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• Sustainability

Let There Be (100% LED) Light!

On August 4, 2023 the Town of Brattleboro released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking electrical services for LED lighting conversion in six Town buildings. The buildings targeted were the Gibson-Aiken Center, the Municipal Center, Brooks Memorial Library, the Department of Public Works’ Garages/Offices, and the heating shelter of the Nelson Withington ice rink.

All these buildings had some percentage of their lights already converted to LED, but many compact fluorescents (CFLs) and incandescent bulbs remained. Other Town buildings were already 100% LED due to newer construction or renovations (Police and Fire Stations). The goal of this project was to reach 100% LED lighting in these 6 remaining buildings, before financial incentives became unavailable at the end of 2023. A secondary goal was to avoid impacting departmental budgets with this project’s expenses.

This project was time-sensitive due to the fact that CFL light bulbs were being phased out of production at the end of 2023. Without having the option of replacing a CFL bulb with anything other than an LED bulb, there was a nation-wide sun-setting of many incentives that helped energy users make the switch. The Town was told it must complete this project by Dec. 15, 2023 in order to enjoy all the available incentives, and not be in a future position where it must bear the cost of transition without subsidy.

Planning for this lighting upgrade project was generously supported by Efficiency Vermont throughout 2023, through technical assistance and auditing of our buildings. From the initial audit performed by Efficiency Vermont, the Town identified work that could be done in-house (simple bulb swaps), and moved forward with a purchase and installation of said bulbs with the help of various Town facilities staff. This in-house project covered 140 screw-in bulbs and helped to shrink the scope of the larger project that the Town went out to bid for.

The scope of work covered by this proposal (not in-house) is as follows:

The winning proposal came in from J. King’s Electric Inc. at a total cost of $49,904.05. This proposal included all the necessary requirements to qualify for incentives and subsidies. The Town appreciated the guidance from Efficiency Vermont at each step of this process. Efficiency Vermont offered the Town an incentive agreement for $10,000 to cover a portion of the expenses. This incentive agreement also detailed the energy and cost-savings derived from the project, and covered expenses related to both the in-house project, and the proposal that the Town went out to bid for. Efficiency Vermont estimated the upgrades at Town facilities will save approximately $9,922 per year at current energy rates, and consume 68,013 fewer kilowatt hours (the equivalent of a 45,233 pound reduction in carbon emissions) per year.

This project was eligible to utilize the Global Warming Solutions Fund, as it is a direct efficiency improvement. Not only was it an eligible use, it was one of the most impactful applications of the Fund that the Town could make. Lighting conversions have one of the quickest payback periods out of all available efficiency projects, due to cost and performance. On average, LED lighting products use at least 75% less energy than incandescent or CFL lighting products. Enabling the Town to perform this kind of cost-saving work, with these levels of efficiency gains, and without burdening department budgets, is what the Global Warming Solutions Fund was created for. Compared to any other potential project for the Town at this time, this opportunity stands high above all others for its impact, savings potential, and timeliness. By tapping these two funding sources (Efficiency VT and the GWSF), this project did not impact departments or their budgets, except by reducing their electricity bills and requiring some staff time to accommodate and facilitate the contracted work.