Type To Search Here..
phone (1) 844-533-4546
A Lighting Makeover for Austin’s Moontowers – An Energy Efficient LED Upgrade

Austin’s historic moonlight towers, known as moontowers, have recently been modernized with LED lights. These beloved landmarks, originally built in 1895, now provide much more efficient energy consumption and are environmentally friendly, ensuring they remain relevant to the city.

On June 10, 2024, the last of Austin’s iconic moontowers, located at MLK and Chicon, were upgraded with LED lights, replacing traditional incandescent bulbs. The purpose of this transformation was to meet the city’s contemporary needs while remaining committed to historical preservation.   

Why Was This Switch Needed?  

To Preserve a Legacy 

Austin proudly holds onto seventeen of the original thirty-one moontowers, believed to be the last of their kind globally. The community is committed to both operational lighting sources and historical sites.  

Paul Peterson, a supervisor at Austin Energy's Illumination Construction & Maintenance Group, discussed some of the challenges encountered during the upgrade, "The large truck we have to use belongs to our transmission group. They're the only ones that have a truck tall enough to reach this tower.” 

He continued, "And then our group, we go up and troubleshoot it, see what the issue is. We knew there was a fixture missing that we had to replace, a couple of lenses we had to replace. And then we're going to revamp it, put all new LED lamps in it while we're up there." 

How Did the Upgrade Go and What the Benefits Will Be! 

The 400-watt bulbs were replaced with 80-watt LED bulbs, which are not only energy efficient but require less maintenance. 

"It'll save a lot on labor costs," said Peterson. "To be able to go from doing this every five years to maybe every 20, that's going to be another substantial savings as well." 

The towers themselves are also in the process of being refurbished, as the City works to preserve this piece of history. 

Economic and Environmental Impacts 

The move towards LED lighting mirrors the broader trend of energy efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), LEDs consume at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 25 times longer. This change will result in significant cost and energy savings for Austin, helping the city meet its environmental goals. This approach aligns with the previous instructions from the General Services Administration (GSA) on efficient lighting for government buildings, which highlighted the economic and environmental benefits associated with installing LED systems. 

By investing in LED lighting for its moontowers, Austin exemplifies how cities can seamlessly blend historical preservation with modern sustainability practices. This ensures these iconic structures continue to illuminate the city and its legacy for generations to come. 

Source Link - https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-moontower-gets-upgraded-led-lights

Related News
LED for Horticulture Lighting Mandatory: California Energy Commission California Energy Commission mandates the use of LEDs in horticulture lighting for Controlled Environment Agriculture and sets an example for other states.
LED Lighting Helps Phoenix Sky Harbor Achieve Its Sustainability Goals Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has managed to earn a Level 3 Certification in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program that puts it in the elite list of 7 airports in the US to have this status.
Axenic-UV Founder & CEO makes it to LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Class IKIO Founder & CEO Ekamdeep Singh getting featured in LEDs Magazine 40 Under 40 Class of 2020, for his outstanding contribution to the LED and SSL industry.
Madison Heights to Transform all Streetlights to LEDs! Now it’s the city of Madison Heights that is planning to replace all of its streetlights to energy efficient LEDs in a bid to earn a higher return on investments.
How Color-Changing LED Lights Are Illuminating Special Places Around the World How Color-Changing LED Lights Find Special Place in Illuminating Special Places Around the World
NY Power Authority: Huge Investments on LED Streetlights across the State New York State makes huge investments on LED Lighting under its Smart Street Lighting NY Program.
Can LED Lights reduce light pollution along with reducing energy consumption? Controlling light pollution and reducing energy consumption by upgrading the street lights, airports, and other spaces with LED technology.
Light Usage for Night Application Program: DLC Releases the First Draft DLC announces the purpose, eligibility criteria, and other details of its latest Light Usage for Night Application Program in its first draft
In A Bid To Reduce Lighting Costs, Port Townsend Will Be Switching To LED After contemplating the idea of darkening local streetlights to bring down lighting costs, the city of Port Townsend seems to settle for a more efficient alternative — switching to LED lights.
National Aquarium Will Be Illuminated With High-Efficiency LED Lights Soon Baltimore’s National Aquarium is ready for a revamp, with its glass pyramidal roof being repaired, replaced, and relighted with highly efficient LED lights next year!
Decked With Interactive LED Animations, This Sculpture On Hudson’s Tappan Zee Bridge Dazzles Passersby By Responding To Them! Named ‘’Current’’, the sculpture is lit with sensor-based white LED light that responds to the movements of people walking by at night. Needless to say, this innovative lighting structure is garnering much-deserved attention from the masses.
Horticulture Lighting Market Size is Projected to Reach USD 11.27 Billion by 2028 Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) practices are being observed as the major contributing factors in the upwards surge of the horticulture lighting market size.
IKIO at LightFair 2022 - Another Successful Year of Productive Interactions, Enormous Learning & New Opportunities LightFair 2022 ended days ago and we are still overwhelmed by the response we have received and how great things went for our entire team! This success has only inspired us to work harder in our endeavors to create more sustainable, energy-efficient lighting solutions.
A Harvard Study Reveals: Switching to Tunable LED Lights Led to 43% Falls Reduction in Seniors at Long-term Care Facilities In a first-of-its-kind, two-year study conducted by the Harvard University and Midwest Lighting Institute, a significant reduction in the rate of falls has been observed amongst seniors in long-term care facilities that utilized a CCT-tunable LED lighting system, as compared to control facilities that kept their standard lighting.
U.S. Energy Dept. Bans Incandescent Bulbs, Cementing a Significant Step Towards Sustainable Lighting Starting this August, America bids farewell to outdated incandescent bulbs, paving the way for a new era of energy-efficient illumination!
The Collective Push Towards Decarbonization Is Resulting in New Economic Prospects for the Lighting Industry and the World With many policy-supported financial incentives available for energy infrastructure projects, commercial property owners can now easily retrofit their buildings for greater energy and cost savings, boosting their net income in the process.
GSA Guidelines for Energy-Efficient Lighting in Federal Buildings GSA has issued new guidelines for energy-efficient lighting in federal buildings, aimed at enhancing sustainability and reducing costs.

  • © 2024. IKIO LED LIGHTING. All Rights Reserved.