Improving Energy Efficiency at UC Santa Cruz

The UC Santa Cruz campus building were costly to keep illuminated at current levels. Daintree Networks attempted to reduce costs by retrofitting the entire campus building, and address limitations in the existing infrastructure. For example, as part of the retrofit, the team also considered the illumination levels and found that the levels were significantly higher than industry recommendations, a situation all too common in campus buildings.

The team extensively modeled the retrofit zones using DIALux, a free lighting simulation tool, to optimize control strategies and lighting levels using various fixture combinations. The maximum illumination levels were reduced from the previous level of 110 ft candles down to 50 in the labs, and from 25 to 10 FC in hallways. By tuning lighting levels using the new control system, with new fully dimmable ballasts, the team was able to set more appropriate levels and make significant energy savings. The retrofit is expected to yield energy savings of 40 to 70 percent the from dimming and occupancy control alone. Daintree reports that much of the planning and installation was performed by campus staff with a value added reseller (VAR) certified with Daintree. Campus staff members also took the VAR training so that they will be able to program system changes as needed, reducing maintenance costs. The Daintree system has a web-based graphical interface that allows the lighting staff to easily implement additional demand reduction and other changes from anywhere on campus. The team also replaced recessed 34-watt fluorescent downlights with 9-watt LED retrofit kits, using “goof rings” to accommodate the difference between the existing 8-inch diameter fixtures and the 6-inch LED lights. This change yielded approximately five kW in permanent electrical demand reduction. The team also collaborated with the student Green Labs program for outreach and education, adding training on the use of the controls to the existing program.

• [Cost Reduction - Energy]
  Less energy wasted results in lower costs
• [Efficiency Improvement - Operation]
  Lights are always kept at comfortable levels