012 and is currently accepting additional participants. Cities, counties, special districts, and public colleges and universities in California are eligible to participate. Participants must begin implementing projects in 2011. Approximately $1.8 million in incentives is currently available to help fund new ETAP projects.
In addition to providing participants with technical assistance and funding, ETAP is also providing workforce training to ensure there is a pool of qualified workers to deploy the targeted technologies. ETAP’s workforce development initiative provides installer trainings for electrical and HVAC contractors as well as educational seminars on technology best practices. The ETAP program and training initiatives will help build a qualified workforce and increase demand for cutting edge energy efficient technologies, which are both essential to meeting California’s energy efficiency goals.
ETAP is administered by Energy Solutions, an energy efficiency and sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Oakland, California. The program is part of the California Energy Commission’s Energy Upgrade California initiative and funding is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
About Energy Solutions:
Cohen Ventures, Inc., dba Energy Solutions was founded in 1995. Its mission is to create large-scale environmental benefits by developing and implementing innovative, market-based approaches to increase sustainability through energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy initiatives. The company’s clients include state and federal regulatory agencies, investor-owned utilities, public utilities, local government agencies, commercial entities, institutional organizations, and non-profit organizations.