Installing Energy Saving LED Downlights at Indiana University

Like many universities and colleges across the country, the electrical consumption of Indiana University’s Purdue Indianapolis campus was increasing 2–3% per academic year on average. The task for IUPUI’s Energy Management Group was to reduce this usage across its 9.8 million square feet of facility space. Installing efficient lighting has proven to be a very low-cost method of savings for Purdue, because lighting efficiency is continually improving. Savings can be further increased by installing meters and controls, and supplanting entire lighting systems with more efficient technologies.

Cavanaugh Hall Lecture Hall is one of the main auditoriums on campus. It is used continuously, year-round, and therefore provides a great opportunity for both energy savings and rapid payback. Rambusch installed the existing 250W quartz-halogen downlighting system in the mid-1990s. The University wished to increase the Hall’s efficiency and completely rework the space to produce a brighter atmosphere for students. Rambusch delivered components for its dimmable 4,000-lumen downlights that would mount onto its old trims, allowing all work to be completed from above without disturbing the ceiling, the wiring, or the existing 1-10V control logic. LightSource, the local Rambusch sales representative, handled the project from start to finish, and the University was extremely pleased with the results

Expected energy savings is 70% over the old quartz system. For IUPUI, the outcome is a facility that meets today’s energy saving goals. For the students and faculty, it’s a lecture hall that’s both comfortable and visually dynamic, supporting the multiple modalities of today’s educational experience.