For Immediate Release: 1/4/2019 11:10 am
The City of Worcester has completed an energy efficient LED lighting upgrade at Claremont/Woodland Academy made possible by a $248,849 Green Community grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The project involved replacing approximately 1,947 interior fluorescent (CFL) lights with high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) lights. Wattage associated with lighting in the building was reduced 67 percent from 180,024 watts to 59,934 watts and the overall electricity consumption of the building has been reduced by 38 percent. Prior to the lighting upgrade, the building was the fourth largest electrical consumer in the Worcester Public Schools system.
“This kind of investment in our school buildings not only provides financial and environmental benefits for our City, but it also gives us an opportunity to educate our students on the importance of conserving energy through the use of the latest technology,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr.
A collaboration of the City of Worcester Energy & Asset Management Division, the Worcester Public Schools Facilities Department and electrical contractor Zap Electric Inc., the project also included the installation of motion detection, daylight sensors and digital timers in most fixtures to further reduce energy consumption.
Funding for the $573,323 project was provided by the Green Community Grant (43 percent), MassSave incentives (27 percent) and a three-year on-bill-financing offered by National Grid to the Worcester Public Schools (30 percent). The immediate reduction in the school’s electrical bill from reduced consumption resulted in the near immediate cancelling out of the additional project costs.
In 2019, the City of Worcester will continue its LED lighting upgrades and solar energy projects at both school and city sites.
