The Ohio State University at Marion
IN-26: Innovation C

Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College students are now benefiting from commercially available light emitting diode (LED) technology that more evenly and efficiently lights parking lots and walkways on campus. According to Marion Campus Superintendent of Facility Maintenance and Security, Ron Turner, this initiative is being incorporated across campus because the lighting is not only brighter, but much more energy and cost efficient to run. LED lights were recently installed on walkways leading past the new University Drive extension, newly developed campus parking areas, and a walkway heavily traveled by student pedestrians commuting between The Annex of Marion student housing project and campus. Ohio State Marion's new Science and Engineering Building, set to begin construction in April 2016 and open in summer 2017, will utilize mostly LED lighting both inside and out. LED fixtures produce better light quality, using less wattage per fixture than the old metal halide fixtures in the other campus parking lots. For example, 12 new parking lot LED light fixtures cost $59 each to operate nightly for an entire year, or a total of $708 annually. By comparison, if the campus used metal halide fixtures, each fixture would cost $180 per fixture to operate each year, or a total of $2, 160 annually. The other benefit with LED lighting is lower maintenance cost because the lights can last up to 10 years. Marion Campus Public Safety Supervisor, Sergeant Ron Kuzmaul, shared that improving on the continued safety of our students is paramount and improved lighting on campus contributes directly to student safety. "Lighting is the most important factor when it comes to safety at night," said Kuzmaul. "The more we can see potential threats, the more we can take action. It also acts as a great deterrent to those who might have criminal intentions." "All of Ohio State's campuses and public safety strive to get as much lighting on campus as possible," he added. The goal for the campus in the next three years is to change all exterior light fixtures to LED through a request to the State for capital funding in 2017, submitted by Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College. When the project is complete, the campus will save $16,000 to $20,000 per year in energy costs.