An immersive learning group is looking to lighten Ball State’s electrical load by installing energy efficient lighting in a parking garage.
Cardinal Green Team will submit its proposal to retrofit John R. Emens parking garage with new LED lighting fixtures and solar panels.
“Parking garages are looked at as ‘let’s just throw one up,’ [when first built],” Chris Klein, leader of the project, said. “Parking garages get overlooked [for sustainability]; if all our buildings are sustainable, then it would help to do the parking garages too.”
The team will present their idea to several members of Ball State’s facility management team as well as industry professionals on April 10.
CGT chose the Emens parking structure because it was not only the oldest and the busiest of the three on campus but, according to the CGT proposal, the least energy efficient.
The structure was most recently retrofitted with 121 sodium halide lights in 1991, which never turn off and aren’t energy efficient, Klein said.
Klein said the group’s plan involves changing all light fixtures to LED as well as attaching solar panels to the parking structure’s stairwell’s roof in order to power the structure and, hopefully, create an excess of power the university can sell back to the power company.
“The cool thing about LED is they use very little energy — when you see the payback in years it’s a no brainer for me,” Klein said.
According to CGT research, the program pays for itself in less than 7 years, and in 15 years the savings to the university will total over $156,000.
Year one savings would be $10,441.
Jim Lowe, director of Engineering and Construction Operations, said the university is always open to listen to suggestions by students who have studied an issue.
“Students have an open ended opportunity to basically create any study or project,” Lowe said. “It’s a two-way street — an opportunity for them to learn from us and we can get
suggestions from [student groups],” Lowe said.
Lowe also said the university has plans and people looking at LED technology to update existing lighting systems.
CGT is taking part in a national competition called Green Energy Challenge presented by the National Electricians Contractors Association.
James Jones, the faculty leader for Cardinal Green Team, said he believes the group’s proposition falls in line with the university’s focus on sustainability and energy conservation.
“We hope [Ball State] would at least consider this as they renovate and make a case that this should happen sooner than later,” he said.
Jones said the proposition is not out of the norm, and the university probably already has long term plans to replace the lighting fixtures. However, he hopes the CGT proposition can show the university how much money they can save.
Cardinal Green Team is one of many immersive learning projects Ball State students can take part in, something that greatly enhances the educational opportunities for students, Klein said.
“It’s Ball State’s trademark, and they live up to it,” Klein said.
