The Episcopal Academy Leads the Way with Energy Efficient LED Lighting

GREENandSAVE is pleased to announce that one of America’s oldest and most well respected preparatory schools has moved to the forefront of the American Energy Revolution. The Episcopal Academy - located on Philadelphia’s Main Line and celebrating its 225th anniversary - is implementing some of the world's newest energy efficient lighting technology. Philadelphia is already the home of American Independence, and, with an increasing number of companies and institutions making big commitments to energy efficiency, Greater Philadelphia may start to become the home of American ENERGY Independence.    Ham Clark, Episcopal's Head of School, is excited: “The Episcopal Academy is committed to excellence in all that we do. We are a school that asks important questions, that promotes the belief in a power beyond ourselves, and that works hard to develop character. We have built a ‘state-of-the-art’ campus, so this LED initiative is a step toward ‘state-of-the-art’ lighting to save money and the environment.” The LED lights reduce the electricity cost of lighting by 80% and many last up to 80,000 hours which equates to several decades under typical usage levels. So, LEDs also reduce the cost of replacing other bulbs every few years. Plus, they do not have the toxic Mercury that is costly to recycle given the requirement for controlled conditions. The latest generation of LEDs have different color choices and dimmability features as well. Charlie Szoradi, President of GREENandSAVE and LEDsavingSOLUTIONS, has a personal interest in Episcopal's new lighting: “As a ‘green’ architect with a son who just started at Episcopal, I was delighted to hear from the admissions team and the lower school science teacher that eco-stewardship was part of the curriculum. After just two days of classes, I emailed Ham Clark to offer LED Lighting initiatives and then spoke with him at the parent open house. We applaud Episcopal for taking a leadership role in next-generation energy efficient lighting.” About Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12. In 2008, it relocated from its Merion, PA and Devon, PA campuses to its new, 123-acre (0.50 km2), state-of-the-art campus in Newtown Square, PA. The Episcopal Academy has been consistently ranked as a top private school in the nation by various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal. It is known for its balance of - and excellence in - academics, athletics, and spirit. More than One School: Energy Plan to Save Schools $350 Million In addition Commercial Property retrofits, LED Saving Solutions focuses on cost containment by offering $100 Million in LED lighting retrofits at zero out-of-pocket expense to over 100 grade school, high school, and colleges across the United States. To date, energy efficiency has been largely left out of the education debate, but 22 percent or more of a school’s electricity costs typically go toward lighting. LED lighting reduces electricity costs by 80 percent, which adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year for education.