Energy Efficient Gadgets
City of Austin Buildings Get Motion Sensors for Energy Efficiency
Occupancy sensors that turn lights on when they sense motion and off when there is no activity were recently installed at the Carver Library, 1161 Angelina Street.
Austin Energy is performing lighting audits at all 200 City of Austin buildings to identify where occupancy sensors can get best results. Best areas are those used infrequently or unpredictably, such as conference rooms, classrooms, private offices and storage areas. The sensors can pay for themselves through energy savings in two to three years. About 15 branch libraries will have a total of about 80 sensors over the next week. Austin Energy is installing the sensors with $7.5 million in federal stimulus funding received to increase the energy efficiency of City of Austin municipal buildings through several energy saving initiatives.
Tagged Austin Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficient Lighting, Energy Savings
Ray De VaronaMarch 16, 2011 at 9:27 am
Besides the usual suspects of office spaces and storage closets, motion sensors can play a pivotal role in reducing the energy consumption of city warehouses and depots. In these spaces, higher wattage fluorescent high bay fixtures can be configured to either shut down entirely or dim to a fraction of the lamps for low level safety lighting.
adminMarch 21, 2011 at 12:40 pmAuthor
Ray,
You’re right on. Automation is key when working with new technology. Even if we replace old appliances with newer, more efficient technology, the savings and conservation will be significantly greater if there are systems in place that monitor and mitigate usage.