News

17 April 2009

 

Universities of Miami and Alaska join Cree LED University program

LED chip, lamp and lighting fixture maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA says that both the University of Miami and the University of Alaska at Anchorage (UAA) are joining the LED University program.

Launched in April 2008, the LED University initiative is an international community of universities working to evaluate, deploy and promote the adoption of energy-efficient LEDs across their campus infrastructures (in areas such as offices, student housing, parking garages, walkways and streets). The aim is to save energy, protect the environment, reduce maintenance costs, and provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety.

The University of Miami and UAA join inaugural participant North Carolina State University as well as University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Arkansas, Marquette University, the University of Notre Dame, University of California, Davis, and Madison Area Technical College (MATC) in the USA, as well as Tianjin Polytechnic University in China.

The University of Miami has already installed 20 BetaLED LEDway pole lights on walkways on the main campus. It is also retrofitting LED lighting at various interior locations such as classrooms. LED lighting pilot installations are already saving as much as 70% on energy used for lighting conference rooms and hallways.

Picture (above): A walkway at the University of Miami lit by LED lighting fixtures.

“With new LED lighting on our main campus, we achieve far better area illumination, enhancing visibility and safety at night,” says Humberto Speziani, VP business services. “The University of Miami is working toward 'greener' facilities, and we continue to evaluate new technologies, such as LED lighting, for both interior and exterior applications,” he adds. “The university intends to monitor the performance of LED lighting and other sustainable technologies as they continue to advance.”

UAA began converting lighting applications to LEDs five years ago, starting with signage, specialty lighting, aisle lighting in lecture halls and theater stairway lighting. It recently completed a parking lot pilot with seven fixtures from BetaLED, and is evaluating 14 BetaLED fixtures for parking garages and covered walkways. UAA is reducing its energy consumption for the parking lot and garage by about 60% compared with the high-intensity discharge (HID) lights that were replaced. It is also evaluating LED lighting for recessed lighting in stairwells and mechanical rooms, walkway bollards and parking lot lights for its new Health Science Building.

“We’re achieving better visibility and significant energy savings, and anticipate significantly reduced maintenance costs for the life of the LED fixtures, which can be 25 years,” says Chris Turletes, associate vice chancellor for facilities and campus services. “We are standardizing on LED lighting in the applications where we can achieve these dramatic benefits,” he adds.

Picture (above): An LED-lit garage at UAA.

“Lighting at UAA is a major focus for visibility and safety, especially during Anchorage’s long winter nights,” says Deb Lovig, Cree's LED programs manager. “UAA joins a prestigious group of progressive institutions that are promoting and deploying LED lighting as each works toward increasing energy savings, protecting the environment, reducing maintenance costs and providing better light quality.”

See related items:

UC Davis joins Cree’s LED University program

Notre Dame and Madison Area Technical College join LED University Program

Cree launches LED University program

Search: Cree LEDs LED University program

Visit: www.leduniversity.org

Visit: www.cree.com