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City Changes To All Green
Generation™ Sports Lighting
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When park officials for the city of Carrollton, Texas met with Musco representative, Chris Johnson, about
lighting their new soccer complex, they never dreamed they would end up changing out every sports-lighting
fixture at the city's 26 athletic fields.
“We were intrigued by the capabilities of Musco's Green Generation Lighting™ as Chris presented
them,” said Park & Recreation Director Scott Whitaker. With a population of 118,700, Carrollton is
nearly built out. So their mission has become one of sustainability. Making the most of what they have
and maintaining it well is key — including the city parks. “The city of Carrollton is committed to
conserving energy, so the energy cost savings and maintenance benefits of Light-Structure Green™ fit
into our overall city plan perfectly,” said Whitaker.
“A lot of our lighting systems were older, and many didn't meet light level standards for some
of the organizations using the fields so it was just a matter of time before they would need to be replaced,”
Whitaker said. “Even though it was a huge investment, the chance to get a return on our investment in 10
years or less was too good to pass up,” he added. They then made the decision to replace all 1,838
fixtures at the 26 fields throughout the city.
All 26 of Carrollton's sports fields now use Green Generation Lighting™
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Project Summary
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PROJECT:
26 Recreational Athletic Facilities
Carrollton, TX
25-YEAR PROJECTED LIFE CYCLE SAVINGS:
$2,596,000
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS:
Comprehensive 25-year warranty covers 100% routine maintenance
costs, including lamp replacements
Control-Link® scheduling system saves significant staff time and reduces neighbor complaints
Spill light dramatically reduced
LIGHTING SYSTEM:
Green Generation Lighting™
716 luminaires
107 new and existing poles
Control-Link Controls and
Monitoring System
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Energy savings huge factor
Green Generation Lighting™ systems cut operating costs by more than half through a combination
of technology and service. The Control-Link® system allows system monitoring and remote on/off
scheduling, keeping the lights on only when needed. Based on their estimated combined hours of usage, savings
are projected at over $1,192,000 in energy costs over the next 25 years. “Obviously, that was a huge
factor in our decision,” Whitaker said.
The Control-Link system has generated positive feedback from staff members and neighbors. Staff members no
longer have to travel from field to field to turn the lights on and off. They now enter programming schedules in
the computer once a week, saving significant time and money.
The neighbors are also pleased. “We used to get calls from neighbors every once in awhile that the lights
have been left on, and someone would have to go out in the middle of the night to turn them off,”
Whitaker said. “Neighbors have called us saying how much they appreciate the lights being on only when
someone is actually using the field,” he added.
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Musco's Green Generation Lighting dramatically reduces energy and maintenance costs, and controls off-site spill light.
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Maintenance program saves
significant dollars
A 25-year maintenance program is included in the Light-Structure Green system, an
important benefit for Carrollton. The city was paying between $16,000 and $20,000 each year to hire
someone to check, repair, replace, or re-aim the lights. With Light-Structure Green systems, Musco
covers 100% of routine maintenance costs, including lamp replacements, for 25 years — virtually the life
of the system.
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Off-site spill light reduced
The players have been pleased with the quality of light on the field. They noticed the field
is much brighter now without the “yellowish glow” the old fixtures had.
Spill light has also been reduced significantly. In fact, the old ballfield lights created so much spill light
onto the parking lot that appropriate lighting for that space had not been addressed. With the tight light
control of Light-Structure Green, the city is now looking into security lighting for the parking lot.
“That's a good problem to have — it means the sports-lighting is staying where it needs to — on
the playing field and not in the parking lot or neighbors' yards,” Whitaker concluded. •
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25 Year Life Cycle Cost
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Prior
Technology
10,000 Hours
1,838 Luminaires
2,258 Average kW
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10,000 Hours
716 Luminaires
1,120 Average kW
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Savings
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| Energy 1 |
$1,580,782
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$783,860
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$796,922
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| Group Relamp 2 |
$666,225
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$0
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$666,225
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| Lamp Maintenance 3 |
$537,500
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$0
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$537,500
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| Controls – Energy 4 |
$395,196
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$0
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$395,196
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| Controls – Labor 5 |
$200,400
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$0
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$200,400
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| Projected Cost Savings |
$3,380,103
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$783,860
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$2,596,243
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1. Customer estimated usage 400 hours
per year, $.07 per kilowatt hour. |
4. 25% savings by switching on and off 20 minutes closer to actual usage time. |
2. Actual customer relamp expenses for
prior technology lighting. |
5. 30 minutes labor for turning on and off at $8 labor rate. |
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3. Actual customer lamp maintenance expenses for prior technology lighting.
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