Technical, Environmental and Budgetary Efficiency in Harmony

Today's colleges and universities typically face a variety of challenges in transitioning their infrastructure to genuine energy efficiency. Every institute naturally aspires to the environmental and cost benefits of a modern energy-efficient lighting system, but practical concerns such as budgets and schedules frequently pre-empt even the best-intentioned initiatives. Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario recently proved that a state-of-the-art lighting system is not only good for the students and the environment, but also for the bottom line.

Georgian College serves a diverse student community throughout three campuses. The school's lighting system was nearly a quarter century old and represented technology and deployment that was characteristic of its time. Lighting was neither energy-efficient nor locally addressable, and the static implementation meant few options in re-configuring classrooms, offices and other spaces to accommodate Georgian's growth. A re-design was in order, but not at the forefront of the institute's budgetary priorities.

Georgian had previously been considering a needed renovation of the college's HVAC system. However, the school realized that its desire to reduce energy consumption and the attendant costs would have to be seen in a broader context in order to be genuinely representative of potential savings. The institute needed more than a compartmentalized fix for HVAC; it wanted to modernize its entire energy ecosystem.

In conceptualizing an ideal solution for a new lighting system, the school had numerous criteria that had to be satisfied. Expected energy savings alone would not do; any new system would have to be flexible enough to adapt along with the school's evolving needs, with configurable fixtures and illumination levels throughout each building and room. It would have to be more economical to run than the existing system, but would also have to provide improved lighting, not only for the students and faculty, but for attendant services such as security and custodial staff. Most importantly, the solution had to be financially viable, saving money while allowing the school to pay for the system out of its own operating budget, through realized energy savings.

e-Lumen International Inc., a lighting consultancy, was summoned to assess possibilities and plot the new system. The resulting studies showed that lighting control would be just as vital to Georgian's needs as new luminaires. After five weeks of study, the agreed-upon solution was the implementation of a Lutron EcoSystem throughout the campuses. “EcoSystem was the only solution that met all the strategic lighting requirements for this project,“ said Phil Santia, Professional Engineer, Partner of e-Lumen. This would give the school the ability to centrally and locally dictate light levels throughout individual buildings, corridors and rooms, and customize lighting schemes to each environment, even accounting for seasons and time of day, thanks to the EcoSystem's innovative daylight harvesting capabilities. And because EcoSystem contains only nine components, installation would prove very easy.

Jeff Choma, Manager of Mechanical and Electrical Systems, oversaw the installation for the school. “We really took the time to select the best technology for our campus,” he says. “We looked into full-voltage, DALI, and IP addressable ballast. We chose EcoSystem because it is the most versatile and simplest to use.”

Deployment of the project encompassed approximately 3,300 lighting fixtures throughout seven campus buildings, a number that represented a 30 percent reduction in the number of the existing fixtures, yet one that still produced more and better illumination throughout the school. To create the ideal system, the consultants had recommended conversion of the entire lighting infrastructure down to 120 volts from 347. Existing fixtures were removed and a combination of standard lighting and Lithonia RT5 fixtures fitted with Lutron EcoSystem dimmable ballasts were installed. The school hired electrical contractors to retrofit the fixtures and add communication wire where needed. Existing wiring was used whenever possible, with transformers used where this was not feasible. Once the wiring was in place, a system of daylight sensors, occupancy sensors and in-wall controls were installed, all of which could be programmed by the school staff itself, without the aid of an external agency.

Dramatic economies were immediately realized as a result of the new system. Daylight sensors were installed in windowed areas, which maximized the benefits of natural lighting levels by making corresponding adjustments in adjacent electrical fixtures. Uniquely, the EcoSystem allowed for the logical extension of this basic energy-saving premise, by directing multiple lighting fixtures throughout these rooms to react to commands from the daylight sensor. Georgian is using different combinations of these and other types of sensors throughout the campus in over 500 instances. Through this dynamic system, the institute is saving over 70 percent in energy costs versus the previous lighting system.

Cost reductions aside, the new lighting deployment has opened exciting workplace possibilities for students, teachers and staff at Georgian. The extensive programmability of the Lutron EcoSystem allows the educator to manipulate lighting energy based on teaching activity.  In situations where a whiteboard is the focus of attention, the lighting around the whiteboard is increased, while energy in other luminaires throughout the room are reduced progressively, by distance to the whiteboard. In teaching situations where audio/video materials are the focus, the instructor is able to direct the lighting energy away from the screen and onto student desks, where note-taking is now a much more productive process. Classrooms, meeting rooms, offices and auditoriums have all been configured for capabilities such as these. In addition to its energy savings, Georgian significantly enhanced the effectiveness of its educational experience.

“Low-voltage wiring for controls makes it easy to group fixtures in a circuit in different areas, and to adjust them easily,” says Choma. “People love the single-zone lighting control.”

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Georgian College lighting initiative was that the school was able to achieve both the aesthetic and financial benefits on its own, without relinquishing control of its infrastructure or its operating finances. Programming for the new lighting system is performed in-house by Georgian staff, which allows the school to re-configure ambiences anywhere on campus without the intervention, inconvenience and expense of an outside service. More importantly, the school was also able to control costs as easily as its own lighting. From its initial stages, the team involved in the lighting redesign was challenged to show an expected reduction in utility bills that would in effect, make the system pay for itself. The proposed benefits were so demonstrable that the school was able to procure a loan in order to build the system, which is now being repaid each month by the savings in energy costs.

As a result, Georgian College has been able to achieve a remarkable variety of benefits through its upgrade to the Lutron EcoSystem. It created new ambiences for students and teachers that are much more conducive to learning. It was able to do so with virtually no disruption to its daily activities; no classes had to be moved or re-scheduled as a result of the changeover. The school was able to retain control over its own infrastructure and reduce energy costs to a degree that would not be possible had it taken other avenues. Georgian was able to do all this while realizing tremendous cost savings—$137,000 a year, according to Choma—and virtually future-proofing its lighting system. Little wonder then that the work has won an award of recognition for energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases from the Ontario Power Authority's Chief Conservation Officer. The school was also nominated for the Bell Canada Business Award “Green Award.” Georgian's cost-effective, green-friendly lighting system will be the envy of North American academic institutes, and serves as a vivid demonstration of what's possible in energy conservation.