[Update] City of Laramie Set to Save Thousands in Energy Costs

Lights are a big deal for Kevin McIntyre, City of Laramie Facilities Maintenance Manager. He’s upgraded lights all around the city, from old-style fluorescent light tubes to newer, more efficient LED lights. 

“LED makes everything cleaner and brighter. I’m pretty excited about these projects,” McIntyre said. 

The bonus is the City of Laramie will save $6,500 in yearly electrical costs, and come far under budget for its most recent improvement project. By upgrading the lighting in the Recreation Center and the Ice and Events Center, the city will be saving money, increasing efficiency, and reducing demand costs. 

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Assistant City Manager Todd Feezer presented the numbers to the City Council at its last meeting. The lighting upgrade at the Recreation Center should save $3,302 a year in electrical costs and Ice and Events Center upgrades should save $3,217 a year. 

Earlier this year, McIntyre and his crew upgraded the Laramie Fire Department Station 3’s lights, as part of an effort to increase efficiency and save the city money (as well as provide much better lighting). These upgrades also help the City Council with one of their resolutions passed earlier this year, to improve environmental stewardship.

The new project has been “A little bit of everything. I’ve been in this position for a year, and I’m always trying to find ways for increased efficiency. I looked at the Station 3 project and started researching ways to do more. We have tons of lights to be converted, and we have funds budgeted for lighting efficiency.”

After research, McIntyre found Rocky Mountain Power’s WattSmart program, which offers cash incentives for upgraded, more efficient energy systems like LED lighting. He identified the Ice and Events Center and the Recreation Center as prime locations that would provide the biggest return on investment.

The Recreation Center upgrades should provide $4,686 in payback incentives through RMP, and the Ice and Events Center upgrades should provide $5,076 in payback incentives. The lighting improvements in both buildings will save over 40,000kWh in energy savings in each building. 

Fremont Electric is in the process of purchasing materials for the project. McIntyre said they hope to have it done by the end of October, though scheduling a 2-3 day window to replace 48 lights just above the ice in between skating and hockey will be tough. 

“I don’t want to have half fluorescent and half LED above the ice…that wouldn’t be great,” McIntyre said. 

Freezer said both projects are under the estimated budget, saving the City even more money. To learn more about Rocky Mountain Power’s energy and money savings incentives, visit their website here. It’s worth considering as RMP is looking to increase rates by almost 30%.