Heritage Landing Lighting Upgrade
Project retrofitted 88 existing fixtures from 150-Watt High-Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs, to 45-Watt Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) by Relume LED retrofits manufactured in Oxford, Michigan.
The County of Muskegon announced today that installing LED retrofits at Heritage Landing has been completed as planned. Late last year, the Sustainability Office in the Muskegon County Department of Public Works was awarded an Advanced Lighting Technology Demonstration Grant (ALTD) in the amount of $35,877, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Michigan Energy Office (MEO).
The grant funds cover 90% of the cost of the LED retrofits with the remainder of the project costs being matched by the County’s Public Improvement Fund, as well as in-kind staff time. Installation work was performed by Strain Electric, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Custom LED retrofits were manufactured in Oxford, Michigan by Relume, and supplied by Lumecon, LLC out of Farmington Hills.
Energy savings and reduced maintenance are expected to recoup County project costs in less than two years. Muskegon County will also take advantage of a $45 per fixture rebate from the Consumer’s Energy Business Solutions Incentive Program. The LED lights installed are rated to last 90,000 hours over 15 years and come with a 7-year full replacement warranty.
Projections, based upon local utility rates and the reduced bulb consumption, indicate that the installation of high-efficiency LED lights will save some 35,992-kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, provide $4,679 in annual energy savings, and result in 27 metric tons reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the decrease in electricity consumption. In addition, the Department of Public Works estimates that LED technology’s longevity reduces maintenance and replacement expenditures by about $2,000 per year. The ALTD grant was pursued, secured, and managed through the efforts of the County Sustainability Coordinator and the Department of Public Works. Engineering and project management was done in-house, providing the Department with the added value of first-hand experience and in-depth knowledge of LED technology applications. This lighting project is one of several efforts underway to update and improve Heritage Landing. The new lights will not only conserve energy and perform for many years to come but also provide a crisp, neutral, distributed light on the County’s most prominent urban park and waterfront festival site.
The Michigan Energy Office (MEO) promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy resource development to Michigan’s residents, businesses, and public institutions. A U.S. Department of Energy-designated state energy office, the MEO operates as a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Muskegon County was one of six municipalities to be awarded an ALTD grant from the Michigan Energy Office last fall. Additional communities were Leelanau County, the City of Livonia, Green Oak Charter Township, the City of Trenton, and the City of Owosso.