Blues display a winning energy strategy

Since 2010, the Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, has made powerful strides toward a more energy efficient operation. The arena is reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions through strategic capital upgrades and new staff policies.

Recently, the Scottrade Center underwent a major overhaul in its lighting systems. Throughout each level of the arena, T12 lamps were replaced with T5 lamps.

According to EPA Energy Star, T12 fluorescent lamps are one of the most common, but least efficient fluorescent systems. The newly installed T5 lamps at Scottrade Center offer improved efficiency, higher intensity, and potentially longer life due to reduced degradation in light output over time.

The facility was able to achieve better lighting with fewer bulbs in each fixture. For every three T12 bulbs, only two T5 bulbs were needed, limiting energy consumption and minimizing waste.

All backlit signs at the Scottrade Center were also upgraded, from T12 to LED technology. According to EPA Energy Star, this adjustment can make each sign three to eight times more efficient. Exit sign and passenger elevator lighting proved to be an excellent, low-labor initiative to increase the energy efficiency and safety of the facility.

The Club attained efficiency through behavioral changes by developing a routine schedule with staff to minimize lighting needs at certain points throughout each week. The Scottrade Center displayed this commitment to reducing energy consumption last year, as a strong supporter of the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour.

The arena has made improvements beyond lighting upgrades, such as installing variable frequency drives on the facility's cooling tower, which has reduced energy by enhancing operations of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system motors. The Blue are exploring the potential for utilizing renewable energy to power the Scottrade Center.

In 2009, the Blues launched the Blues Green Team initiative in an effort to encourage fans to apply environmentally sound practices to their personal and professional lives. To learn how to save energy on lighting in your own home, visit: www.energystar.gov/lighting