A BCIT student completed a study to identify potential savings related to having daylight sensors in NE1’s Atrium (near the cafeteria) and all other atrium on all BCIT campuses. The idea is simple: make sure we don’t use artificial lighting (and associated energy) when not needed, i.e. when it’s a blue sky day and plenty of sunlight penetrates the atrium. After all, that’s what atriums are designed for.
If this idea was applied across all BCIT campuses, this concept would, according to the student:
“By turning off 2,096 lamps when not necessary, this project will meet the triple bottom line:
- Economic savings $13,000/year with an initial cost of $20,000, which equal a 1,5 year simple payback and 66% IRR;
- Social benefit: BCIT workers will be proud that there is a significant reduction on energy wastage;
- Environmental benefit: with a reduction of 65,000 kWh, we will save 1,7 T of GHG emissions.”
Energy conservation: 14 GJ/yr or 4,000 ekWh/yr (NE1 only)
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