CIR recently began upgrading what will be a total of 642 inefficient light fixtures at Saint-Gobain Boron Nitride in Amherst in response to the DOE's and their Utility Partners' mission to achieve energy management goals.  The upgrades, slated to be complete by the end of September, are projected to save 893,000 kWh each year at the plant and approximately 300 metric tons in annual carbon emissions.

CIR Project Manager Amy Clifford completed a fixture analysis and made energy-efficient upgrade recommendations for the plant late last summer.  CIR is replacing outdated High Pressure Sodium, Metal Halide and T-12 fixtures with the latest high- and low-bay fluorescent T-5 and reduced-wattage T-8 technologies.  Illuminated exit signs and exterior wall packs are also being replaced with new LED fixtures that only use 1 Watt per fixture.

The project is being completed as part of National Grid's Energy Efficiency Incentive Large Business Program, and will be receiving per-fixture incentives based on the wattage saved.  Since Saint-Gobain is also a New York Power Authority (NYPA) customer, the project will be receiving NYPA incentives for its energy-saving measures in addition to the National Grid incentives to offset the costs of the upgrades.