Taxpayers Save $1 Million Per Year with Universal Ballasts

When the Tennessee Board of Regents replaced 57,253 ballasts at six state colleges, the result was approximately $1 million in annual energy savings. Virtually all of the ballasts used in the retrofit project were ULTim8 ballasts from Universal Lighting.

The library at Chattanooga State
Technical Community College

The project encompassed more than four-million square feet of classroom, hallway, office, and multi-use space at the following state colleges in East Tennessee:

• Pellissippi State Technical Community College
• Roane State Community College
• Walters State Community College
• Chattanooga State Technical Community College
• East Tennessee State University
• Northeast State Technical Community College

With energy costs rising steadily, lighting technology continues to make huge strides in conserving electricity and money. The Tennessee Board of Regents wanted to take advantage of this fact by upgrading the ballasts at its state universities. A national energy services company recommended to the Board of Regents that it replace the T12 lighting at its facilities with T8 ballasts and lamps. Stones River, a lighting contractor headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., was selected to handle the installations.

Based on the project goals determined by the Board of Regents, Stones River elected to use Universal Lighting’s ULTim8 ballasts with F32T8/ES 30-Watt lamps. Stones River has been using electronic ballasts from Universal Lighting “for as long as I can remember,” said Rob Wilson, vice president of the company.

“Getting the maximum efficiency and highest performance was our top priority in this project. That’s why we chose the ULTim8 ballast from Universal Lighting,” said Wilson.

The project began in fall of 2005 and took just over twelve months to complete, including the design process. Much of the installation work had to take place late at night or early in the morning to accommodate ongoing classes at the colleges.

Stones River was “great in making sure their work had as little impact on our daily operations as possible, and was very good to keep me informed as they progressed,” said David Walton, director of facilities at Pellissippi State Technical Community College in Knoxville. “Overall this has been a very positive experience for the college.”

Wilson pointed to the “high reliability” of Universal Lighting’s ballasts as one of the top reasons why the retrofit project was completed without a hitch.

“We’re saving the taxpayers of Tennessee about a million dollars per year. That’s why the Board of Regents is so pleased,” explained Wilson. “But the students and staff at these six universities are getting a lot more than just energy savings out of this retrofit project. With the ULTim8 ballasts, they now have improved light quality, more consistent light levels, and—last but not least—reduced maintenance costs.”

On top of the transition to ULTim8 ballasts, additional energy savings were achieved with LED exit lights, occupancy sensors, and HID dimming solutions. Total energy savings from the retrofit project are measured at 2,739 KW per year and 12,362,000 kilowatt-hours annually.

The following is a breakdown of energy savings by college:
Pellissippi State
fixtures: 6,780
kW saved: 246.9
kWh saved: 1,502,844

Roane State
fixtures: 6,509
kW saved: 357
kWh saved: 2,237,545

Walter State
fixtures: 8,422
kW saved: 333.8
kWh saved: 1,267,216

Chattanooga State
fixtures: 9,079
kW saved: 480
kWh saved: 2,039,582

ETSU
fixtures: 23,049
kW saved: 1,217
kWh saved: 4,758,082

Northeast State
fixtures: 3,414
kW saved: 105
kWh saved: 556,738

For more information about Universal Lighting Technologies and its products, call 1-800-BALLAST or visit the Web site at www.universalballast.com.

For nearly six decades, Universal Lighting Technologies, Inc. has been bringing power and precision to the world’s most innovative lighting. Headquartered in Nashville, TN and with operations and distribution worldwide, Universal Lighting Technologies is focused on designing, manufacturing and distributing the industry’s finest lighting ballasts and controls. Universal Lighting Technologies—Energy Intelligence in Lighting.

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