Image Credit: Contributed

KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops has recently started upgrading the inefficient lighting systems at three of its older facilities: Valleyview, Memorial and Brock arenas. The City will invest approximately $62,000 to improve the lighting, reduce the annual energy consumption and save over $14,000 annually on electricity and maintenance costs. These efforts are aligned with the Sustainable Kamloops Plan and our goals outlined in the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan to reduce City electricity consumption by 1 GWh annually (or the equivalent to 91 average households in British Columbia per year).

Valleyview Arena
The 64 lamps above the ice surface were replaced in July with 192 highly efficient lights. These upgrades will significantly improve lighting condition on the ice surface and will result in energy savings of approximately 99,500 kWh annually. This is the equivalent to the energy used by nine average households in British Columbia per year. The total cost of the upgrade was approximately $10,000 and the annual savings are expected to be approximately $10,000, resulting in a payback in only a year.

Memorial Arena
In early August, the City replaced the existing 50 outdated energy-consuming light fixtures with new energy efficient LED lights.  With a cost of approximately $32,000, the upgrades will result in energy savings of over 55,000 kWh annually, resulting in cost savings of $5,600 annually. The project will pay for itself in around 5.5 years.

Brock Arena
The City will be replacing 45 lamps and out-of-date fixtures at Brock Arena in early September. These lamps will be replaced by highly efficient lights. These upgrades will result in a significantly improved lighting condition however any potential energy savings is offset by significantly more lamps required to achieve optimum lighting levels. This project will cost $20,000 with an annual energy consumption increase of $1,900.

“The cost of providing electricity to run our recreation facilities is one of our fastest growing expenses. These cost-saving programs are essential to maintain affordable user fees for facility patrons,” commented Shannon Hardman, Energy Management Coordinator for the City of Kamloops.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014