Chevalier
George Chevalier said the lighting in Building 472 is the best it’s been since he started working at the Depot in 1977. The sheet metal mechanic is bending a tube to be used on a C-2A Greyhound.
Cortez
The new lights are a major improvement according to Love Cortez. The ordnance technician and a former Marine sergeant works on a LAU 115 missile launcher for an F/A-18.
Segi
Daniel Segi, a contractor with Accurate Energy, installs a new, energy-efficient fluorescent light fixture in Building 472.

New lights make for a brighter looking future in Manufacturing

Story by Bill Bartkus
Photos by Scott Janes
NAVAIR Depot North Island

CORONADO, Calif. – Things are looking much brighter in Building 472 here thanks to an email.

“Where are my lights?” asked Fred Jolly in an email to Lucy Sapien in November 2001. Jolly, the Industrial Manufacturing Competency manager, was concerned about the inadequate lighting in Building 472 and its impact on employees.

“We knew that we had inadequate lighting in the building for years,” Jolly said. “I was amazed at the employees’ ability to get their work done under these conditions.”

He sent an email to Sapien, an environmental engineer, and asked her when his building would be equipped with more adequate overhead lighting.

“I had been on the job for just a few months when I received Fred’s email,” said Sapien, “and I didn’t know that there was a problem in his building.” She explained that she had recently transferred to the Environmental Compliance Division from the Materials Engineering Laboratory where she worked as a metallurgical engineer. “I had no idea what Fred was asking,” she said. “When I first read his email, I thought that the matter was a Facilities problem until I walked across the street to see for myself.

“When I looked at the light problem in the building, Fred’s complaint was the lack of proper lighting. He told me that his people were not happy because the environment was rather dull,” she said.

Sapien mentioned that Triet Nguyen, her predecessor, had already installed a demonstration energy efficient lighting project in a portion of Building 472. Jolly asked Sapien to “finish the job” and replace all the lights with ones similar to those used in Nguyen’s demonstration.

Sapien worked with Linda Hunter, a consultant and resource efficiency manager from TetraTech, and both noticed that not only was the lighting inadequate in the building, “but the lights were not energy efficient,” said Sapien. “We looked at the solution in two ways; we could improve the lighting, and make Building 472 an energy project, which we did.”

Sapien said that she can’t take all the credit for the improved lighting in Building 472 and credits some of the success to Hunter.

The two worked closely with the Depot’s Facilities Branch and engineers to make the project happen.

“We started the project not long after Fred’s email,” said Sapien. “We installed the first set of demonstration lights in April 2002 and left them there for two months.”

When the demonstration period ended, Jolly suggested to Sapien that the Depot purchase the new lights. “Originally, the Building 472 project only covered Jolly’s area,” Sapien mentioned. “Because the new lighting proved to be more effective, there was a Depot Investment Board initiative to upgrade all the fixtures in the building and parts of Building 463. The project was given the green light.”

Sapien said that the funds were approved last September so she locked in a GSA contract. “From then until now, it was basically ironing out the specifics, negotiating the contract, and dealing with the details,” she said.”

“Apparently, the demonstration case was a success and here we are with new lights. It’s fantastic!” Jolly said. He noted that he is receiving positive feedback from the employees in the building.

“I have been working here since 1977, and the lighting has never been better. I’m glad to see those old orange lights go,” said George Chevalier, a sheet metal mechanic. “The lights are much brighter, and I can see what I’m working on.”

John Kuhl echoed Chevalier’s remarks. “The new lights are nice. The lighting in this building was bad, and the new fluorescent lights make a big difference,” the equipment operator said.

“I see a major improvement. A total difference!” said Love Cortez, a former Marine who is an ordnance technician.
Harry Grant, an aircraft mechanic, said, “We should have had these lights years ago. They will take some getting used to, but they are better than what we had.”

Sapien mentioned that Building 472 is the Depot’s largest electricity user. “And it isn’t just the lights,” she said. “There are plating shops and other industrial processes in the building that use a lot of energy.” According to Sapien, the building consumes nearly 25 percent of the Depot’s electricity.

The new lights are being installed with automatic shut off controls so when an area is unoccupied, the lights will be off, saving energy and dollars.

“We should be seeing a cost savings almost immediately once the project is completed,” Sapien said. “If we just shut off the lights for six hours each night, seven days a week, we should see a cost reduction of roughly 12 percent in the building. And this is a tremendous savings!”

She said that the 12 percent reduction would be about 3 percent of the Depot’s electric bill “or roughly $230,000.”