Victoria University cuts greenhouse gases through efficient lighting upgrade

Victoria University (VU) is leading a new school of thought on environmental savings with the installation of a new energy-efficient fluorescent lighting system across six campuses "” Footscray, Werribee, Melton, St Albans, Sunshine and Sunbury across metropolitan Melbourne.

A year after the first round of installations and the results are in. VU is saving more than $73,000 per year on its energy bills and reducing the amount of greenhouse gases needed to provide electricity for campus lighting by 470 tonnes per annum as a direct result of changing its fluorescent lamps.

The university prides itself on being on the cutting edge of innovative technology and has installed around 10,000 of the Save-It-Easy adapter systems, which enables new energy-efficient fluorescent tubes to be placed into existing fittings.

The university's environment project officer, Rachael Keefe said an audit in the second half of 2006 had identified a number of opportunities to significantly reduce its energy consumption: "A lighting upgrade was one of the easiest solutions available to us and significant savings were able to be achieved quickly because lighting typically accounts for around 25% of total electricity consumption in a commercial environment."

Project teams were established at each campus and the Save-It-Easy solution was implemented in stages to fit in with campus activities and to take advantage of campus vacation periods.

Keefe added: "Our main objective was to minimise disruption to students and staff, but we actually found the easy installation process meant there was no impact at all. In fact, it has been such a success that we are now looking at expanding the installation program to include additional campuses during the 2007 summer vacation."

Mark Rutherford, CEO of Ilum-a-Lite, the company that provided the Save-It-Easy product, said the adapters were fitted to one end of the new 28 W T5 lamps so they could be fitted into existing T8 light fittings.

He explains: "The new tube and adapter sets are quick and easy to fit and don't require a professional electrician, complicated re-wiring or new fittings, saving the university time and money. Importantly, all of the old T8 fluorescent tubes have been recycled, in order to minimise waste from the upgrade."

"The new T5 lamps have double the life of the old ones they replaced and only a third of the mercury content, making them an even better prospect for the environment into the future."