This project, completed by UCSF in December of 2020, replaced inefficient lighting fixtures with LED Vapor Tight Linear fixtures in the cold rooms of Hellen Diller, Genentech Hall, and Byers Hall buildings on the Mission Bay SF campus. In the cold rooms, CB-100 passive infrared occupancy sensors were installed, which are specifically designed to reduce energy consumption while functioning optimally in low temperatures. In Byers Hall, 7 cold rooms had lighting retrofits, in Genentech Hall, 27 cold rooms and 6 warm rooms were retrofit, and in Helen Diller, 6 cold rooms were retrofit.
Background
UCSF cold rooms refer to a refrigerated storage space used to maintain a low temperature for the storage of temperature sensitive lab samples. These rooms are equipped with cooling systems to regulate and maintain a specific low temperature to slow down the growth of bacteria and extend the shelf life of the stored items. These rooms need particular LED lighting for visibility and safety. Energy efficient lighting is imperative in cold rooms because maintaining the low temperature is so energy intensive and traditional lighting solutions may not perform optimally in these conditions due to condensation and low temperatures.
Results
As this was a lighting focused retrofit project, the results show significant electricity savings. The savings amount to 46,185 kwH annually, which add up to $9,237.
