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Hubbard approves deal to convert to LED lighting
HUBBARD
The Hubbard school board aims to cut energy costs by converting its light bulbs to LED bulbs.
The school board approved a contract with Gardiner, a Solon-based contractor, to convert to an LED lighting system in its K-12 school building, the swimming pool building and the board of education office. A total of 4,134 LED light fixtures will be installed or retrofitted.
The upgrade is expected to be completed over the summer at a cost of $673,000.
Gardiner guaranteed the schools will save at least $106,000 per year for the first seven years. Jerry Hixson with Gardiner said the schools likely will save at least $100,000 per year in utility costs after the seven years as well.
With the savings, “it will be almost no money out of our budget; it should pay for itself in the first seven years,” schools Treasurer Amber Babik said.
Other schools in the Valley also are making the switch to more energy-efficient systems. Liberty and Campbell, for example, recently contracted with Guaranteed Clean Energy, which assesses and upgrades a school district or other public entity’s energy infrastructure.
Gardiner recently completed an LED lighting project with the Mahoning County jail and juvenile justice center. It has worked with other Valley schools, including Campbell, Canfield, Lowellville, Poland, Springfield and Struthers.
“One thing I really like about the company is they are really focused on all our students and staff,” said schools Superintendent Raymond Soloman. “What they told us they would do is come in and do a few classrooms first and have students and teachers go into the rooms and make sure everything is suitable and adjusted, because there are certain students who have sensory issues.”
Hixson said the bulbs are projected to last 20 years. The bulbs are expected to last 50,000 hours, and the average interior lighting hours for a school building are 2,200 hours per year, he explained.
The bulbs come with a five-year warranty on the interior and 10-year warranty on the exterior.
Hixson said the benefits of converting to LED are “energy and cost savings, long life, uniformity with color temperatures, utility rebates and quick paybacks.”