For Immediate Release: 8/16/2016 1:49 pm
Worcester, MA (August 16, 2016) - The City of Worcester has been awarded a $248,849 grant to complete an energy efficient LED lighting upgrade to Burncoat High School. The award was one of 47 Green Communities Competitive Grants recently announced by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
The project will involve replacing interior lighting fixtures with high-efficiency LED lights. Additionally, motion detection, daylight sensors and digital timers will be incorporated to further reduce energy consumption. These intelligent LED lights will be controlled via a network and will be programmed to yield the most savings possible depending on room usage and the amount of natural light in each room.
"Not only will this project save energy and reduce our carbon footprint, it saves local taxpayers money. It also goes hand-in-hand with our plan to replace every street light in the City with high-efficiency LED lights," said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. "This is all part of our ongoing effort to scour city government to find any added efficiency we can find to provide the most value to our residents."
Burncoat High School is the fifth largest electrical consumer in the Worcester Public Schools system. An analysis of energy usage showed that lighting comprises 58 percent of the building's electrical load. The proposed project is estimated to reduce the school's electrical use by 28 percent and to save $37,000 annually in electricity costs. In addition to the financial and environmental benefits, the project will serve as a case study for future municipal lighting retrofit projects and provide educational opportunities regarding the benefits of more efficient lighting systems.
The lighting upgrade complements other sustainability measures implemented at Burncoat High School between 2012-2015, including installation of a 318 kW-DC solar canopy parking array, upgraded building controls, improved building insulation, installed variable air volume handling units, installed computer power management system and water conservation measures.
The City was designated a Green Community in May 2010. This is Worcester's second Green Community grant, following an initial award of $852,000 in October 2010 that funded the Residential Rebate Pilot (2012-2014), launch of the website WorcesterEnergy.org, and an outreach campaign educating Worcester residents about the life-cycle benefits of energy efficiency work.
