Efficient Lighting, Water Systems to Save Tennessee Department of Correction Nearly $1 million

(Credit: Centrica Business Solutions)

by | Dec 6, 2021

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(Credit: Centrica Business Solutions)

A new energy and water conservation project for the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) will save nearly $1 million in utility costs.

The government-funded project is being handled by sustainable energy provider Centrica Business Solutions and will provide the TDOC updated lighting fixtures with LED lamps drivers and chipsets. It will also replace 1,300 toilets, showers, sinks and combination water valves with I-CON water conservation valves to regulate water usage.

The project will take place at three facilities across Tennessee. The Centrica agreement is part of a three-year contract.

The lighting project will replace elements that date back to the 1980s and were not energy efficient, the TDOC says. Lighting at the correctional facilities needs to be on at all times and the more efficient systems require less maintenance. Centrica says the old lights would need to be replaced annually but the new LEDs can last up to 10 years.

At the Northeast Correctional Complex near Mountain City the project is expected to cut lighting costs by 50% and at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville it is expected to cut costs by 35%.

The water conservation measures at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility near Nashville is expected to save more than 20.6 million gallons of water a year. Lighting costs there will be nearly 39% lower.

Projects like these are increasing as facilities and communities look to become more energy efficient while cutting costs.

A recent survey shows 81% of people believed energy efficient buildings are important.

Projects like Smart Street Lighting NY program, which has replaced street lights with efficient LEDS in several communities in New York, or a school district in Missouri cutting $2.1 million of energy costs with a partnership with Schneider Electric, have become commonplace in the United States.

Centrica has been involved in similar ventures. The company helped install a solar power system at a condominium complex outside of San Francisco that offsets 70% of that community’s electricity each year. It also helped install lighting, HVAC and building controls for a New York county, among other community projects.

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