New LED lighting fixtures are shining bright in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex arena. Over the summer, nearly 300 fixtures were replaced with roughly 150 LED lights, helping improve lighting quality and save energy.
The arena lights run over 6,000 hours annually, which is equivalent to over 250 days. By using more efficient LED fixtures, the amount needed to light the arena has been nearly halved. This project will help the University reduce its carbon footprint by roughly 141 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year. CO2 equivalent is a metric used to compare and understand the impact of emissions from various greenhouse gas emissions based on their global warming potential. 141 metric tons of CO2e is equivalent to the emissions from over 100,000 pounds of coal burned.
The new LED lights (pictured right) represent a vast improvement over the old lighting fixtures at the Lally Athletics Complex arena.
Sustainability Management worked with Athletics to accurately schedule when the lights will be turned on and off. The new fixtures also have dimming capability which will provide additional savings and help prolong the lifetime of the fixtures.
Many of the old fixtures were originals from 1960, meaning the lighting circuitry was outdated and in need of an upgrade. Campus Planning, Design and Construction engineers designed the new lighting and circuitry layout, and organizing the fixtures into six zones which allow sections of the arena to be selectively dimmed or turned on/off, making the space more adaptable.
Assistant Director of Engineering, Utilities and Sustainability Jason Plumpton says, “This project is another great example of how we can improve the quality of campus facilities as we perform energy efficiency upgrades.”
Not only will the new lights improve lighting quality, but also benefit the environment. Sustainability Management and Campus Planning, Design and Construction have plans to install additional LED lights across campus. If you have any questions reach out to Sustainability Management at sustain@syr.edu or head to the website at sustainability.syracuse.edu.
