The MassMutual Center, home of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Springfield Falcons and Ephesus Lighting, the leader in delivering high-output LED lighting to sports and entertainment venues, announced today that the arena will install the company’s high-output LED lighting solution in time for the start of the 2015-16 AHL season. It becomes the seventh AHL arena to install LED lighting from Ephesus Lighting in the past three years.

“We are pleased to welcome the MassMutual Center to the future of sports lighting,” said Mike Lorenz, president of Ephesus Lighting. “Like the many other AHL arenas that have made the switch to our LED lighting solution, the coaches, players, fans and broadcasters will see a better event under the higher-quality consistent lighting that LED provides.”

The 100,000 square-foot 8,000-seat MassMutual Center will install 72 Ephesus Arena 600 fixtures to illuminate the playing surface and an additional 64 Altus 140 fixtures to light the seating area. The lights will be operated via the Ephesus wireless control system offering programmable light shows and other in-arena entertainment features. The new lighting solution, will save the facility 75% in energy costs while dramatically improving the lighting quality over the current metal halide system.

"After extensive research our building operators selected the Ephesus LED solution to light the MassMutual Center because they felt it is best product in the market," said Bruce Landon, Director of Hockey Operations for the Springfield Falcons. "They carefully studied how Ephesus operated in several other American Hockey League facilities and saw first-hand the positive impact it had on both the fan experience and player performance. We have no doubt that it will do the same at the MassMutual Center.”

Owned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and managed by Global Spectrum, the MassMutual Center was opened in 1972 and underwent dramatic renovation in 2003. In addition to being the home ice for Springfield Falcons hockey, it also hosts concerts, family shows and community events throughout the year. The MassMutual Center has a long-standing commitment to sustainability with many programs in place to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Since making the War Memorial Arena, home of the Syracuse Crunch, the first arena in North America to be illuminated by LED lighting in 2012, six other AHL arenas, including the MassMutual Center, have followed suit including THE AUD (Utica Comets); Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena, (Binghamton Senators); Webster Bank Arena (Bridgeport Sound Tigers); BMO Harris Bank Center, (Rockford IceHogs); and the Ricoh Coliseum (Toronto Marlies).

Ephesus fixtures provide a significant increase in illumination compared to traditional metal halide lights. LED lighting is brighter and more uniform on the playing surface, creating a better stage for players as well as for both fans in the stadium and those watching on high-definition television. Additionally, LED lights can be turned on and off with the flick of a switch, whereas metal halide fixtures require a 20-minute warm-up period. This on/off feature also allows facility operators to create projection light shows for fan entertainment, and if a power outage were ever to cause a blackout, Ephesus LED lights can be turned back on immediately with the flick of a switch.

Since lighting the first sports venue with LED technology in North America in 2012, Ephesus Lighting luminaires have been operational for over 300,000 hours in more than 100 indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment venues across North America including: University of Phoenix Stadium, the home field of the NFL Arizona Cardinals; the Canadian Tire Centre, home ice of the NHL Ottawa Senators; and top college arenas and stadiums at Duke, Cornell, the Naval Academy, the University of Rhode Island and many more.