Lighting & solar solutions save park district $36k in 1 year

Overview

The Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District was formed in Riverside County, California, in 1984. The district currently offers a wide variety of year-round recreational opportunities at 32 different parks and recreation facilities throughout the City of Jurupa Valley and the City of Eastvale. Like many special districts, the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District is constantly challenged to do more with less. Rising energy costs combined with aging, inefficient lighting, and lack of centralized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controls drain district budgets and resources.

Solution

In order to reduce energy costs and help the district achieve its sustainability goals, Centrica Business Solutions implemented energy efficiency upgrades across their lighting and thermostat control systems as well as installing solar panels. And, as a way of overcoming budget concerns, Centrica Business Solutions provided a budget-neutral funding solution that allowed the district to use their energy savings to cover project costs.

Technical overview

Lighting

• New, energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures replaced interior fluorescent and incandescent lights
• Solid-state LEDs replaced high-usage exterior fixtures throughout the district’s parks and facilities
• Occupancy-based controls were installed where applicable

Networkable Thermostats

• Networkable thermostats, capable of remote scheduling and temperature setpoint adjustments, were installed throughout all district facilities

Solar

• Installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the Jurupa Community Center roof
• Implemented ‘utility net-metering program’ to benefit other district parks and facilities