Lighting Retrofit Pays Off Big For Tulsa Convention Center

New high efficiency lighting is paying off at the Tulsa Convention Center in more ways than one. PSO presented managers of the city-owned facility with a $71,000 incentive check for making the improvements.

The project involved removing 576 500-watt flood lights and fixtures in the center's first floor exhibit hall and replacing them with 144 360-watt dimmable fluorescent lights and fixtures. The switch is expected to save more than 700,000 kilowatt hours annually.

"We made the decision to proceed with the exhibit hall lighting project in the Convention Center because of the long-term reduction of energy costs," said General Manager John Bolton.

"The final results were even better than we had expected, with a 57 percent total drop in energy usage."

Engineers and electricians spent more than three months on the lighting retrofit. They hope to continue the upgrades through other spaces in the Convention Center, according to engineering manager John Crosson.