Think about this…

Students might spend more awake hours in a classroom than at home. Creating a warm yet exciting learning environment is key to driving success, helping students feel safe, and inspiring new goals.

From primary schools to universities, lighting can enhance and support the learning experience for students, teachers, and other workers every single day.

The benefits also stretch beyond education. With this guide, we will walk you through ways to conserve energy and costs while keeping students top of mind.

You most likely have a lot of fluorescent light bulbs inside your school building, and HIDs outside the building. Both HIDs and fluorescents run off a ballast, so it’s also a good idea to keep stock of a few ballasts in addition to light bulbs.

You’re probably familiar with the overall energy costs for your school building. It can fluctuate based on climate, time of year, and the school calendar. But you might not be familiar with how much lighting contributes to the overall costs.

The National Energy Education Development Project found that on average, 17 percent of the electricity used in schools is to operate lights.

Most schools use fluorescent tubes throughout the building. Fluorescent light bulbs are moderately energy efficient, but there are other options that still give big energy savings.

We like to use the lighting pyramid to explain energy costs by type of lighting. You can see fluorescent lighting is in the middle of the pyramid.

The easiest way to save on energy costs is to upgrade to LEDs, or to move up the pyramid.
If your school district, college, or university is sticking with fluorescent lights, we have several options
for more savings.

1. Consider the type of linear fluorescent tube you’re using. There are three different sizes: T12s, T8s, and T5s.

   • T12s were very common 20 years ago, but manufacturers are phasing them out. They use the most energy, and they’re the widest in size.

   • T8s are a little more energy efficient, generally using about 32 watts. They are one inch in diameter. This is a common choice for fluorescent tubes today.

   • T5s are the smallest linear fluorescent tubes and the most energy efficient. They use about 24 watts. But before you buy, you should know T5s commonly have the brightest output and might not be the best option in every setting.

2. Check the ballast type. Fluorescent light bulbs must run off a ballast to operate, and ballasts use energy. There are two different types of ballasts: magnetic and electronic. The magnetic ballast is older and not as energy efficient. The electronic ballast can use up to 30 percent less energy, plus may help reduce eye strain (a bonus for students).

3. Check the ballast factor. In addition to the ballast type, ballast factor is another consideration in saving electricity with fluorescent tubes but consider the options carefully. Here is a guide to ballast factor.

If you have already upgraded to LEDs, you might want to consider saving even more money with lighting controls. (Note: fluorescent light bulbs also work with simple lighting controls, like occupancy sensors. But they may require a dimmable fluorescent ballast.)

Teachers have enough to deal with and may forget to turn off the light switch before they leave the room. But leaving lights on in an empty classroom can be a huge waste of money. Or at a college or university, lecture classrooms or study rooms may be empty for hours at a time. Using controls to automate when lights turn on and off can save a lot of money on energy costs.

Lighting control systems can be as simple or as complicated as you would like.
Here are a few basic options:

Dimmers: Dimming light bulbs reduces wattage and output, resulting in energy savings. This can also help set different tones in classrooms.

Sensors: No one wants to light an empty room – so installing occupancy sensors in a conference room that’s rarely used is an easy place to start. This is a great option for classrooms, because the lights can turn off during lunch or recess. Or it could be tedious to turn on parking lot lights every night, so photosensor controls could be a huge advantage. Motion sensors are very useful for security lighting. They turn on when motion is detected, then turn off a short while later.

Timers: School hours are limited, so you maybe you only need lights on for certain hours of the day. Timers may be the best option to consider.

Lighting controls can also give you a lot of flexibility. That’s what the University of Texas at Dallas learned when it upgraded its HIDs to LEDs in its activity center.

Now the facility manager can easily dim the lights for special events or functions like graduation ceremonies. Plus, the lights can turn on and off from a smartphone. That’s especially helpful when yoga class starts at 5 a.m.

The new lighting also improved the atmosphere during games for everyone: players, spectators, and at-home television viewers.

There’s another added bonus: the school has cut back on both energy consumption and maintenance needs.

