Turning Campus Lighting Into Measurable Energy Savings
Challenge
A leading technical university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sought to improve lighting performance in a key campus building while advancing energy efficiency and sustainability objectives. Like many higher education institutions, the university needed to balance occupant comfort, facility performance, and responsible energy management without sacrificing operational effectiveness.
Aging lighting infrastructure was limiting efficiency and increasing energy consumption across laboratories, office spaces, and hallways. Without action, the institution risked higher operating costs, unnecessary energy use, and slower progress toward long-term sustainability goals.
Drawing on its experience with complex facilities, Mantis partnered with the university to develop a practical path forward.
Solution
To help the university achieve its objectives, Mantis implemented a three-step lighting modernization strategy focused on efficiency and savings:
- Evaluate opportunities to improve lighting performance in critical campus spaces.
- Retrofit outdated fixtures with high-efficiency LED technology.
- Deploy lighting controls where appropriate to further optimize energy use.
The project included the retrofit of 4,711 fixtures across laboratory areas, offices, and hallways, creating a more efficient lighting environment that supported long-term facility performance, energy-efficiency goals, and measurable savings.
Results
The completed project helped the university reduce lighting inefficiencies and costs while supporting its broader sustainability journey. By modernizing lighting infrastructure within a single building, the institution reduced energy consumption, improved operational efficiency, and achieved annual savings.
Performance Outcomes:
- 180,000 annual kWh reduced
- $50,000 in annual energy savings
- 4,711 lighting fixtures upgraded
- 5.4-year project payback achieved