KU Center for Sustainability to shed new light on campus energy savings


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OVERLAND PARK — The KU Center for Sustainability has joined forces with Energy Solutions Professionals (ESP), an Overland Park-based energy service company, to replace inefficient light bulbs on campus with new compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

While nearly all of the campus’ general overhead lighting has been upgraded to be more efficient, there are still thousands of task lights and lamps on campus, many of which still use inefficient incandescent bulbs.

On Thursday, Sept. 22, student volunteers will begin the process of replacing the lamps, and at the same time educating the occupants on the benefits and energy savings that will result. Students will be trained by John Geist, ESP’s Energy Conservation Specialist, on the key messages to share during their interactions.

Around 150 bulbs are expected to be replaced in Carruth O’Leary Hall, Bailey Hall, Snow Hall, Marvin Hall and Lindley Hall as part of this initial kickoff effort. ESP is donating the replacement lamps.

“This is really just the first step of many to address ways in which KU students and staff can reduce the general plug-loads in buildings from things like lights, computers, office equipment and many other items,” said Jeff Flathman, president of ESP.

An incandescent bulb gives off more than 90 percent of its energy as heat, not light. By comparison, a 13-watt CFL, while having the same light output as a 75-watt incandescent, is around six times more efficient.

Replacing the initial 150 bulbs will save 9,300 watts. With more than 3,000 task lights on campus, the overall impact will be a 186,000-watt reduction in task light power demand.

Over the course of a year, these replacements are expected to save KU 279,000 kWh of energy consumption. That’s a greenhouse gas reduction of 418,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and is the equivalent of saving 9,793 gallons of gasoline or removing 39 cars from the road.

Installing the CFLs will also benefit the City of Lawrence in its Take Charge Challenge, a contest between Lawrence and Manhattan to save the most energy. The contest ends at the end of the month and is currently a very tight race.

ESP is a privately owned, Kansas-based, full-service energy solutions provider that addresses all aspects of client energy use through the Energy Efficiency Triad, an approach that encompasses energy supply, facilities/systems, and human behavior.

For details, contact Tim O’Kane, Energy Solutions Professionals, at 913-381-2800 or timo@energysolutionsprofessionals.com.

Thu, 09/22/2011

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Jeff Severin

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Jeff Severin

Center for Sustainability

785-864-5804