City Decreases Environmental Impact by 74 Percent

City decreases environmental impact by reducing energy consumption by 74 percent; replaces over 400 metal halide fixtures with LED technology. The parking garage at the City Hall in Austin, Texas, houses 750 parking spaces and must leave its lights on 24 hours a day, making for high energy usage and big electrical bills. After evaluating several manufacturers' LED products, city officials chose LED luminaires from Cooper Lighting, an industry leader committed to delivering innovative products and driving transformational technology in the lighting industry. By replacing approximately 425 175-watt metal halide fixtures with McGraw-Edison Concise™ LED Luminaires, the city will reduce the wattage in the parking garage by 74 percent and save $46,000 annually in electricity costs. The LED lighting replacement project was funded as part of a $7.5 million grant provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was awarded to Austin Energy to increase the efficiency of municipal facilities in the City of Austin. Replacing the 175-watt fixtures with 53-watt LED fixtures, the parking garage will see a savings of 575,462 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. When tasked with selecting fixtures for the parking garage, Austin Energy researched several manufacturers' products and performed a test installation of five fixtures. Cooper Lighting's product was rated as the best performing LED fixture after measuring light levels and was ultimately chosen for its low profile, superior energy savings and payback. "After measuring fixture performance, calculating project savings and payback and soliciting opinions from facility stakeholders and the general public, the City of Austin determined that the Cooper LED luminaire best met the needs for the City Hall Parking Garage," says James Parker, Project Manager, City of Austin. "We were impressed by Cooper's reputation as a manufacturer and their ability to meet tight project delivery schedules. After installing the Cooper Lighting LED fixtures, we are realizing a significant reduction in energy usage and savings in energy costs while dramatically improving the quality and quantity of lighting. This response by the citizens of Austin has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive. We are literally saving the amount of electricity equivalent to the power used by 48 average homes in Austin each year. This has been one of the most impressive projects I have completed in my career." The McGraw-Edison Concise LED Luminaires feature patent-pending, modular LED LightBAR™ technology, which delivers uniform illumination to improve vehicular movement and pedestrian safety. The LED fixtures offer energy savings from 30-75% over standard H.I.D sources found in many applications today. The one-piece, die-cast aluminum rugged housing features heavy wall construction for superior heat transfer and reliable operation in -30 degrees C to 40 degrees C ambient conditions. "Cooper Lighting is always proud to know that we are helping cities and residents reach their energy reduction goals, saving thousands of dollars each year," said Mark Eubanks, President, Cooper Lighting. "It is exciting to see so many cities across the country taking advantage of the benefits that LED technology can offer, and we are continuing to develop products and technologies to keep up with the pace of these project needs and goals. We are pleased that the City of Austin chose our product and that they are seeing the results they anticipated." Source: www.ledinside.com