Case Study: University of California, Santa Barbara achieves 76% energy savings and modernizes campus lighting with Enlighted

Intelligent lighting delivers energy savings of 76% and modernizes stately campus

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), a tier-one research campus with 300 buildings, faced rising energy and maintenance costs from older fluorescent lighting—especially in corridors that stayed lit 24/7 despite very low occupancy. The energy manager prioritized upgrades to LED and automated controls to cut waste, modernize aging spaces, and free up budget for other sustainability projects.

UCSB deployed the Enlighted system beginning in 2013, prioritizing corridor retrofits and then expanding controls campus-wide. With LED fixtures, occupancy sensors, and networked lighting controls (1,567 sensors across seven buildings), the solution delivered adaptive dimming, reduced maintenance, and measured energy reductions of about 76% in initial implementations—results the university is scaling across its campus with strong ROI and plans to integrate sensor data with HVAC and building management systems.

University of California, Santa Barbara

Jordan Sager

Energy Manager