High-efficiency lights were installed in Midtown Garage in mid-May.
LED lights in parking garages to save $50K a year
COVINGTON, Ky. - Drivers will appreciate the increased visibility. Conservationists will love their energy efficiency. Taxpayers will appreciate their longevity and cost savings.
There’s something for everyone to love about the addition of 500 high-efficiency LED fixtures in the RiverCenter and Midtown garages, among the City of Covington’s biggest parking centers.
The new LED lights replaced old fluorescent tubes, meaning brighter garages around the Cov and over $50,000 in energy cost savings per year.
“New LED tubes are much more energy-efficient,” said Jack Monts de Oca, senior operations manager of ABM Parking Services, the company that manages the City’s public parking. “They’re also a lot brighter, creating a more secure and safer environment in the garages.”
The lights last 50,000 to 60,000 hours on average (that’s almost seven years even though they’re always on). And the projected savings on energy and maintenance costs for both garages is projected at more than $51,000 in a single year.
The lights were installed in Midtown Garage in mid-May. Installation in RiverCenter was finished June 14.
The extra brightness is especially helpful in garages that are largely shielded from the sun’s light.
“RiverCenter Garage in particular does not get a lot of natural daylight, so the additional brightness is a big plus,” Monts de Oca said.
To pay for the lights, the Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority authorized ABM to apply for and receive roughly $17,000 in rebates from Duke Energy. The authority then contracted with Cincinnati-based energy project development company Donovan Energy to install the lights.
By the numbers
According to Donovan Energy, switching to energy-efficient LED bulbs in the two garages has the same ecological impact as:
- Taking 105 cars off the road.
- Planting over 12,300 seedling trees.
- Saving over 1.08 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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