Town Hall Saves On Lighting Improvements

By Kendra Bobowick

Visitors to the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium on the lower level will be turning on the lights for less following last week’s improvements.

Building Superintendent Clark Kathan examined the energy-saving lighting equipment prior to installation last Monday afternoon saying, “Opportunities like this don’t come along often.”

The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) Small Business Energy Advantage Program is behind the new lighting that produces significantly lower wattage each time the lights go on, Mr Kathan explained.

“They are doing the installation at no cost; I could not turn them down,” he said. Specifically, the town will owe approximately $5,000 over the span of five years, while CL&P pays about $4,600. Mr Kathan said that the town’s debt would be paid off through the difference in savings.

He said, “Say you spend $2,000 a month with lighting — with energy-saving [lights] it costs $1,800 a month. It’s not out of pocket costs.” The savings are applied to the balance due.

Mr Kathan is pleased with the improvements and said, “This is the only place that I could find that needed updates.”

He rounds off the energy savings to 50 watts a fixture, multiplied by the 19 lighting fixtures suspended from the gymnasium ceiling.

“You’re saving 950 watts every time you turn on the lights, and over an eight-hour period of time, that’s saves money,” Mr Kathan said.

The lights being changed out of the gym are large glass halogen bulbs. The energy-saving replacements are fluorescent, narrow tubes, less then half the width of traditional fluorescent tubes.

According to the CL&P website, the Small Business Energy Advantage (SBEA) program is designed to provide cost-effective, turnkey energy-saving services for small commercial and industrial customers who do not have the time, financial resources, or in-house expertise necessary to analyze and modify their energy usage.

For further information, call 877-WISE USE (877-947-3873) or visit CTSavesEnergy.org or cl-p.com.