NEW ORLEANS, La. – New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has wrapped up a multimillion-dollar project to make the building more energy efficient.
The $20.6 million project is part of the centre’s five-year capital improvement plan, and saw a complete upgrade of lighting, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems.
As reported by neworleanscitybusiness.com, workers replaced more than 4,000 light fixtures with LEDs in the venue’s one-million-square-foot exhibit hall and retrofitted more than 2,000 light fixtures in the center’s offices, corridors, and stairwells.
Additionally, the HVAC plant was completely rebuilt with a new control room and operations center, 60 water bottle filling stations were installed, and low-flow fixtures were added to 36 restrooms.
According to a media release, it is expected the project will save the center thousands of dollars and millions of kilowatt hours. An energy audit will be completed to measure how well the upgrades are working. Possible further actions include electric vehicle charging stations, solar power, and a reflective roof to reduce energy use.
“Not only will these energy efficiency upgrades lessen the impact that the Convention Center has on the environment, they will also improve the experience our guests have when they visit the facility,” said Linda Baynham, director of sustainability in the media release.
The facility launched a $557 million renovation in 2018 that has also resulted in improvements to its technology infrastructure, Convention Center Boulevard, and a new 7.5-acre pedestrian park.
Possible further improvements include a 10,000-square-foot meeting room, a glass-encased ballroom overlooking the Mississippi River, and indoor and outdoor spaces for meetings and exhibits.
