Charleston?s Green Lighting Group Saves State Ports Authority Thousands on Energy Costs

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The South Carolina Ports Authority and Daniel Island Woodworks have become brighter and more energy efficient, thanks to Charleston-based Green Lighting Group (GLG), which designs, integrates and implements custom energy-efficient lighting solutions for commercial and industrial facilities. The company is the only provider of such technology in the Southeast.

Last fall, Green Lighting Group conducted a lighting survey for a maintenance building at the port's Columbus Street Terminal. As a result, GLG installed forty 450-watt eHID (electronic high intensity discharge) fixtures -- each offering the equivalent light of a 750-watt bulb. In addition, the company's iLighting software, the first web-based application for controlling each individual light fixture, was used to schedule the lights to automatically turn on and off at certain times of the day to save on energy and costs.

The primary need in the facility was improved lighting in the fabrication area. After the install, light levels were increased nearly 100%. At the same time the Ports Authority is estimated to save about $3,000 a year on lighting costs for that building. Port officials have received such positive results from the system it recently included Green Lighting Group's lighting systems and software in plans for a new warehouse.

"This was a win-win situation for all parties involved," says John Dobbins, a facilities maintenance supervisor for the South Carolina Ports Authority. "The Port as a whole gets the energy savings, which is beneficial not only from a monetary standpoint, but it also demonstrates that we are committed to improvement."

As another local example, Green Lighting Group conducted a lighting survey in the workshop where Daniel Island Woodworks creates custom wood cabinetry and moulding and ultimately replaced 12 existing fluorescent lights with four 250-watt eHID fixtures managed by the iLighting software.

"Sometimes we have to dial in our machinery within a half of one thousandth of an inch," Sam Epstein, owner of Daniel Island Woodworks. "And even though our space seemed well lit before, I would have to use a flashlight and a magnifying glass to see what I was doing. Now it's lit up like a stadium in our workshop. There are no shadows and we have not seen an increase in our energy bill."

"There are many advantages to eHID lights in that they provide a more consistent light level, longer lasting and the fixtures weigh less," says Don Gould, Green Lighting Group's vice president of technology and implementation. "The new lighting systems were dramatic improvements for both the Port and Daniel Island Woodworks, and we hope others in the Lowcountry follow their example."

**About Green Lighting Group **Based in Charleston, S.C., Green Lighting Group works with commercial and industrial facilities, as well as government buildings and projects, to create customized energy-efficient lighting solutions. To help save customers 30% to 40% on lighting costs and provide them improved lighting quality, Green Lighting Group uses a combination of high-intensity discharge (eHID) lighting, (LEDs) and other energy-efficient lighting options to meet a company's needs for indoor and outdoor lighting. The lighting systems can be controlled from any location using the company's web-based iLighting software. For more information, visit www.greenlightinggroup.com.