Lights Out: Are State Offices Meeting Energy Reduction Goals?

COLUMBUS, Ohio—When driving downtown at night, you may notice hundreds, sometimes thousands of office lights still on while the offices are empty.

For state offices, left-on lights are a waste of electricity and a waste of tax dollars.

NBC 4 started documenting all of those left-on lights in October.

Gov. Ted Strickland has established a lights out policy for state workers, but is it working?

In January, Strickland ordered state employees to reduce energy usage by 5 percent before June 2008 and by 15 percent before June 2011.

But for the second time in the past month, NBC 4 has found some state government buildings lighting up the night sky long after most workers left. Not just a few lights are left on—but the lights on entire floors.

After midnight passed, NBC 4’s cameras found more lights on than off at the 246 North High complex at the corner of High and Chestnut—the department of health.

According to the latest energy audit, the complex failed to meet Strickland’s 5 percent goal, instead only cutting energy usage by less than 2 percent.

A representative did not know why so many lights would be on late at night, but said the department reminds employees to turn off the lights and computers before they leave.

While the south side of the Ohio Department of Education building at Broad and Front streets was well lit, a representative said cleaning crews work during the midnight hour, and according to the department of administrative services, building occupants reduced energy usage by more than 5 percent since last June.

NBC 4 found two of the state’s larges office buildings—the Rhodes Tower and the Riffe Building—were virtually dark after midnight. The Riffe Building reduced its energy usage by 5 percent, and the Rhodes Tower reduced by 10 percent, saving energy and taxpayer dollars.

Energy usage actually increased in some building, including the Ohio Computer Center, the Bureau of Workers Compensation and the governor’s residence.