Mayor Daley of the city of Chicago, Illinois, made it a priority to stock the city with Electric City’s EnergySaver technology, and these examples of the electricity-saving technology have been making themselves known in the Chicago Park District, and the Museum of Science and Industry. Both places are already enjoying decreases in energy bills as they are consuming significantly less resources. Finally the city of Chicago is sitting up and paying attention to the need to conserve energy resources in order to preserve the environment. Chicago is striving to reach the goal it set in reducing the city’s energy use by 30% during the next two years, through the use of these new technological resources and equipment. The Mayor himself hopes to lead the way in this new project, to save money as well as resources.
The Museum of Science and Industry installed the EnergySaver technology into their two parking garages’ halide lighting systems and the reduction in electricity consumption has been significant – up to 48%. The savings are drastic because these facilities stay lit around the clock, and the energy quantities being saved are reported at over 26kWh per day. Over the past nine months these savings equaled 7,235 kWh. Since electric lights are such a huge percentage of electricity used in businesses, efficient lighting systems are able to effect energy costs drastically.
Chicago Park District has used these EnergySaver units to their advantage as well, and the electricity the district consumed was reduced by 2.37 million kilowatts during the periods of November 1999 to August 2001. By using these resources, the Park District averted having to release 2.11 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – the emissions that would have been released by the power company had the park been using its previous lighting system. EnergySaver reduces the consumption of resources by 15 to 45%, and has helped the Park District to reduce consumption by about 26% each year at their some 34 facilities. The park loved the units so much that it added them to walkways, ball fields, ice rinks, beaches, pools, gymnasiums, offices, and hallways. Today, EnergySavers are installed in sites at North Avenue Beach, Jackson Park Driving Range and Tennis Courts, Washington Park, Grant Park and Monroe Street Parking Garages, Monroe Harbor, Chicago Historical Society, and Rainbow Beach.
Each energy site is controlled and monitored via the Internet from a central location by Electric City’s GlobalCommander software. The consumption of energy resources is tracked by the software. It is possible to turn the entire lighting works of the parks off and on by mouse click. Electric City is an important leader and manufacturer of energy saving technology resources. They market the EnergySaver outfit, as well as that of GlobalCommander and Total Primary Power Package. They are based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The centralized system allows the park to save money on labor; if for any reason park lights need to be turned off after hours, a button need only be pressed, when before a labor force would’ve taken hours to complete the task around the city.
