From the Collegiate Website, by Carol Campell (Fall 2008):

Available Light Increases at Collegiate
         This year, members of CENIC, continued their efforts into the summer months to enhance the school’s relationship with the environment in a practical and effective way. Seniors Matt Brumback, Aaron Glasserman, Harrison Monsky, Ben Nissan, and Alex Traub—all Class of 2009—collaborated with Plant Director Mark Gordon and his staff on a number of projects geared to energy and cost efficiency. 

            The most ambitious of these projects was the refitting of the lighting systems in the lobby, the third floor of the old building, and the second floor of Platten Hall. Unnecessary light fixtures were removed, and the remaining old ones were replaced with new fixtures that both require substantially less power and provide considerably more light. In addition to the environmental benefits, the students focused on the fiscal aspects of the project. In a time of soaring energy costs, the savings are quite dramatic. Also, more efficient lights need less manpower to be maintained, another significant saving. Although most of the work people saw took place on a ladder half-way into the ceiling, the students invested a large amount of time into analyzing data and calculating costs and savings.

            The leadership of CENIC’s core group of students has been central to the group’s progress, but CENIC would not be where it is today were it not for the dedication and enthusiasm of Collegiate’s Plant Manager Mark Gordon, who is co-advisor of CENIC. Going beyond taking the group’s ideas and putting them into action, Mr. Gordon, with incredible patience, teaches students the practical skills they need to act themselves—from the creation of a business proposal to the wiring of light fixtures.

            CENIC estimates monetary savings that amount to $5,000 and forecasts $17,000 in total savings (after deducting equipment and labor costs) for the old building.

            Perhaps more important than the immediate cost and energy benefits of the new lights are the long-term implications of the project. The initiative that the students continue to display inspires others and fosters enthusiasm among faculty and staff.  The effects of the students’ diligent research and analysis will also be far-reaching; during the coming year, CENIC hopes to expand the work done over the past few months to the rest of the school, for which they are already working on a proposal. CENIC also hopes to increase involvement in their environmental projects among the younger grades, as they will be instrumental in sustaining these projects in the future.

        Since 2008, Collegiate has been seeing the light.  When seniors Ben Nissan and Matt Brumback began to look at the ceiling, they realized that there were some huge spikes in the lighting bill that didn’t need to be there.  As it turned out, there was too much light in the school.  Inefficient and outdated fixtures had been running around the clock 24/7 for decades, and Collegiate was paying the price every month in the energy bills.  After running the numbers, CENIC discovered that there was no need to be paying extravagant prices for excess power, and that the time was right for a massive energy reduction at Collegiate.  With the help of plant director Mark Gordon and other student volunteers, Matt and Ben have been working on reducing energy waste in the high school via lighting retrofits.  In many rooms, the volunteers can remove half of the fixtures, replacing the remaining ones with more efficient ballasts that use fewer bulbs and less power per bulb while still increasing overall foot-candle output.  Combined with photosensors that turn off unneeded lights when there is sufficient ambient lighting and motion detectors that kill power after everyone leaves the room, many rooms can reduce energy consumption by up 40% after a day’s work by students.

   One of the strongest cases for the project is that fact that the work is so simple.  With over a dozen students volunteering regularly, the project proves that anyone is capable of making a difference in electrical costs with proper supervision.  The rapidly evolving technology in the field of green lighting technology means that high school students have no problem getting hands on experience with electrical equipment. The experience is edifying and rewarding, and saves the school money.  With a payback period of only 14 months, it’s easy for the administration to see that the project is a smart investment for the school.  For example, changing out the lighting in Collegiate’s two elevators alone will save the school almost $1000 annually after the payback period.