Grant will help pay for more efficient lighting at Sears Centre

Hoffman Estates' Sears Centre Arena is continuing its 10-year upgrade by accepting a state grant that will pay more than half the cost of a new lighting system for sporting events.

The new fixtures are expected to save $25,000 or more in usage costs each year.

Village board members on Monday recommended approval of the $111,168 Public Sector Energy Efficiency Project Grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The grant will be put toward the expected $200,000 cost of replacing the arena's original metal halide sports lights with new LED fixtures, lowering the village's payback of its portion of the cost to four years.

The project will replace 120 lights above the main auditorium with 70 more efficient fixtures, expected to last at least a decade, Assistant Village Manager Mark Koplin said.

The Sears Centre recently became the home court of the Chicago Bulls' new Development League team, the Windy City Bulls.

While the arrival of that new tenant did have some impact on the timing of the approximately $1 million cost of replacing the arena's basketball court and scoreboard system, energy efficiency alone is the motivation for replacing the lighting, Koplin said.

"Any event that has those lights will equally benefit," he added.

And the criteria by which such public-sector projects are evaluated for grant funding also are heavily centered on energy savings, Koplin said.

Another benefit of the LED lights is that they come back on immediately after a power outage or power surge, while the current fixtures take 10 to 15 minutes to return to full illumination, he said.

The village board will vote formally to accept the grant next Monday, Dec. 5, but must still award a contract to a bidder for the work.

Installation is expected to take about two weeks but must be scheduled around booked events. The grant requires the project to be completed by May 8.