LEDs Slash UNCW Auditorium's Lighting Costs 93 Percent

By Teri Boggess

N.C. Energy Office Communications Staff

A project that reduces workload, improves quality and slashes costs 93 percent would be worthy of a standing ovation on any stage. In this case, the project really is on stage, and a hearty Broadway-style ?Bravo!? can be directed toward the?University of North Carolina Wilmington. The university?s 1,015-seat?Sarah Graham Kenan Auditorium?achieved a 93 percent reduction in the annual energy consumption required for its stage lights by switching 33 of its inefficient incandescent fixtures to light emitting diodes, or LEDs.

Remarkable energy savings for a small project

?Although this was a relatively small project, it demonstrates the savings that can be realized through the intelligent application of energy-efficient principles,? said Dr. Herbert Eckerlin of the Center for Energy Solutions? Energy Management Program in N.C. State University?s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. ?A 93 percent reduction in energy has been realized. The energy now required is only 7 percent of its former usage.?

New lights provide new quality for performances

Besides slashing energy costs, the new ETC Selador? Desire? D40 LED lighting fixtures ? manufactured in Middleton, Wis., and installed by Barbizon Charlotte Inc. ? give Kenan Auditorium crew and performers lighting quality and options they haven?t had for shows that visit Wilmington and New Hanover County.

That quick change will eliminate a difficult task for the stagehands. ?Changing color on our old incandescent lighting instruments required flying in (lowering) those instruments to working height, switching out one or more color gel frames, which had to be prepared previously, and then flying the lights back out to appropriate production height,? Bemelmans said. ?That process took at least two stage technicians and a fair amount of time, so it was impossible to create varied color effects in mid-production, except during an intermission break. Thus the new lights make a huge difference in our ability to provide the rapid-change creative staging required by complex productions from major production companies.?

Maintenance time and cooling costs also are reduced

?The comfort level for the performers onstage has dramatically increased. The incandescent lights would cook the people on stage,? said Steve Sharpe, an engineer and project manager in UNCW?s Office of Facilities. ?Now, there is no appreciable heat gain when performing under the new LED lights. This will help to ensure that premium performers have the best experience possible and return because it?s a comfortable and enjoyable place to work.?

University is committed to energy conservation

?UNCW has made energy conservation a top priority for many years,? said Tom Freshwater, the physical plant director. ?As an active participant in the Utility Savings Initiative established by legislative action, UNCW has reduced its energy consumption (Btu per square foot) by 36 percent compared to year 2002-03 baseline data. This outstanding reduction in energy consumption has exceeded targets established by Senate Bill 668 and has made UNCW a recognized leader in the area of energy conservation.? Senate Bill 668, signed into law in August 2008, mandates energy conservation in state buildings.

Lighting project sets example for other auditoriums

Bemelmans is only too happy to write a glowing review for the new lighting.

?What was earlier a cumbersome and often near impossible task,? he said, ?now simply takes a few strokes on our lighting console, and we are able to share with our campus and community critically acclaimed productions of the highest professional caliber ? and to do so successfully and cost effectively.?

Source: http://barbizonlighting.blogspot.com/2012/08/leds-slash-uncw-auditoriums-lighting.html

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