As the AU community returns to campus to begin the fall semester, you might notice a refreshed look and new LED lighting in Mary Gradon Center first floor and Roper Hall (also known as the Black Affinity Residence Hall). Renovations began in late June in conjunction with other campus construction projects with the primary goal of improving the student experience.

Roper Hall Project

Darrick Adkins, of Facilities Management, led the Roper Hall project which included refreshed painted surfaces in all resident rooms and common areas along with the upgrade of all lighting to LED fixtures. All the light switches in the resident rooms were changed to vacancy sensors, which are activated by motion and body heat. Unlike occupancy sensors that turn lights on and off based on motion, vacancy sensors turn off the lights after a preset time when no presence is detected and must be turned on manually by the occupant upon their return. Timers were also installed in the shower and utility areas so that lights do not remain on all the time.

Commenting on the project, Adkins said, “It’s good that LEDs and vacancy sensors were installed. It will save more energy in the long run.”

He also credited E.C. Ernst electrical contractors and said their help “was instrumental in making the project successful.”

The new LED light fixtures installed in Roper Hall use roughly half the wattage of the previous fixtures and are projected to reduce the building’s electric consumption by almost 34,000 kWh/year. This reduction is equivalent to the energy used in charging about 3 million smartphones, and will result in emission reductions of 152,420 metric tons of CO₂ per year.

Mary Graydon Center (MGC) Project

AU Project Manager Kelly Keegan, of Facilities Management, led the MGC project which included replacing the ceiling grid system and upgrading lighting to LED fixtures. In addition to being ecologically friendly and having zero UV emissions (in contrast to fluorescent fixtures), the new LEDs are more energy efficient and are projected to reduce annual electric usage from about 69,000 kWh/year to about 21,000 kWh/year.

Kelly stated, “It is possible to save energy and look good at the same time.”

The reduced electric usage of about 48,000 kWh/year is equivalent to the energy required to charge nearly 4.2 million smartphones, and will also result in an annual CO₂ emissions reduction of 218,465 metric tons.