Better and More Efficient Lighting for Post Office Workers

December 2, 1998

Working with the U.S. Postal Service, EETD researchers have developed an integrated, energy-efficient task-lighting system for individual mail-sorting stations. The new system features smaller fixtures with new optics, fluorescent lamps, and electronic ballasts mounted in a high-efficiency fixture that sends 80 percent of the light to the work surface. Each workstation is controlled by an occupancy sensor. The improved lighting system reduces lighting energy costs by 30 percent. A prototype of the system is installed in the Rodeo, California, Post Office. Based on the findings of pilot projects, the Postal Service is planning to incorporate the beneficial aspects of this project into future facility designs.