Things will be looking a lot brighter at Adams Elementary School by the end of 2015 – quite literally. The Carroll Community School Board approved an LED retro fit replacement project for 474 florescent light fixtures in the building. The purchase of conversion kits, at a cost of $54,984 bid by Van Meter Inc., will be mostly offset by rebates currently offered through MidAmerican Energy according to Superintendent Rob Cordes.
By not contracting out the work the available rebates will be lowered, by about $10 per fixture, however the district’s Supervisor of Buildings & Grounds Jeff Dvorak, who is a licensed electrician, says he and his crew will be able to install all the lights by the end of the year. By having the work done internally it will drop cost of installation and Cordes says the district can also look forward to more savings in the future.
Cordes breaks down those savings.
Other positives include much brighter lighting, no ballasts to replace in the fixtures, and fewer bulb replacements. In order to qualify for the rebate from MidAmerican Energy the retrofitting must be completed by the end of this year. Dvorak says the lights will be changed out following classes though some, like hallway lights and vacated rooms, can be swapped out during the day since the fixture change out takes on average ten to twelve minutes.
