The improvements in use of energy, water and reduction of waste at the Minneapolis Convention Center will position the city to attract even more national and international convention business, bringing tremendous economic impact to Minneapolis and the region, while also lowering our impact in the local environment.”
Jeff Johnson, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Convention Center
The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), one of the largest convention centers in the Midwest, is committed to reducing its energy usage by a total of 31% by 2015. Retrofitting the lighting in its exhibition area from traditional lighting sources to LED is a large contributor towards meeting this energy savings goal.
The previous lighting system in the MCC’s Exhibition Hall A, the first area of the MCC to be retrofitted, included 418 metal halide light fixtures operating an average of 4,380 hours per year and 622 halogen incandescent light fixtures operating an average of 800 hours per year resulted in more than 1,080,000 kilowatthours (kWh) of energy consumed. At an average utility cost of $0.09/kWh, MCC was spending approximately $97,000 per year to illuminate this exhibition area, not to mention the higher costs of maintenance and cooling costs commonly associated with metal halide and halogen lighting systems.
LED High Bays
The MCC retrofit project utilized the Flex Lighting Solutions Essentials Bay 6-Module fixtures, which deliver more than 35,000 lumens and efficacies of 99 lumens per watt. Early returns on the project are favorable and projections indicate Flex Lighting Solutions fixtures will reduce the energy needed for lighting the area by more than 72% annually. The retrofit system contains lighting controls at the individual fixture level allowing even greater savings to result from selective programming of lighting areas only when and where needed in the large spaces.
Jeff Johnson, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Convention Center
Officials say Minneapolis is one of America’s most eco-focused cities and the Minneapolis Convention Center is at the heart of the city’s sustainability commitment. “More and more, meeting planners and their clients are seeking venues that incorporate sustainable practices into operations,” said Jeff Johnson, executive director of the Minneapolis Convention Center. “The improvements in use of energy, water and reduction of waste at the Minneapolis Convention Center will position the city to attract even more national and international convention business, bringing tremendous economic impact to Minneapolis and the region, while also lowering our impact in the local environment.
