OSWEGO, IL — Just in time for students' return, Oswego Community Unit School District 308 upgraded its lighting and controls across all 22 schools to improve facilities and cut energy costs.
The district installed 2,196 commercial-grade LED fixtures — 1,738 indoors and 458 outdoors — primarily in gymnasiums, cafeterias and building exteriors, along with select "trouble areas" identified in each building, according to a news release.
The new controls, managed through an app using Bluetooth connection, bring occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting and scheduling to each space. Lights are automatically dimmed to 50 percent after 30 minutes of inactivity and are switched off entirely 15 minutes later.
The fixtures deliver a 28 percent improvement in light output per watt of energy used and are expected to last significantly longer. They're rated to hold 70 percent of their output for 127,000 hours, compared to the previous equipment's 40,000 hours.
The $1.08 million project was funded largely by energy efficiency incentives from ComEd. The utility company covered $974,877, leaving the district an out-of-pocket cost of $107,589, officials said.
The upgrades are expected to save District 308 more than $98,000 annually. Officials said they expect to recover its net investment in just over a year.
"This project reflects our commitment to being responsible stewards of our resources while improving the everyday experience in our buildings," Operations Director Ondre Schoensee said in a statement. "Our students, staff and families will benefit from better lighting for years to come, and the savings we're capturing can be reinvested in our facilities."
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