Exelon Power Switches On Westinghouse Lighting System for Savings. Philadelphia, PA — Who does the electric company turn to when it wants to save energy?
Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest energy companies, generating and
distributing electricity to millions of customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania. When the company
slated a renovation of its Fairless Hills, Pa., generating plant — including a 45-year-old lighting
system — they called on Westinghouse Lighting Solutions (WLS) to provide a customized T5
fluorescent system that cut energy use by 80 percent and more than doubled light output to create
Exelon’s Fairless Hills generating plant consists of a turbine hall and a maintenance shop.
The turbine hall is a cavernous 14,000-square-foot room housing massive steam-powered turbine
generators. The plans called for thoroughly renovating, painting and modernizing the space,
including replacing an antiquated lighting system consisting of 44 1000-watt incandescent
fixtures and 10 400-watt high-pressure-sodium (HPS) fixtures. Exelon’s objectives were to bring
the workspace up to the standards Exelon has set for all facilities. An Exelon spokesperson said,
“Our needs were to find a system that increased illumination while decreasing energy usage.” In
particular, the lighting system had to be highly efficient and provide a better light environment
The Westinghouse customized design began with a site visit and lighting survey by WLS
Regional Manager Ashutosh Atre. Based on his measurements and calculations, WLS proposed a
one-for-one retrofit that would meet Exelon’s illumination requirements by replacing each
existing fixture with a Westinghouse T5 High-Output Precision Optics fluorescent high-bay
fixture. “I assured Exelon our system would meet their footcandle and energy-efficiency
specifications,” Atre explained. “I was able to show them examples of a previous system we’d
installed in a similar generating plant. Even so, I think they felt the numbers were almost too
Power consumption for the new system was calculated at 9.852 kilowatts (kw) per hour
of operation as opposed to 48.65 kw per hour for the old system — a savings of 38.8 kw per
hour, or 80 percent. Over a year of full-time operation, financial savings were projected at
$33,988, assuming 10 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh).
Westinghouse HY Series hybrid fixtures were specified to replace the old system of
incandescent and HPS fixtures. After the turbine hall was renovated and painted, the new system
was installed at a 40-foot mounting height. For general area lighting, 48 Westinghouse 3-lamp
HY Series fixtures were mounted in three evenly spaced rows down the length of the room. In
addition, a 4-lamp HY Series fixture was mounted at both ends of each row to provide additional
light in the room corners and along the walls. Because the facility operates around the clock with
24/7 lighting, no special controls were needed.
After 6 months Exelon has found the Westinghouse system is exceeding the projected
energy savings while significantly increasing light levels and visual acuity. The old fixtures were
providing a gloomy 10–19 footcandles (FC) at the work surface. The new system delivers a
bright 30–35 FC, consistent with recommended light levels. The new system also has a higher
Color Rendering Index (CRI), which means that employees can see better, more comfortably and
Jay Goodman, WLS managing director, believes the Exelon installation demonstrates an
important point as American industry moves to address the challenges of global competitiveness
and environmentalism: that facilities managers may be underestimating the savings they can
achieve through lighting upgrades. “The Westinghouse system cut Exelon’s monthly kwh by 80
percent, dramatically outperforming the common industry misconception that 50 percent savings
The environmental impacts of the Westinghouse system are considerable as well. By
reducing Exelon’s annual energy usage by 339,888 kwh per year, it saves 168.97 tons of carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions annually as well, the equivalent of taking 28 cars off the road.
The energy savings and light increases provided by Westinghouse fixtures are primarily
achieved through innovative “one-bounce-and-out” reflector design. Each reflector is engineered
to maximize fixture efficiency and meet the light-distribution requirements of the specific
application. Fixture efficiency indicates how well the fixture transmits light from the lamps to
the workplace. Westinghouse optimizes reflector design by computer modeling the trajectories of
millions of light rays within the fixture, then manufactures the reflectors to CNC tolerances of
one 10,000th of an inch to provide fixture efficiencies of up to 96 percent.
As a result, WLS high-efficiency fixtures reduce users’ overhead costs and quickly yield
a measurable financial return. Jay Goodman concluded, “We view the overall performance of the
Exelon system — 6-month payback, light levels increased more than 200 percent, a deep
reduction of their carbon footprint — as validation that Westinghouse Precision Optics make a
better fixture, which in turn is a better investment for customers seeking improved lighting and
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