White Plains To Install Energy-Saving Light Bulbs In City Garages

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Thanks to White Plains being designated a Clean Energy Community in 2017 by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the city was able to apply for up t0 $250,000 to be used for additional clean energy projects. There will be no local cost share, officials said.

The Clean Energy Community designation was in recognition of its leadership in reducing energy use, cutting costs and driving clean energy locally.

White Plains received approval to use that funding for a project to retrofit the lighting in four city-owned garages to energy efficient LEDs, according to a spokeswoman. This project is now underway in the Chester-Maple, Hamilton-Main, Library and TransCenter Garages.

In total, more than 2,700 light fixtures will be changed from 175 watt high intensity discharge bulbs to 35 watt LEDs. This change is expected to result in a significant reduction in energy use as well as cost savings of approximately $500,000 annually to the city, as the vast majority of the lights in these facilities are on 24/7.

This project comes on the heels of a project that replaced all of the streetlights in the city with LEDs a couple of years ago.

All costs associated with the project are covered by the NYSERDA grant money. The project is expected to be complete by the end of November. The work is largely being done at night in order to minimize disruptions in the parking garages during the day. The project was initially developed by the Parking Department after an analysis of their needs and the available lighting options. The Parking Department then undertook a pilot-program with in-house labor to arrive at the final project specifications. The city expects that these changes will have public safety benefits as well as enhance the appearance of the garages both during the day and especially at night.

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