Replacing 650 outdoor electrical fixtures with energy-efficient LED lighting won Tucson International (TUS) a BrightEE Award from Tucson Electric Power.
The award recognizes TUS for conducting one of the largest energy-efficiency projects in the region for 2014. It included lights around the terminal, over roadways and parking lots, and in the parking garage and rental facility, resulting in savings of more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours.
“The lighting project not only reduced energy use, but it also improved the quality of lighting and the nighttime aesthetics of our facility for our tenants, the staff and the traveling public,” says Danette Bewley, vice president of operations and projects for the Tucson Airport Authority.
The project cost about $813,000 for design, purchase and installation of the fixtures. TUS received $152,000 from Tucson Electric Power. The remaining costs are estimated to be paid back in about 27 months in areas such as garages where the lights operate around the clock and in about four years in parking lots where the lights operate only from dusk to dawn, airport officials say. They add that savings will increase by about $1,000 per week because of less frequent replacements and lower maintenance needs.
