Research matters - Illuminating Engineering Society

PHOTOS: RICHARD HOLMES
Burning Bright on Beacon Hill
The oldest building on Beacon Hill,
the Massachusetts State House, is an
architectural reflection of the history
of the state, as well as the workplace
for state senators and representatives.
Built in 1798, the state house has been
updated frequently over the past two
centuries. The most recent renovation
involved an update of the lighting technology
used in the chandeliers and hallways.
New compact fluorescent lamps
(CFLs) were installed to replace the
thousands of original incandescent
lamps. Illuminating both the museum
and office building, the lamps in the
Massachusetts State House are in constant
use, making it a regular chore to
maintain them.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Bureau of State office buildings were determined to find a more efficient
way to maintain proper lighting throughout the State House. Lamp life, maintenance
cycles, energy savings and color temperature were key considerations
when choosing the new source. Ultimately, engineers specified CFLs from
Technical Consumer Products (TCP). CFLs can often be used in the same applications
that a standard incandescent lamp is used, however they provide longer
life (8000-to-15,000 hours) and reduced energy consumption (approximately 1/4
the consumption of incandescent lamps).The lamps also have a variety of color
temperature choices, which serve to showcase the many historical facets of the
building.
The retrofit was divided into three phases.The first phase included relamping
the Senate Chambers and all the hallways, with the second phase focusing on
installing new ceiling fixtures and installing high wattage CFLs in the Hall of Flags.
The third phase of construction is yet to be determined.
Literally hundreds of chandeliers can be found throughout these areas of the
State House. Maintenance of the numerous chandeliers is very time consuming
for personnel who continuously must walk the corridors searching for blown
lamps.While most of the chandeliers are accessible by ladder, the 70 ft ceilings of
the Hall of Flags and Senate Chambers force maintenance crews to climb a catwalk
along the ceiling, tie a rope to the fixture and then lower it to ground level.
Both processes, lowering the chandeliers and using ladders, often interfere with
museum operations.
Every chandelier was relamped with TCP’s candle-shaped torpedo lamps.
These 7-W candelabra-based lamps provide the same amount of light as a 30-W
incandescent lamp and are rated 8000 average hours, which is four times longer
than a similar incandescent.Throughout the halls,TCP’s 189 series SpringLamp
were installed. These 120 volt, 42 watt lamps provide 2800 initial lumens, are
• applications & solutions
The Project: The Massachusetts
State House, Boston, MA
The Challenge: Install new lamps
that could provide more hours
of operation and reduce maintenance
cycles.
The Solution: Candle-shaped torpedo
lamps and springlamps
rated 10,000 average hours and provide the same amount of light as a 150-W incandescent lamp.
In the first month after the completion of phase 1 of the relamping project, the Massachusetts State
House already has saved approximately 36,000 kWh. In the hallways alone, the energy consumption was
reduced from 28,800 kWh to about 8000 kWh. Beyond energy savings, employees at the Massachusetts
State House quickly took notice of the new lighting.
Planning for the next phases of the Massachusetts State House project is already underway, with recommendations
for new fixtures in the hallways and additional specialty lamps.“With the positive feedback
from the first phase of the project, we anticipate the next phases to move very quickly,” said Richard
Holmes, independent sales representative, Holmes Energy & Lighting Products. —John-Michael Kobes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June . . 2004 . . . LD+A . . . 40 . . . www.iesna.org
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