News

10 February 2010

 

Arizona State University joins LED University program

LED chip, lamp and lighting fixture maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA says that Arizona State University (ASU) has joined its 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.

Working with APS Energy Services of Tempe, AZ (a full-services energy services subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp), ASU has replaced more than 2000 existing 150W metal-halide fixtures with 78W LED low-bay luminaires in six parking structures. ASU has also replaced 6-inch incandescent downlights in the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law rotunda with Cree LR6 recessed LED downlights, which consume 85% less energy.

ASU hence expects to reduce its energy consumption by 1.5 million kilowatt hours per year (equivalent to annual greenhouse gas emission from 208 passenger vehicles). The move to LEDs could deliver annual savings of up to $127,000 in energy and maintenance costs, and the new fixtures are projected to last 50,000 hours (about three times longer than a typical metal-halide bulb, and compared to about 1000 h ours for an incandescent bulb).

With about 80,000 students, faculty and staff, ASU is focusing on energy conservation and sustainability programs, including the installation of LED lighting solutions across its campus. For the second year in a row, ASU was named one of the nation’s ‘greenest’ universities by The Princeton Review in its Green Rating Honor Roll (an annual rating of environmentally friendly institutions).

“ LED lighting is another proof point for our ongoing green efforts,” says Bonny Bentzin, ASU’s director of sustainable business practices. “Installing LED fixtures on campus provides an energy-efficient means to achieve higher quality of light, as well as offering financial benefits due to the associated energy and maintenance savings.”

“Not only are they promoting environmentally conscious projects, but they are also helping to instill these principles in their students and lead other universities by example,” comments Deb Lovig, Cree’s LED programs manager.

Arizona State University joins 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, the University of Miami, the University of Alaska at Anchorage, Madison Area Technical College, Joliet Junior College, Alfred University and Milwaukee Area Technical College in the USA, as well as Tianjin Polytechnic University in China.

See related items:

Milwaukee Area Technical College joins Cree LED University program

Alfred University joins Cree LED University program

First US public community college joins Cree’s LED University program

Search: LED University program Cree LEDs

Visit: www.asu.edu

Visit: www.leduniversity.org