The student-led group estimates a savings of 61,000-kilowatt hours and up to $8,000 per year.
Student interns from Green Campus, a student-led energy efficiency outreach program under the Alliance to Save Energy, partnered with campus Plant Operations, who did the installation and retrofitting of the new lighting. Green Campus also received input and support from the campus community as well as the local community.
According to Green Campus coordinator Sarah Schneider, cooperation between all involved parties helped push the project through in just eight months. “We were fortunate to be able to work so closely with Plant Ops,” said Schneider. “The amount of support we had from everyone was helpful.”
“The project brought several benefits,” continued Schneider. “The lights produce less light pollution in the community and less carbon dioxide which benefits wildlife health as well as human health.”
Along with the environmental benefits, the retrofit focuses the lighting onto the field more efficiently so less light is wasted. “Now people in the community won’t see that halo over the field when there’s a game,” said Schneider. “It’s much more aesthetically pleasing.”
HSU will receive a rebate of $0.24 per kilowatt-hour saved from a system-wide partnership with energy utilities. The UC-CSU Investor Owned Utilities Energy Efficiency Partnership allows campuses to receive energy savings through conservation efforts such as the student-led projects sponsored by HSU’s energy fund and the Green Campus program.
The lighting retrofit also provides learning opportunities for engineering students who will closely monitor the project to calculate the total amount of energy saved.
The Humboldt Energy Independence Fund is a student fee-based fund that finances student-designed energy production, efficiency and education projects. “Since its inception, HEIF has empowered students to make actual effective change on campus through energy-related projects,” says Schneider. “This program enables us to demonstrate our capacity for creativity and professionalism, while working toward institutionalizing sustainability and energy efficiency.”