How to Spend Less on Energy

Leading a public institution can be daunting. As the societal landscape and attitudes continue to shift, citizens are expecting more from their taxpayer-funded entities. In many cases, however, their expectations are met with disappointment when it comes to the performance of their local schools, universities, hospitals, and city at-large.

When parents see an increase in their taxes and then watch the overall quality of their children’s education erode, the price of routine doctor visits catapult, the number of unfixed potholes on the road intensify, and the number of community events dwindles, they wonder, “Where is my money going? Why is this happening? Why am I paying more and getting less?”

As this cycle continues, frustrated residents generally deliver an ultimatum to their leaders: fix the issues, or we’ll remove you from your position (or we’ll take our dollars somewhere else).

To survive (and thrive) in this new era of public servanthood, leaders like you face the complex task of satisfying your publics’ expectations and delivering—even if it seems impossible.

So, is it hopeless? Or is there a way to give the community members and institution stakeholders “more” for their money?

A “Smart” Idea: Focus on Utility Savings

One of the biggest—if not the biggest—expenses for any school, hospital, university, or overall city (with all its departments, buildings, streetlights, and more) is energy. Let’s face it: You only have so much money at your disposal, and when you have to spend X amount of dollars on energy, you are unable to spend those same dollars in other areas that may need attention. So, how do you uncover a way that allows you to reallocate those dollars to those areas of importance or need? The first step is through upgraded LED lighting. Today’s LED lighting technologies will enable you to reduce your energy costs while obtaining better performance. The second step is to supercharge your LED lighting infrastructure with an Internet of Things solution that allows you to more tightly control your lights while providing you with a digital foundation to build upon.

Once you switch to a smart, IoT-based LED and control system, you can save up to 75% on your utility bills almost immediately. Because these LED systems last for 10-15 years, you will also save a tremendous amount of money on maintenance throughout the system’s lifetime. Add in utility company rebates and incentives, and the savings are immense. Plus, with a smart infrastructure in place, you can connect your HVAC operations to realize even more savings! Not to mention the additional opportunities your new digital infrastructure provides.

LED Upgrades: Amazing Numbers and Incredible Opportunities

To put the numbers in perspective, New York City has saved $6M a year on energy and $8M on maintenance since it switched over to LED streetlights. Boston cut its energy bill by approximately $3M by doing the same thing. And that’s just talking about streetlights!

When you replace all the lighting in your building(s), the same type of saving percentages apply. So, imagine converting your libraries, your gymnasiums, your classrooms, and your hospitals to IoT-based LED systems. Imagine saving 75% annually for 10-15 years. We’re talking thousands…hundreds of thousands…even millions of dollars in some cases that you can put to better use. Your hospital could hire more nurses to deliver better care in the ICU and more secretaries to eliminate patient wait time. Your college could lower the price of tuition and attract more students. Your school could hire better teachers and administrators to boost student achievement. And, if you’re the mayor of a city, you can strengthen your police departments, throw a community picnic, and fix those potholes!

Indirect Effects of an LED Upgrade: Health, Safety, Time, and More!

But wait…there’s more!!! In addition to the energy-related savings and budget re-allocation opportunity, changing your lighting system will also yield incredible indirect results within your overall organization. For example, maybe your employees (or students or patients) are sluggish during certain parts of the day. Well, with LED lighting, studies have shown that with the right lighting levels, employees are more likely to realize an increase in productivity and comfort. Because today’s networked control solutions have tighter control of LED output, we’re able to achieve far healthier and stimulating environments that foster productivity and comfort than fluorescent light was ever able to make.

Speaking of employee productivity, let’s talk about the service and maintenance departments within your institution. With new controllable clean light sources driven by LEDs, time and time again, we’ve seen organizations achieve increased service area productivity and efficiency because the mechanics and operators are better able to see the machines and parts on which they’re working. They won’t miss minor details, and they’ll be able to work faster and more safely. This yields a quicker turnaround time for broken equipment, which means people can get back to finishing jobs instead of fixing mistakes.

More than that, you’ll avoid the risk of institutional accidents that can be attributed to poor lighting. Fewer accidents mean fewer injuries, fewer expenses, and fewer headaches in the forms of medical claims, and lost days of work.

The bottom line is this: By just focusing on smarter energy systems, institutional leaders, and facility managers like you will obtain a plethora of indirect benefits. Benefits that will help drive more productivity, increased safety, and much more.

The SBT-Alliance: Here to Serve

Like you, we’re here to serve. As taxpayers ourselves, we also covet the very best for our schools, our hospitals, and our cities—which means that we also want the best for all of our communities. The leaders across the nation who are choosing to upgrade to LED lighting with IoT-based control systems are making a “smart” choice to spend less on energy and more on revolutionizing their institutions and communities—not only for themselves but for everyone they serve.