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Improved Lighting Puts the Spotlight on Aircraft Repair
Nov 17 2009
Aviation Technical Services, located in Everett, Washington, provides third-party aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for aircraft operators around the world. More than 1,500 employees work in shifts around the clock at three hangars totaling about one million square feet. Not surprisingly, good lighting is an important part of their work.
According to Facilities Manager Laura Mork, with that much real estate to cover, changing light bulbs is no easy task. So, she is committed to using energy-efficient lighting to save energy, time and money. When evaluating the merits of a new lighting project, she includes the life-cycle cost as part of her decision-making process. In addition to saving energy, she aims to reduce hazardous waste, reduce labor, and give her workforce a product that performs better for the task they’re trying to do. Over the past few years, she has completed several projects: converted HID lights to T-5s, converted HID lights to induction lights, installed occupancy sensors and replaced 32-watt T-8s with 25-watt T-8s.
Mork recently completed a pilot project by replacing 750-watt pulse start HIDs with three 200-watt induction lights. The HIDs are sensitive to power outages, emit a slight humming noise, and light output drops rapidly so that they require replacement every 1.5 years. Both she and the mechanics noticed the induction lighting is more reliable, emits no noise and can last for up to 10 years in a round the clock environment with minimal light degradation. While the installation didn’t produce a huge change in power usage, the employees working beneath the lights are much happier. And with ceilings 80 to 90 feet high, less frequent bulb changes are appreciated. Mork plans to continue this project throughout 2010.
Even in a facility where people are working 24/7, the lights don’t need to be on all the time in every area. Mork concentrated on upgrading the lighting in the warehouses where activity is at a peak during the day and quiets down at night. Mork installed energy efficient lighting with occupancy sensors to reap savings when the lights are in use, and save more when the lights aren’t needed at all.
“I look at new technologies whenever I can to save on costs and energy,” she said. “Sometimes they’re a small innovation that offers a huge practical reward.” Recently she switched to LED lamps in her facility “exit” signs–they last longer and save energy at the same time.
Her primary goal is to reduce cost and the lighting rebates and incentives are an important part of making these decisions. “I know that I have to spend money to save money,” she continues. “When I save on the utility bill, I have extra money in my budget and it gives us the ability to be more competitive in an extremely competitive and cost conscious MRO industry. There are many easy things companies can do right now to save themselves a lot of money.”
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