A bright idea: enhancing energy efficiency with LEDs
2017-04-25
The Energy Management team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center is increasing the center’s energy efficiency by retrofitting or replacing older lights with new LED bulbs and fixtures. In the past year, more than 5,000 LED bulbs and fixtures were replaced or retrofitted in Buildings 1, 10, 31 and 45.
LEDs are a lead semiconductor light source that release energy as light when a specific amount of electricity is applied. They are used for lighting in all industries because they are smaller, consume less energy, are environmental friendlier and last longer than incandescent and fluorescent light sources. The Department of Energy has determined that LED light bulbs use 25 to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last three to 25 times longer. That increase in efficiency leads to large economic savings over the lifetime of the bulbs, which can range from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Johnson’s LED fixtures are projected to last at least 50,000 hours (almost 16 years with a 12 hour-per-day schedule).
LEDs have been tested at Johnson in the past, but their significant drop in price in the past few years has recently made the technology economically viable. Retrofitting with LED technology is also possible because light fixtures can now be replaced without disturbing the asbestos above ceilings in some Johnson buildings. This improvement in installation methodology was critical in ensuring a healthy work environment during and after installation, as well as reducing cost.
LED-fixture installation projects usually take between three to four weeks per building. Installation crews can expediently retrofit or replace 200 to 250 fixtures per night because of their experience and collaboration with Security. Some buildings, however, require special care. In Building 10, cranes were used to install 90 light fixtures during one week in the 80-foot-tall high bay. Building 31 required further logistics due to laboratory settings. For highly critical areas, materials were given to building staff so they could properly install the LEDs based on the conditions of their labs. For semi-critical areas, fixtures were installed under special precautions and scheduling conditions.
A big part of the LED program was to prepare specifications for this new technology. Careful planning with industry, as well as Department of Energy experts, resulted in uniform standards across the center. New lighting closely mimics the light color and brightness of the older fluorescent tubes while improving how colors appear.
NASA Headquarters provides annual funding for energy-efficiency projects to all NASA centers. Each center submits proposals, and Headquarters distributes funding based on how successfully they meet stringent energy standards and provide achievable payback targets for the investment. The project packages Johnson submits usually include improvements for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, building energy-use automation/scheduling and lighting efficiency. Johnson’s Energy Management team quickly took advantage of recent changes in LED technology and reduced costs to win funding for these lighting projects.
The center has a list of continuing energy projects it submits for funding each year. With Executive Order 13693, 25 percent of Johnson’s buildings are audited each year over a four-year cycle. This means that an area of about 4.4 million square feet is audited every four years. Energy projects submitted for funding are generated based on these audits.
The end of the fiscal year tends to be a good time for Johnson’s Energy Management team, because if other center projects are delayed or not ready for funding, energy managers always have a shovel-ready project list they can tap to use year-end funds. Innovating Johnson’s energy infrastructure continues to rank high on the list, though, to enhance sustainable development so Johnson’s human exploration missions can benefit from the cost and energy savings that go along with it.
An example of the energy savings achieved in Building 45 after light fixtures had been retrofitted with LEDs. Image Credit: NASA
Eric Smith
NASA Johnson Space Center
LEDs are a lead semiconductor light source that release energy as light when a specific amount of electricity is applied. They are used for lighting in all industries because they are smaller, consume less energy, are environmental friendlier and last longer than incandescent and fluorescent light sources. The Department of Energy has determined that LED light bulbs use 25 to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last three to 25 times longer. That increase in efficiency leads to large economic savings over the lifetime of the bulbs, which can range from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Johnson’s LED fixtures are projected to last at least 50,000 hours (almost 16 years with a 12 hour-per-day schedule).
LEDs have been tested at Johnson in the past, but their significant drop in price in the past few years has recently made the technology economically viable. Retrofitting with LED technology is also possible because light fixtures can now be replaced without disturbing the asbestos above ceilings in some Johnson buildings. This improvement in installation methodology was critical in ensuring a healthy work environment during and after installation, as well as reducing cost.
LED-fixture installation projects usually take between three to four weeks per building. Installation crews can expediently retrofit or replace 200 to 250 fixtures per night because of their experience and collaboration with Security. Some buildings, however, require special care. In Building 10, cranes were used to install 90 light fixtures during one week in the 80-foot-tall high bay. Building 31 required further logistics due to laboratory settings. For highly critical areas, materials were given to building staff so they could properly install the LEDs based on the conditions of their labs. For semi-critical areas, fixtures were installed under special precautions and scheduling conditions.
A big part of the LED program was to prepare specifications for this new technology. Careful planning with industry, as well as Department of Energy experts, resulted in uniform standards across the center. New lighting closely mimics the light color and brightness of the older fluorescent tubes while improving how colors appear.
NASA Headquarters provides annual funding for energy-efficiency projects to all NASA centers. Each center submits proposals, and Headquarters distributes funding based on how successfully they meet stringent energy standards and provide achievable payback targets for the investment. The project packages Johnson submits usually include improvements for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, building energy-use automation/scheduling and lighting efficiency. Johnson’s Energy Management team quickly took advantage of recent changes in LED technology and reduced costs to win funding for these lighting projects.
The center has a list of continuing energy projects it submits for funding each year. With Executive Order 13693, 25 percent of Johnson’s buildings are audited each year over a four-year cycle. This means that an area of about 4.4 million square feet is audited every four years. Energy projects submitted for funding are generated based on these audits.
The end of the fiscal year tends to be a good time for Johnson’s Energy Management team, because if other center projects are delayed or not ready for funding, energy managers always have a shovel-ready project list they can tap to use year-end funds. Innovating Johnson’s energy infrastructure continues to rank high on the list, though, to enhance sustainable development so Johnson’s human exploration missions can benefit from the cost and energy savings that go along with it.
An example of the energy savings achieved in Building 45 after light fixtures had been retrofitted with LEDs. Image Credit: NASA
Eric Smith
NASA Johnson Space Center