New energy-efficient lighting was installed in the senior lobby, hallways, and classrooms of Westford Academy during December break as a continuation of the plan to upgrade the school with more cost-effective light fixtures.
The first wave of renovations took place in the science hallway during the first months of 2025. This marked the beginning of a three-phase plan to upgrade the old lights, with two more phases to come after fiscal year 2026. Most recently, students and staff have noticed the new circular lights installed in front of the cafeteria.
The decision to install the new lights came from the Westford Buildings and Grounds board in 2024, who identified that WA could save money by replacing the fluorescent lighting with light-emitting diode (LED) lights. The yearly kilowatt hour (kWh) saving for phase one of the plan alone is an estimated 202,425 kWh and 114,649 kWh for phase two. According to Westford Buildings and Grounds director Jeff Goodwin, the combined effort will result in $68,000 of annual savings. It will take approximately 48 months for the project to break even.
“The facilities department is always looking for opportunities for operational efficiencies and to pursue projects that align with the goals of both [the] town and [the] schools for decarbonization and energy savings,” Goodwin said. “That, coupled with the lucrative incentives offered by National Grid to pursue lighting projects, really made the decision to pursue these projects an easy one.”
The cost of installing the new lights does not come solely from the WA budget. These projects are being funded by a blend of bill repayments and net metering credits.
“[The energy] is going to save as prices go up, and energy is getting more expensive, so it’s a big school system [and] town initiative to do this kind of thing,” Principal Dan Twomey said.
Many factors affect the savings the school and the town will experience due to the upgrades. According to Goodwin, the replacement of fluorescent fixtures with new LEDs will result in significant amounts of energy and renovation savings every year.
“Beyond the electricity savings, there is an operational maintenance savings of not having to replace costly ballasts which are associated with fluorescent fixtures,” Goodwin said.
The lighting is primarily expected to change in classrooms, hallways, gymnasiums, and common areas.
“It’s all about the location of where the new lights are, I think,” Twomey said. “[There are] some interior hallways where there’s no natural light or anything, and now we have brighter lights in those areas and I think that makes a big difference.”
Many WA students have noticed the differences between the old and new lights, including the vast difference of brightness emitted from them.
“It was really alarming when we came back from break and everything was so bright,” senior Natalie Bearfield said. “I definitely prefer the way the lights were before because the brighter lights feel more aggressive.”
According to Dominion Electric, there is an optimal level of brightness, between 300-500 lux, that is recommended for academic settings and education. The lights are currently being installed at this recommended level, but can be adjusted based on teacher preferences.
“They’re all different. Classroom lights are different than the hallway lights, [and] there are certain hallway lights that are different from the circular ones,” Twomey said.
Some classrooms have felt the need to turn down the brightness of their lights based on the preferences of the teachers.
“[Before, the lights] were super bright. So, the custodians turned them down, and I think there were certain rooms set up so each teacher can decide on the brightness of their [own] room,” math teacher Rachel Connerty said.
Another aspect that the lights affect is safety within the school.
“LED lighting provides a much brighter level of visibility that naturally makes areas, particularly in stairwells, hallways, and parking areas, safer,” Goodwin said.
It is possible, according to Twomey, that these new lights are not the only sustainability upgrade in store for Westford Academy. A common point of discussion, especially in extreme temperatures, is the school’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).
“There’s a real effort to replace the roof and all of the HVAC system here, because it needs to [be fixed]. The system is old [and] it is not working properly,” Twomey said. “If it passes that town meeting, that would be another efficiency for sure. I think that would save the town and the school system money as well.”
