Lend Lease, a leader in public-private community development, and PolyBrite International, Inc., manufacturer and creator of Borealis® LED Lamps and Lighting, today announced its partnership to convert the Oak Park Neighborhood at Knox Hills into the largest residential LED community in the world. The project, which consists of more than 9,500 Borealis LED light bulbs installed in 164 homes, is scheduled for completion in October 2012.

Knox Hills, the partnership formed between the US Department of the Army and Lend Lease under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), is already the largest LEED Gold certified community in the U.S. Army and the state of Kentucky. This retrofit is expected to reduce the community’s annual energy costs by $34,000, saving more than $859,000 worth of energy throughout the life of the bulbs, expected to be 22 years.

“This project would not be possible without the joint leadership efforts of PolyBrite, Knox Hills, the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense,” said Marc Sierra, Managing Director, Lend Lease (US) Public Partnerships.  “It is a true testament to each party’s goals of increasing the military’s sustainably efforts. In addition, it helps Lend Lease accomplish its portfolio-wide goals of reducing energy consumption by at least 20 percent within the next five years.”

Throughout its lifespan, the Borealis LED light bulbs installed at Knox Hills are expected to conserve approximately 2.6 million kWh worth of light energy, the equivalent of planting 547 acres of trees. The project is also expected to help the Department of Defense meet its renewable energy requirements of reducing energy consumption by 20 percent before 2020.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the sustainability goals of the U.S. Army, and its affiliates, to ensure greater energy efficiency,” said Carl Scianna, President, CEO and Founder of PolyBrite International.  Mr. Scianna further noted that “The role of energy efficiency in reducing our fiscal burden cannot be underestimated, and we can help accomplish this with clean and better quality lighting.”

Lend Lease currently has the largest solar-powered community at Army Hawaii, the first Zero Energy Home on a military installation at Fort Campbell and the state of Texas’ largest Silver LEED certified community at Fort Hood. Lend Lease was also chosen as one of the original 14 organizations to launch the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge.

PolyBrite has dedicated 17 years of experience in designing and manufacturing sustainable LED lighting solutions designed to deliver outstanding energy reduction without sacrificing performance and light quality. With a strong commitment to minimizing environmental impact, PolyBrite manufactures innovative, energy-efficient LED lighting solutions under its BOREALIS® brand providing energy and maintenance savings solutions.