Switch to LED lights could save district 
In an attempt to save money, Upper Moreland School District is experimenting with LED light bulbs — an experiment that if implemented, could save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The possibility of LED bulbs at the middle school was Business Manager Mike Braun’s second choice. His first? A windmill.
“One company told me that a windmill could generate enough power to run the high school, the administration building and the bus depot,” Braun said.
But after reviewing data about this area, Braun learned that it was unknown whether the region could generate enough wind to power the mills.
“It would cost the district $45,000 just to see if we had enough wind,” he said. “At that price I don’t know if it’s worth it.”
That’s when he looked into the light bulbs.
“The florescent bulbs we use now usually last about three years,” Braun said. “But the LED lights are supposed to last 15 to 20 years.”
Even though the regular bulbs cost about $6 per bulb and the LED’s are about $50, the district would recoup the cost in less than two years. The LEDs use 90 percent less energy than the regular bulbs the district is currently using.
The electrical cost to run the middle school with its current bulbs is $108,424. If they were replaced with LED bulbs the cost would be cut to less than $23,000. A savings of $98,000 per year.
Even though it would cost approximately $165,000 to install, the savings would be extraordinary, Braun said.
“This is something I really want to work quickly on,” he said, adding that he is hoping to have a few testers in the middle school by the end of the month.
“I want to put some in classrooms and some in the hallway to see what shade works best,” he said.
The middle school is the test because it is the only school building in the district that does not have any energy saving methods in place.
In the elementary center the lights and temperature can be adjusted through a computerized system and the high school has automatic lights that turn off when an area is not in use.
“The biggest savings would be at the middle school because it’s the energy hog,” he said. “It needs to be re-tooled.”
With many school districts looking into the switch, Braun said he is hoping Upper Moreland may receive a discount during the change by being a model school for Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia counties.
According to Braun, the installation can be done in-house, no new lamp fixtures are needed, the only cost is in labor and bulbs. The savings could also replenish the district’s capital reserve fund, Braun added.
Following Great Valley School District’s lead, Upper Moreland is also looking into solar panels and possible grants to fund a future project.
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