Vol. 18, No. 38	Aug. 5, 1999

Energy conservation efforts noted in national magazine

Energy conservation is a priority at UD, and an ongoing lighting retrofit program- replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) during the past two years-has resulted in increased lighting at a significantly lower cost, according to Dick Walter, Facilities Management.

The money-saving project was described in a recent issue of Energy User News.

Approximately two years ago, W. L. Gore & Associates, manufacturer of ASPEN lighting fixtures, asked the University to test new fixtures it had developed in an area of Clayton Hall at the company's expense.

The fixtures worked well, and UD became a Beta test site for Gore's product. The Aspen fixtures, which resemble V-8 cans with an open end and lined with highly reflective white Gore-Tex, were installed in various buildings across the campus even before they were on the market. Although the CFL bulbs have lower wattage, there is measurably more light directed to the task area because of the Gore-Tex material. CFL bulbs also have a life of 10,000 hours, versus 900 hours for incandescent bulbs, so maintenance and replacement costs are lower.

To reduce interruption of activities in the buildings, the installation of fixtures was carried on at night in areas of Pencader Dining Hall, Morris Library and Amy E.du Pont Hall. The procedure was simple, taking less than minutes to install and change the lamps. The most time consuming part of the project was moving the ladder from fixture to fixture, Walter said.

The bottom line?

"In two and a half years, the project will have paid for itself and should result in an estimated annual energy savings of more than $30,000," Walter said.