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from the issue of April 1, 2004
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New tubes offer better light for less money
BY KIRK CONGER, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
Each morning, eight Facilities employees set out to illuminate UNL.
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| | | Facilities lighting technician Jake Olson wires new electronic ballasts into an upgraded fluorescent light fixture. Facilities workers are upgrading the fluorescent lights on campus with more efficient glass tubes and ballasts. Photo courtesy of Facilities.
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But they’re not explaining difficult concepts in the classroom. They upgrade fluorescent lights, and by the end of the day, they will have installed the new ballasts and tubes in 150 more light fixtures.
Most UNL buildings use fluorescent lights. These consist of glass tubes that produce the light and ballasts that condition the electric current for the tubes. These 4-foot-long white tubes have been the mainstay of office lighting for decades, but their days at UNL are ending. The new “T8” tubes are smaller in diameter and produce a richer, whiter light than the old cool-white tubes. The new electronic ballasts drive the tubes at high frequency, making them more efficient and eliminating the flicker and hum that characterized many older fluorescent lights. The result: An upgraded four-tube fixture in a typical office uses about $14 per year - a savings of about $6 per year over the old lights.
This process began in the 1990s during maintenance: When a ballast burned out, it was replaced with an electronic ballast and the new T8 tubes. Then, in 2002, conversion began in earnest. The Nebraska Utilities Corporation provided funds to upgrade 3,800 high-use lights. It was expected to take 6.6 years for payback, or the point where the savings from the upgrade would have paid for the initial expense of the upgrade. But installers worked faster than expected, reducing both project cost and payback. As a result, more funds were made available.
To date, about 12,000 upgrades have been completed, and the average payback is 4.9 years. The savings in electricity costs from the upgrade finance additional energy conservation and infrastructure improvements.
Old ballasts and tubes are shipped to a recycler, where they are disassembled and the components reused or recycled. Some ballast material is incinerated to destroy dangerous chemicals.
And what about the proper care and feeding of the new lights? Contrary to popular belief, it does not take extra electricity to start a fluorescent light, so it always saves energy to turn off the lights when you leave the room. However, rapid switching off and on does shorten the tube life somewhat. UNL Facilities Management & Planning recommends leaving fluorescent lights on if you know you will return within 10 minutes, and switching them off otherwise.
UNL Facilities Management & Planning has a number of other projects under way to reduce campus energy costs. For more information or to make a suggestion, contact Kirk Conger at kconger2@unl.edu.
About this series
This story is one in a series spotlighting campuswide efforts to conserve energy and save money.
Help UNL save money by cutting energy costs. See www.unl.edu/unlpub/special/energy/ to learn other money-saving ideas.
GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 1
NEWS HEADLINES FOR APRIL 1
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New tubes offer better light for less money
Questions about new NCards addressed
Lecture to address women’s rights
Ninth Rural Poll examines water, health care issues
Online Teaching Institute runs May 10 to June 16
Raffle for Museum offers unique prizes
731672S33101X
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