EverLast® and maintenance savings with the U.S. Military!
Maintenance and the Military
The US military is the single largest consumer of energy in the world, and Fort Drum is one of the largest military bases in the world, occupying over 108,000 acres in New York, where it supports 80,000 troops. Recognizing that improving their lighting efficiency would decrease their total energy consumption, they decided to replace all the existing lights, which included metal halide, mercury vapor, and HPS.
After considering LEDs, officials at the base chose induction lights from EverLast Lighting, Inc. in Jackson, MI, because of their long life, performance, sustainability, and ROI. American made Bi-level Cobra Head fixtures were selected for their 100,000-hour lamp life and high efficiency, features that made them a cost-effective solution. Bryan Schultz, regional sales manager for the West Coast, says 2,000-3,000 were installed. A conservative estimate of energy savings topped $250,000 and a 50-60% decrease in energy usage.
The benefits of induction lighting include long life and energy savings, says Schultz. “You can reduce wattage by 50% and keep the same light output.” Essentially, a fluorescent lamp without electrodes, the patented lamp from EverLast, relies on the fundamental principles of gas discharge and electromagnetic induction to produce light. This allows the system to last longer than incandescent, high-intensity discharge (HID), or typical fluorescent lamps.
It provides a “good spread of light” for roadways that extends behind and beside a fixture for a broad throw, Schultz states. This allows for greater spacing between fixtures (from the typical 60-80 feet, to 120 feet), providing additional savings. Further savings can be achieved through a motion sensor that dims lights to 40% power when no one is present. “It cuts energy an additional 30%, on top of the 50% savings of induction,” calculates Schultz.
Induction lights deliver good color rendition and produce instant-on light at full brightness, as opposed to a five-minute warm-up for HIDs. In addition, Schultz notes, there are “no glare issues like with LEDs. Tesla invented this in the late 1800s; we perfected it in the 2000s.”
An energy audit revealed that “a good percentage” of the energy bill at the University of California Davis was lighting. EverLast installed “thousands of fixtures” on campus in 2008-09, including in a six-level parking garage and a decorative walkway, as well as security lights. “The payback was about 1-3/4 years,” estimates Schultz.
He admits that induction lighting incurs a 30-50% higher cost up front, but explains that maintenance savings can quickly become that disadvantage. "Customers are looking for energy savings and better quality light. They come for the energy savings; they stay for reduced maintenance."
This article was taken from Business Energy's November issue.
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