Saginaw Schools Launch LED Lighting Upgrade to Boost Energy Savings
Saginaw Public School District in Michigan is contracting on-site power and energy efficiency project developer Ameresco to lead an LED lighting upgrade and energy savings performance project across 16 education and administrative sites.
The Ameresco contract includes comprehensive LED lighting retrofits and new control systems at 12 schools, three service facilities and the Saginaw district’s Board of Education administration building. Altogether, the project will replace more than 12,000 lighting fixtures with higher efficiency LED and control technology.
“This lighting project is a smart investment in both our operations and our long-term sustainability goals,” said Tim Furtaw II, Executive Director of Facilities for Saginaw Public Schools, in a statement. “By significantly reducing energy consumption and delivering guaranteed savings, we’re lowering operating costs, improving lighting quality across our schools, and reinvesting those savings back into our district to support students and staff for years to come.”
U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that LED lighting is at least 50% more energy efficient than compact fluorescent lamps and uses about 75% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Ameresco’s project with Saginaw Public Schools is structured as an energy savings performance contract (ESPC), with guaranteed energy savings, and is expected to reduce electricity use while generating annual cost savings for the district. Installation work began in early April and is expected to be completed by August 2026.
Ameresco utilizes multiple energy resources and efficiency technologies for its on-site projects with universities, military bases and school districts. Among those campus LED projects include work with Charlo in Montana, Boardman in Ohio, Tarrytown in New York, and Warren Woods Public Schools in Michigan, among others.