Tulsa airports' new lighting produces big savings
BY D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
12/25/12 at 3:07 AM
At Tulsa International Airport and Jones Riverside Airport, energy conservation investments are producing major payoffs, airport and utility executives said.
The budgeted electrical bill at the two airports for the 2013 fiscal year, which began July 1 and concludes June 30, is $1.14 million, said Jeff Hough, deputy airports director of engineering and facilities.
"Throughout the years, we have looked for ways to save energy," Hough said. "Even in the middle of the night, we have custodians working and building maintenance folks are around as well. There is something going on out here 24 hours a day."
Ten years ago, airport executives met with representatives of heating and air conditioning consultant Johnson Controls to discuss energy conservation in Tulsa International Airport's passenger terminal.
As a result, the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust decided major heating and air conditioning upgrades were needed, officials said.
In addition, TAIT replaced sliding doors with revolving doors at the entrances/exits of the east and west baggage claim buildings "to keep more of the heat in the building in the winter and more cool air in the building in the summer," Hough said.
"We also replaced a bunch of lighting in the building with energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures," Hough said.
The energy conservation efforts produced $500,000 a year in energy and maintenance savings, officials said.
A decade ago, airport executives considered replacing incandescent lighting with light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures in the terminal, Hough said.
The LED technology, which was new at the time, proved to be too expensive - $300 per fixture - so that the projected investment exceeded the projected savings, Hough said.
But during the last 10 years, the cost of LED technology has come down to $180 per fixture, he said.
That made an investment in LED lighting for airfield taxiways at the two airports cost-effective, Hough said.
In a project that began in April 2011 and was completed last month, 1,695 incandescent taxiway edge lighting fixtures were replaced with LED fixtures at Tulsa International Airport and 811 incandescent taxiway lighting fixtures were changed to LED units at Jones Riverside Airport.
"Each LED fixture saves 28 watts of energy," Hough said. "The fixtures are on about 12 hours a day, which works out to energy savings of $20,750 a year at both airports. But, in addition to energy savings, LED lights have substantial maintenance savings. It will be 23 years before we have to replace the LED fixtures compared with 3 1/4 years for the incandescent fixtures.
"The maintenance savings is twice as much as the energy savings.
"If we're saving $13,000 a year on electricity at Tulsa International, you're saving $26,000 a year on maintenance."
TAIT's $775,000 cost for LED fixtures, wiring, transformer and other electrical components in the LED taxiway lighting project was funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
TAIT received from Public Service Company of Oklahoma a one-time incentive payment of $18,811 for the LED lighting project, PSO officials said.
"For the last three or four years, we have had an energy efficiency program offering rebates and incentives to engage people in energy savings in homes and businesses," said Eric Raines, PSO's manager of consumer programs. "There is a broad sweep of projects we offer rebates on to commercial customers.
"There are a lot of savings with LED lighting, not only energy savings but the length of life of the product. The longer the life of the bulb, the higher the rebate will be."
Airport LED lighting replacements
Tulsa International Airport
- Annual airfield lighting bill of about $75,000
- 1,695 LED fixtures installed
- $13,000 a year electrical savings
- $26,000 a year maintenance savings
Jones Riverside Airport
- Annual airfield lighting bill of $37,000
- 811 LED fixtures installed
- $7,000 a year electrical savings
- $14,000 a year maintenance savings
Source: Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust
Original Print Headline: Airports LED the way
D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
An electrician installs energy-efficient LED lighting at Tulsa International Airport. In a project completed last month, 1,695 incandescent taxiway edge lighting fixtures were replaced with LED fixtures. Courtesy
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