Keeping students safe throughout the day is probably your top priority. You might not realize it, but lighting is a big contributor to safety.

As a basic safety practice, make sure hallways, stairs, floors, and ramps all around the property or campus are properly lit.

Here are a few specific safety approaches for schools:

1. Proper, bright lighting in gyms or arenas. The right lighting in gyms can reduce the amount of accidents or hazards for students and any spectators.

2. Well-lit parking lots or parking garages. Even elementary schools hold after-school activities. Keeping parking lots well-lit should be a top priority for students and their parents. On a larger campus, the last thing you want is a student or employee to feel unsafe walking to their car parked in a garage.

3. Easy-to-see exterior lighting. Quality lighting outside of your building will help people see where they’re going. Dimly lit signs can cause confusion.

Title 24 and schools

Some schools, community colleges, and universities in California also have to meet Title 24 standards. Title 24 applies to new construction and building renovations. It’s triggered any time you pull a building permit, and it significantly impacts lighting and lighting controls.

If you’re subject to strict building codes, contact us. We dove head first into Title 24 years ago, and deal with these requirements day-in and day-out.

LEED certification for school buildings

Another consideration for new buildings today is LEED certification. The U.S. Green Building Council developed LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s a green building rating system that businesses across the world have adopted, designed to save energy, water, and money.

Lighting controls and LEDs can help contribute to a LEED certification and school success. For colleges and universities, this can also attract students. Green initiatives and sustainability are big draws for younger generations.

It’s no secret – switching to LEDs can save you money long-term. But we get it, the upfront cost can be a deterrent.

Switching to LED doesn’t have to be an all-at-once commitment. You can start small and work your way up.

If you’re going to retrofit your school lighting in small steps, you probably want to take an approach similar to maintenance. Target the hardest to maintain areas first.

1. Hallways
   Changing out light bulbs in hallways is distracting and a safety hazard. Plus, hallway lights are most likely turned “on” for the longest time throughout the day. Upgrading to LED here can mean instant savings and less maintenance.

2. Gyms
   This is another area where inconvenient maintenance can disrupt events. You don’t want to be in a lift while basketball players and fans wait for you to change a light bulb. Or worse, think of possible delays during a graduation ceremony. Plus, LEDs don’t take as long to light up as HIDs.

3. Parking lots and exterior lighting
   Switching to LEDs in your parking lot can provide brighter, more even lighting. That means you also get a safety upgrade with your LED upgrade. Plus, it’s another place to think about using that bucket truck a little less often.

4. Classrooms
   Since so much time is spent in the classroom, we included this on our list. A teacher doesn’t want any more disruptions, like dragging a ladder into a classroom during the middle of class to change a light bulb. This can also be high-burn area that could equal more savings by converting to LEDs.

Another decision to consider before you dive into the land of LEDs: should you retrofit with LED bulbs, or do all fixtures need to be replaced? Here’s a look at pros and cons.

LED fixture replacement retrofit pros:

• Maximum control over light output and placement (great for situations where lighting design
  is paramount)

• Longer life rating and efficacy than LED replacement lamps

• Lower maximum fixture wattage than traditional fixtures, which is advantageous for meeting strict building codes or Title 24 standards

• Excellent performance for controls and dimming

LED fixture replacement retrofit cons:

• Longer, more expensive installation

• Higher up-front cost than LED replacement lamps

• Potential for difficulty in upgrading to future emerging technologies

Because LEDs are now more reliable and efficient – and manufacturers are lowering prices – it’s now costing you to wait to retrofit to LEDs.

We’ve talked to a lot of customers who have several boxes of fluorescent tubes they’re trying to use before they buy LEDs. So that had us thinking, how long would it take to pay for the LED upgrade and cover the cost of unused inventory of fluorescent tubes?

We explore the payback in this blog post, but the answer to that question is most likely under a year.

You can also use the calculator we created for your own estimates.

Bottom line: there is never a one-size-fits-all approach to lighting. We hope you found the answers you were looking for common school lighting challenges.

But if you have still have more questions – we’re happy to help you walk through the process.