DENVER - Denver International Airport is retrofitting more than 5,400 lights located in the airport's east and west parking garages with energy-efficient LED fixtures.
The majority of the lights are being replaced with 51-watt LEDs. Combined with other lighting systems in the project, DIA expects a net energy savings of about 45 percent, resulting in energy cost savings of about $327,000 per year.
"By replacing the existing lights with energy-efficient LED lights, we will reduce Denver International Airport's energy consumption and save a substantial amount of money over time," Kim Day, Denver's manager of aviation, said. "This project will also make the parking garages brighter and more evenly lit, increasing visibility and enhancing safety."
Construction on the lighting project will begin this month and should take about one year to complete at a cost of $2.7 million. The project also qualifies for Xcel Energy's Lighting Efficiency rebate program. The LED light fixtures will be assembled locally by Denver-based Cooper Lighting.
Heath Montgomery told 9NEWS Anchor Kyle Clark more about the new lighting:
"While the lumen count is lower in the LEDs, they actually appear brighter and are vastly more efficient because of the way they direct light. Foot-candles is a better way to measure the change. A "foot-candle" is a unit of measure for quantifying the intensity of light falling on an object. A "lumen" is a unit of measure for quantifying the amount of light energy emitted by a light source. In other words, foot-candles measure the brightness of the light at the illuminated object, while lumens measure the power of the light radiated by the light source.
The existing fixtures provide a peak of around 4.5 foot-candles under the fixture and fall off to a minimum of 0.6 foot-candles between fixtures. The new fixtures will provide a similar peak of around 4.5 foot-candles under the fixture but provide a much higher minimum of around 2.1 to 2.2 foot-candles between fixtures. In other words, the lights will better fill the space. They also have a cooler color temperature, which is a whiter light. This will make the garage much safer and brighter overall."
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