School cuts lighting retrofit payback 7 yrs. with util. grant. (Green River Community College, Auburn, Washington)

School Cuts Lighting Retrofit Payback 7 Yrs. With Util. Grant

The payback on a $100,524 lighting retrofit at Green River Community College here was cut from 10 years to less than three years when Puget Sound Power and Light came up with funds to cover 72 percent of the total project cost through its Commercial Conservation program, according to Harold Broadbent, supervisor of buildings and grounds.

The retrofit, completed late last year, is expected to cut Green River's electricity costs by 12 percent, or about $10,000 annually, he said. A spokesman for Puget Sound noted that the utility considers schools and colleges eligible for its Commercial Conservation program.

Details on Puget Sound's grants for energy improvements will be included in a chart on utility rebates in the April 13 EUN.

The school also upgraded the front-end computer of its System 600 EMS, manufactured by MCC Powers Inc., Northbrook, Ill., and added 10 more campus buildings to the system for an additional 100 control and monitoring points, he said. The EMS upgrade was completed last week, he noted.

The EMS upgrade cost about $104,000, and Green River financed it with funds earmarked for energy conservation. The upgrade is expected to pay for itself in about five years, he added.

The college is spread over 168 acres, and has 34 campus buildings with about 3,200 full-time students. The total space is 340,633 square feet. Both the lighting retrofit and the EMS upgrade were done by Sheppard Nelson Electric Co., Midway, Wash.