The student government at University of Central Florida recently took a stand against inefficient lighting and brought LED lighting to portions of the school’s student union.
 
The UCF Student Government Association took the lead in bringing LED lighting to campus, working with officials to replace fluorescent lighting in student government offices and fluorescent and incandescent lighting in the Key West Ballroom.
 
“When you consider the Key West ballroom lights are on for 16 to 18 hours each day, the payback is less than two years,” said Rick Falco, Associate Director Student Union, UCF. “The LED lighting also has better light quality—it’s easier on the eyes and it’s dimmable, which gives us greater flexibility for the wide range of events held in the ballroom.”
 
Facts about the installation:

• UCF estimates it can save at least $10,000 a year in energy and maintenance costs in the Key West Ballroom simply by replacing recessed downlights and troffers with energy-efficient Cree LR6™ LED downlights and LR24™ LED troffers.

• The new LED fixtures in the ballroom consume approximately 85 percent less energy than the old fixtures, reducing energy consumption from more than 10,000 watts to less than 1,500 watts.

• The traditional T8 fluorescent light fixtures in the student government offices were replaced with 17 energy-saving LED fixtures.