Environmental Leader

By switching to more efficient lighting, a University of Central Florida parking garage will see savings of $42,000 a year.

UCF swapped out 500 lighting fixtures on three levels of the garage for newer, more efficient T5 fluorescent lights, according to the UCFToday blog.

The new lights use 14,436 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, or about 33,444 fewer kilowatt hours than the old system. That’s nearly a 70 percent improvement in energy efficiency.

Because the project cost only $51,384, UCF expects to recoup its costs in a little over a year. Eventually, the university plans to switch all garages to T5 lighting.

Also the lamps have a lifespan of 42,000 hours, on average, so they will not need to be replaced as often.