Replacing 100 outdoor fixtures improves illumination and reduces annual energy costs by up to $7,000.

Attracting nearly one million visitors each year, the Grand Traverse County Civic Center is a multi-use facility encompassing roughly 45 acres, located in Traverse City, Michigan. Although the site offers visitors many outdoor options, its fixtures illuminating the Civic Center’s mile long oval track were leaving many joggers and walkers in the dark. To help increase overall illumination, the County turned to solutions from Cooper Lighting, an industry leader committed to delivering innovative products and driving transformational technology in the lighting industry.

Tasked with the difficult challenge of improving overall energy usage while maintaining proper illumination, reducing glare and limiting light pollution, Danny Brown, Director, Grand Traverse County Facilities, worked alongside Cooper Lighting to develop a solution. After reviewing photometrics, analyzing paybacks and evaluating several products, Brown settled on efficient Lumark RV Ridgeview™ LED Area Luminaires from Cooper Lighting as a one-for-one replacement. Utilizing existing grants, these new fixtures were able to replace all 100 of the Civic Center’s outdated 250-watt High Pressure Sodium (HPS) fixtures to not only improve illumination, but also save the County up to $7,000 annually in electrical costs.

“After assessing the many benefits associated with LED lighting, we quickly realized that it would be good for both the Civic Center and our wallets to upgrade,” said Brown. “Working with Cooper Lighting, we were able to utilize the latest in LED technology to significantly reduce our overall energy consumption from 300 totals watts/fixture to just 51 total watts/fixture. The new fixtures will also provide visual comfort for those using the track and also in the surrounding neighborhoods. This project really has truly put us in a win-win scenario and, although it’s only partially completed, has already begun to receive overwhelmingly positive reviews.”

Ideal for end-users looking to improve illumination and decrease energy and maintenance costs, the Lumark Ridgeview LED luminaires offer a compact, efficient and economical approach to LED lighting that combines a low-profile design with excellent operating performance. For uniform and energy conscious illumination, Ridgeview LED fixtures include scalable IP66 rated LightBAR™ technology with patented AccuLED Optics™ allowing for an energy savings between 30-70 percent over standard H.I.D. systems. Additional benefits include a warm white light of 4000K correlated color temperature (CCT) that won’t sacrifice lumen output; 50,000+ hour rated life, six times longer than traditional metal halide sources; and durable die-cast aluminum construction.

“More and more customers are turning to reliable LED fixtures to address their lighting needs,” said Mark Eubanks, President, Cooper Lighting. “While the shift is certainly due to the overall energy savings LED lighting can provide, we’ve found that many customers are upgrading based on the lighting performance associated with our LED technology. Our work with the Grand Traverse County Civic Center is yet another great example of how choosing Cooper Lighting products can provide proper illumination while also significantly lowering overall cost.” 

Grand Traverse County funded the project in large part to a $45,000 Advanced Lighting Technology Demonstration Grant from the State of Michigan Energy Office. The grant was awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) for projects that create and retain jobs, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funding was awarded to local units of government that were willing to demonstrate the benefits of advanced commercial lighting technologies in their facilities.