Worcester School's Getting Retrofit Lighting, Thanks to $248,849 Grant

WORCESTER, MA—Thanks to a state grant, Burncoat High School will be able to finish a lighting upgrade to the school.

Worcester has been awarded a $248,849 grant to complete an energy efficient LED lighting upgrade to the school. The award was one of 47 Green Communities Competitive Grants recently announced by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The project, said the press release, involves replacing interior lighting fixtures with high-efficiency LED lights. Additionally, motion detection, daylight sensors and digital timers will be incorporated to further reduce energy consumption. These intelligent LED lights will be controlled via a network and will be programmed to yield the most savings possible depending on room usage and the amount of natural light in each room.

"Not only will this project save energy and reduce our carbon footprint, it saves local taxpayers money. It also goes hand-in-hand with our plan to replace every street light in the City with high-efficiency LED lights," said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. in a statement. "This is all part of our ongoing effort to scour city government to find any added efficiency we can find to provide the most value to our residents."

Burncoat High School is the fifth largest electrical consumer in the Worcester Public Schools system, and the proposed project is estimated to reduce the school's electrical use by 28 percent and to save $37,000 annually in electricity costs. The project will serve as a case study for future municipal lighting retrofit projects and provide educational opportunities regarding the benefits of more efficient lighting systems.