TAKING BACK Control

Starting about a decade ago, there was a wave of new school construction in Ohio. LEED certification requirements drove the inclusion of advanced lighting controls, with daylight harvesting, dimming, and occupancy sensing capabilities. The fluorescent lamps and ballasts installed in these schools, however, are not easily controlled, and thus problems with functionality quickly appeared.

The Circleville School District, just south of Columbus, Ohio, comprises three schools, each constructed in 2014. By 2020, the lighting system was failing. Hallway lights would flicker on and off. Classrooms would go dark in the middle of the day, or be fully lit in the middle of the night. For a comprehensive upgrade of the existing lighting and control system, the district was looking at a bill close to $2 million.

As a last resort, the district approached Energy Optimizers, USA, an Ohio-based ESCO who has worked extensively on many of the state’s school districts. They were looking for a way to maintain the capabilities that the previous system offered without the ongoing maintenance and expensive upgrade costs.

Energy Optimizers already had a familiarity with Keystone Technologies and their products, having worked with them on a number of projects over the last six years. They performed an audit of the school facilities and, together with Keystone, designed a conversion of the failing fluorescent and HID lighting system to an easily controllable LED system utilizing SmartLoop Bluetooth controls. Importantly, the proposed lighting upgrade cost half of what it would have just to upgrade the old lighting system.

Beginning in December of 2022, the contractors went to work, coming in during second and third shift hours so as not to disrupt the school day. The fluorescent lighting in the classrooms and public areas was replaced by Keystone T5 LED tubes. The metal halide fixtures in the gym were upgraded to Keystone LED linear high bays. The install team utilized the existing electrical infrastructure. The fluorescent and HID fixtures were replaced with new LED fixtures on a 1-to-1 basis. In total, when the project wrapped at the end of February, they had installed over 6,500 new fixtures.

The installation process wasn’t completely frictionless. The drivers for the suspended decorative strip fixtures were too large for the intended space. Keystone acted quickly, specifying a driver that would fit into the housing of these fixtures. With over 75 years of experience in the industry, Keystone has developed the flexibility to find solutions for these unexpected problems.

To control the new lighting system, Energy Optimizers specified Keystone SmartLoop, a full portfolio of wireless solutions. Circleville’s installation included screw-in Bluetooth mesh wireless SmartPort LED controllers for SmartLoop with integrated daylight and PIR motion sensors. The SmartLoop controls are DLC listed and fully compliant with UL cybersecurity standards (UL MCV 1376) at the Gold level.

Each room is its own region of control. The user – be they a teacher, an athletic director, or a custodian – can use the SmartLoop app or keypad on the wall to scroll through three preset scenes, dim up or down, and turn off. Zac Lentz, Energy Optimizer’s lead install technician on the job, worked with the school staff to teach them how to use the system. “The interface is great,” he noted. “Every teacher that I’ve talked to, once I explained the system to them, got it immediately—and that’s important, because if they don’t know how to work the system, it becomes a hassle.”

The reliability and ease of use are key. The cost savings are a cherry on top. The school district estimated it will save almost $30,000 in yearly electricity costs, in addition to more than $15,000 per year in maintenance costs.

Circleville Facility Director Jay Darland expressed his satisfaction, saying, “It’s been a great experience for us. Of all the projects I’ve done the last couple years, this has been by far the best.”

No more random blackouts during the day. No more headaches from flickering lights in the hallways. Just smooth, uninterrupted learning in a well-lit environment.

A special thanks to Doug Trimbach Vice President and Director of Lighitng Sales at Energy Optimizers, USA, and Richard Keuss, Territory Manager at Keystone Technologies, for speaking with me about the project. ■

Lights are easily controlled from the SmartLoop dimmer switch and keypad.

Brandon Wright, the Circleville High School/Middle School Athletic Director, has utilized the control capabilities to make the most of the new lighting. Prior to a basketball game, he turns on a single light over the flag for the national anthem. As the teams are introduced, he can turn on spotlights over the benches. He does all of this using the SmartLoop app on his phone. His enthusiasm regarding the new lights is palpable – to the point that the girls’ volleyball team gifted him a mug with the words, “My gym lights are better than yours.”

By Heidi Conklin Director of Digital Strategy, Br8kthru