Saving energy is always a bright idea – especially when it also helps save money.
After making some lighting upgrades at Sangaree Middle, Berkeley County School District has received a rebate check worth $16,120 from Berkeley Electric Cooperative to help fund more lighting upgrades around the district. Tim Swicord, Manager of Energy Services at Berkeley Electric, swung by BCSD’s facilities department Friday morning to present the check.
Not only does LED lighting make a classroom learning environment better, but schools see a savings in energy because LED is more efficient and uses less energy. Berkeley Electric Cooperative is sharing Sangaree Middle’s cost savings by giving BCSD a nice incentive to do more lighting projects in the district.
“This is a win-win for both BCSD and Berkeley Electric Cooperative, and we look forward to helping BCSD with more projects in the future,” Swicord said.
The check will be deposited into the district wide LED upgrade account to fund the next project. Jason Bunch, BCSD’s supervisor over engineering and environmental safety, said the district is currently working on a similar upgrade at Sangaree Intermediate.
Bunch works with the electrical department at high usage schools to reduce costs. He said each bulb that is replaced saves approximately 24 watts. Old bulbs use 32 watts each. The new LED bulbs only use 8 watts.
“As you can imagine, this adds up to significant savings on a campus wide basis,” he said. “The goal is to provide a better, brighter learning environment at a fraction of the cost.”
