Eversource Funds Replacement of School Light Bulbs and Fixtures

The following provided by Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden.

Eversource Funds Replacement of All Light Bulbs, Several Fixtures at Medfield Public Schools

Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden and Facilities Director Amy Colleran are pleased to announce that the Medfield Public School District will save an estimated $91,000 per year in energy costs thanks to a project that will replace all of the light bulbs and several fixtures in each of the district's five schools.

In total, all 6,363 light bulbs will be replaced with ENERGYSTAR Certified LED light bulbs at Medfield High School, Blake Middle School, Memorial School, Dale Street School and Wheelock School. There will also be dozens of outdated light fixtures replaced as part of the project. The replacement project began in early August and is expected to be completed by mid-September.

Eversource, in partnership with Illuminate Mass andCommonwealth Electric Company, fully funded the endeavor, with no cost to the district.

LED light bulbs are said to use less energy and last longer than traditional light bulbs. In addition to funding the new bulbs and fixtures, Eversource is also paying for the recycling and disposal of
all the old bulbs and fixtures that were replaced.

"These new LED lights have truly made our schools brighter, not only aesthetically, but in our efforts to help make our schools as green and environmentally friendly as possible,"Superintendent Marsden said. "I want to personally thank Eversource and its partners for their generosity in providing this tremendous service at absolutely no cost to the district."

Through energy audits provided by Illuminate Mass, the district is estimated to save approximately $200,000 in equipment and labor costs due to the project. In addition, once all of the new fixtures and bulbs are installed by Commonwealth Electric, the district is estimated to save an additional $90,078 in annual energy costs.

Below is a breakdown of the estimated annual energy savings for each school and an estimation of the cost of the project, if the project were not funded by Eversource:

Medfield High School

• Estimated Annual Energy Savings - $41,142
• Estimated Project Cost - $88,334

Blake Middle School

• Estimated Annual Energy Savings - $18,257
• Estimated Project Cost - $40,700

Memorial School

• Estimated Annual Energy Savings - $12,059
• Estimated Project Cost - $28,100

Dale Street School

• Estimated Annual Energy Savings - $9,760
• Estimated Project Cost - $21,688

Wheelock School

• Estimated Annual Energy Savings - $9,760
• Estimated Project Cost - $21,688

"We hope that people can see the change and appreciate the cost and energy savings that the district will receive through this project. Overall, this is a great resource provided by Eversource,"

Colleran said. "Medfield is a green community and we're continuing to look at other options that we can implement to make our schools greener."

To help put things in perspective, the changing of the lights to LED lighting throughout the district is the respective equivalent of:

• Removing 64.7 cars from the road
• Removing the footprint of 46.6 homes
• Removing 534.4 computers
• Saving 720.4 trees from deforestation
• 2.14 acres of forest preserved