Inside every fluorescent light fixture is a ballast that regulates the flow of electrical current through the lamps. The super-efficient electronic ballasts on the 5th floor incorporate a sensor with a photocell that detects natural light. The photocell automatically dims the ballast to balance the amount of artificial light with incoming natural light to maintain a constant, optimal light level for working.
The benefits of this ballast are that it’s dimmable and that the maximum output of light can be limited by setting switches in the ballast so that offices will not be over lit and energy will be saved. By allowing a precise light level setting and “harvesting daylight”, the power consumption of these fixtures is reduced by 30% to 50% over current building standards.
By changing nearly 1,000 fluorescent lamps from 40-watt T-12′s to 32-watt T-8′s and 2 low efficiency magnetic ballasts per fixture to 1 high efficiency electronic ballast per fixture, energy consumption for lighting in the Alliance Center has been reduced by about 40%. The lighting retrofit is estimated to pay for itself in 2.5 years.
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The Alliance Center is open for self-guided tours M-F, 9-5:00pm. Please download the self-guided tour brochure (PDF)
Guided tours are offered at 2pm on the 1st Friday of each month and meet in the first floor lobby. Group tours can be arranged by appointment. Please contact us for more information.
