South Florida LED Solutions Provider Retrofits FIU Parking Garage, Reduces Energy and Maintenance Costs by 66%
(Wellington, Fla.)---Since opening its doors in 1972, Miami based Florida International University (FIU) has grown to the third largest public university in the state with 46,000 students. While the school has plenty of parking to accommodate its growing student body and faculty – five garages spread out on the 342 acre campus – lighting the garages has proved challenging. Increased maintenance costs, rising utility rates, premature outages and dark areas, all played a factor in the university’s decision to seek out a lighting solution. In an effort to cut costs and properly illuminate the space, FIU turned to Wellington, Fla. based LED Source®, an international LED lighting solutions provider that specializes in design, support, development, project management, financing and retrofits.
“Parking garages can be a challenge to light due to their exposure to the elements and the number of hours fixtures must operate each day,” says Marcel Fairbairn, president and CEO of LED Source. “LEDs are the perfect lighting solution for a space like this. They provide a better quality of light, eliminate dark patches, improve safety, reduce energy consumption and lower maintenance costs.”
It is estimated that the annual savings for FIU will be $32,582 in lighting energy and maintenance costs. With only operating 20 hours per day, 5 days per week, Return On Investment for the project is anticipated to be just over four years.
FIU’s Blue Garage, which opened in 2002 and can accommodate parking for more than 1,000 visitors. Previously, the four-story garage was lit by 400 Metal Halide fixtures, each operating at 208 Watts with ballast. With safety and efficiency in mind, LED Source replaced the Metal Halides with C2D LowBay LED fixtures by Lighting Science. At only 71 Watts, the fixtures eliminated ballast changes and relamping, which would have cost significantly more money. The new fixtures also improved the overall lighting quality and reduced energy and maintenance costs by an average of 66 percent. The C2D LowBay LEDs last up to 85,000 hours, contain no mercury – unlike Metal Halide fixtures – and do not require lamp replacement, which eliminates recycling and disposal costs.
“The LED fixtures truly improved the overall look of our Blue Parking Garage,” says Lazaro Rodriguez, Coordinator at FIU. “It not only provided better light, but improved safety. Customers have also stated they love the new look.”
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