The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) recently completed the installation of nearly 1,600 LED luminaires that light walkways and grassy areas in Central Park. The new luminaires from Spring City Electrical feature Cree (Nasdaq: CREE) XLamp® XP-G LEDs in each fixture and were produced using an advanced light engine from Heatron. DOT officials estimate the new LED lighting will reduce energy usage by 62 percent and deliver annual maintenance savings of nearly $30,000 compared to metal halide lighting.

The NYC DOT initiated the project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) GATEWAY demonstration program to improve the park environment for local citizens and visitors and to significantly lower energy and maintenance expenses for the city. “Located in the heart of Manhattan, Central Park presented a unique lighting challenge,” said James Brodrick, DOE Lighting Program Manager. “For walkways in general, it’s important to measure both horizontal and vertical illuminance. The former to monitor available light for paths and to determine how much is distributed onto the adjacent grass and the latter to determine whether the illumination is sufficient to identify approaching pedestrians.”

Addressing the challenge head-on, Spring City Electrical joined forces with Heatron and Cree to deliver the new fixtures. The luminaires, which Spring City projects to have an estimated 75,000-hour lifespan, are being placed on existing 9-ft tall cast iron posts and are spaced about 80 ft apart along the paved walking trail.

“Spring City’s engineering capabilities and old world craftsmanship are well represented in the Central Park LED installation,” said Chris Rosfelder, vice president sales and marketing, Spring City Electrical. “We are very pleased with the performance of Cree’s XP-G LEDs in our luminaire systems. Cree LEDs are consistently among the highest performing LEDs in the industry. And Heatron is really the glue that brings us all together – their OEM leadership enables us to leverage the best LED technology in the industry.”

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