Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UCLA Reduces Energy Use

  • 04/01/19
audacy wireless

UCLA has achieved a 35 percent savings in their overall electrical lighting load after retofitting Audacy’s lighting control devices into existing infrastructure.

As one of the world's leading universities, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is committed to environmental responsibility and sustainability. Part of that commitment is ensuring that all energy is used wisely.

Kevin Borg is UCLA’s assistant athletic director for facilities and project management. He is charged with driving maximum performance from each facility across the school’s intercollegiate programs. Borg also is accountable for stewarding the budget needed to build and run each facility in an increasingly demanding economic and regulatory environment.

California’s tough new Title 24 regulations demand that organizations with largescale buildings, campuses, and facilities networks prove they are reducing energy usage across their operations each year. The Energy Information Administration reports that lighting can be up to 40 percent of an organization’s energy bill each year—a statistic that rings true with Borg.

After easily retrofitting Audacy’s wireless devices into existing light fixtures and infrastructure, UCLA used simple occupancy/vacancy, task tuning, and dimming approaches to achieve a 35 percent savings in their overall electrical lighting load. The Audacy system provides the UCLA facilities managers the ability to manage, monitor, and adjust their organization’s lighting system from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone from anywhere in the world.

Over the 12-month test period, Borg and his team consistently delivered at least a 35 percent reduction in total energy usage “just by delivering the right amount of light to the right room at the right time.” Borg explains, “The most efficient light is one that is off. So, we’re now set up to automatically program lights to turn off when a room isn’t being used.”

“It’s a game-changer,” says Borg. “The Audacy system allows us to optimize both our lighting and energy usage from building to building. It’s simple. Intuitive. Effective.”

www.audacywireless.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management April/May 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.