LED lighting has a direct, positive impact on the amount of energy we use, while reducing the need for ongoing maintenance.
Waycross, GA (PRWEB) March 14, 2014
The Ware County School System received a $131,040 rebate check from Georgia Power Company for an energy conservation initiative involving the installation of LED lights in the county’s 11 school buildings. IP UtiliNET, a next generation technologies firm specializing in environmentally friendly solutions, retrofitted 24,000 new LED lights in the system, representing the largest installation of its kind in K-12 school systems in the U.S. The lighting system was purchased using Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds, with an expected return on investment of less than two years.
IP UtiliNET officials attended the Georgia Power presentation at the Ware County Board of Education headquarters. The school system is saving $9,000 in monthly energy costs by using LED lighting, said Mitch McGhee, Ph.D., VP of Vertical Markets at IP UtiliNET.
“I want to commend the Ware County BOE for taking this bold step, which is putting costs savings directly back into the maintenance and operations budget. The money will go a long way in making a positive impact on the education of students in Ware County,” Dr. McGhee said. “The Ware County School System would be paying about $20,000 more a month in energy costs if they had not implemented a lighting retrofit. At the same time, other lighting options have about 1/10th of the lifespan and would have consumed twice as much energy as LEDs.”
Ware County School System Superintendent Mark Mooneyhan is delighted with the positive financial impact of the new program.
“We pride ourselves in creating a progressive school system defined by offering the best educational tools and programs our children need to succeed in today’s economy, while balancing the need for fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of Ware County,” Mr. Mooneyhan said. “We are delighted with the cost savings we are seeing with the new lighting system. LED lighting has a direct, positive impact on the amount of energy we use, while reducing the need for ongoing maintenance. We want to thank the taxpayers of Ware County for entrusting us with their ESPLOST dollars. Because the voters approved the ESPLOST IV referendum we have been able to undertake initiatives such as this."
LED lighting systems are becoming more common as organizations seek to find new ways to reduce energy costs. Advancements in LED lighting include longer product life and improved luminosity, which is equivalent to fluorescent lighting in terms of quality.
“While the use of LED lighting has a significant impact on energy consumption costs, it also creates a healthier environment for students. Studies have shown the softer quality of the LED lights creates less eye strain, making it easier to read and maintain attention at longer intervals,” said David Quinn, CEO of IP UtiliNET. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the Ware County School System to provide this innovative, energy-efficient solution.”
About IP UtiliNET
IP UtiliNET is an Atlanta based, veteran-owned professional services firm specializing in centrally managed communications, energy networks and security solutions. Offering site service solutions in 145 countries and 392 cities worldwide, IP UtiliNET partners with its clients to streamline operations, lower costs and enhance profitability for long-term environmental, social and financial benefit. Service offerings include single mode fiber LANvisn™ Passive Optical Networks (PON), facial biometric security, sustainable and renewable energy (SustaNET©) including LED lighting systems, and technology lifecycle services. For more information visit http://www.iputilinet.com.
