Dean B. Ellis Library Receives Cost-Efficient Lighting Upgrades
JONESBORO, Ark. – One of the icons of Arkansas State University, the bell tower of the Dean B. Ellis Library, received a holiday makeover that will ultimately save energy and money for campus operations.
The A-State Division of Facilities Management is replacing the original quartz floodlights used to illuminate the structure with more cost-efficient LED lighting.
Currently, 12 metal halide fixtures that consume 1,500 watts each light the carillon from dusk until dawn. Over the course of the fall semester, 17 LED lighting fixtures that use 95 watts each have been installed.
The new lights are not as bright as the original lights, and assistant director of facilities management Clint Halcom said his team would continue to add fixtures until they achieved the same level of illumination as the quartz floodlights.
“Once we achieve this level of light, we will then remove all of the 1,500-watt metal halide fixtures,” Halcom said. “We anticipate adding eight to ten more LED fixtures to achieve the look we want. Even using 27 of the LED fixtures, our goal could be achieved by using 2,565 watts instead of 18,000.”
Along with cost savings on electricity, upkeep on the new LED lights is significantly lower.
“The current fixtures are not only big consumers of power, but they are very expensive to maintain,” Halcom said. “The bulbs cost $38.06 each and the ballast costs $160.15 each. It takes at least two man hours to rebuild these fixtures. The LED lights have no bulb or ballast to replace.”
The new lights also provide the university the added benefit of changing the color of lighting on the library carillon.
“For many years, it has been a tradition to illuminate the bell tower to ‘red’ after a football game victory,” Halcom said. “The results with the new lights were remarkable, and well received by the campus family.”
And during the holiday break, the lights alternate between red and green.
“We will have the ability to remotely program colors for other special events and holidays,” Halcom added. “This represents a big savings in energy consumption for the university, and allows us to positively promote our campus to the entire community. The controller allows us to use these LED lights in an unbelievable number of colors and configurations.”
