Breckenridge Grand Vacations Continues its Commitment to Sustainability
Retro-fitted Motion Sensor Light Switches Installed
As Breckenridge Grand Vacations (BGV) heads toward its goal of reducing its Green House gas emissions by 50% by 2030, the company is constantly looking for new ways to improve our resorts and office buildings by means of energy efficiencies and energy conservation. The key difference between these two are that energy efficiency is using less energy to do the same amount of work, such as installing an LED light bulb (light emitting diodes); whereas energy conservation is using less energy by doing without the existing energy and turning off lights in areas that are not being used all the time. Many buildings today were built before new energy-saving technology and retrofitting these existing buildings has become the most cost-effective way to help reduce energy consumption and waste.
Recently, the Sustainability Team at BGV worked on an energy conservation project by switching out standard light switches and replacing them with motion sensor light switches located in low-trafficked areas at Lincoln West Mall on Main Street and the Connect Breck offices on Airport Road. These motion sensors use IR (Infrared Radiation), a low-frequency range of light, which scans the area for movement. Once the beam is broken and senses movement by the person entering the room, the switch is activated and makes the operation of the light extremely easy for our employees – hands-free! These motion sensors can be set to various time ranges for how long the light can be left on. Generally, they are set to one minute of no motion being sensed. Some sensors come with an option to read the amount of direct sunlight coming into the room and not turn on during the daytime. After the team’s first trial run with the motion sensor switches, they found them to be successful. BGV’s three resorts are now looking at adding these types of light switching in their “back-of-house” rooms.
A study by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) found that usage of motion sensor light switches can help save up to 60% of the light’s energy usage and reduce energy waste by as much as 68%, depending on the area installed. This leads to large cost savings on energy bills. When these switches are paired with an LED light bulb, even higher savings can be achieved. Breckenridge Grand Vacations looks forward to adapting its light systems with more sensors and keeps working toward its 50% gas emissions reduction goal.
Standard light switch compared to the new motion sensor light switch.
Our sustainability team member hard at work installing the motion sensor light switches…with expert canine supervision!
