Cree Inc., announces that University of California, Davis is joining the LED University™ program in conjunction with the unveiling of new bi-level LED lighting at UC Davis’ South Entry Parking Structure. The LED light fixtures, featuring activity-sensing technology adapted and developed at California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at UC Davis, provide enhanced nighttime visibility while reducing energy consumption by up to 80% compared with the metal-halide fixtures that were replaced.

Switching to LED lights and adding bi-level activity-sensing technology yields energy savings for the project averaging 50 percent. In low mode, energy savings are up to 80 percent. The university installed 50 BetaLED™ fixtures in this project, based on nighttime, bi-level operation with an average ambient temperature near 15⁰C, the luminaires should require no relamping and be virtually maintenance free for 20 to 25 years.

Chris Cioni, associate director of UC Davis facilities management, utilities division, said they are improving visibility and enhancing the safety of their parking structure while reducing energy consumption, and are also significantly reducing both maintenance costs and light trespass compared to the incumbent metal-halide technology by installing LED lighting. Deploying LED lighting in the parking facilities yields benefits in many areas, and they plan to evaluate LED lighting in other applications.

“Our initial LED lighting installation is part of CLTC’s Smart Lighting Initiative, an effort we have pursued over the past two years to utilize high-efficiency lighting sources with bi-level activity sensors to reduce lighting levels when no one is using the parking facility,” said Michael Siminovitch, CLTC director. “Even at half-power, the LED fixtures are delivering plenty of light to the space. We may be able to cut levels further, saving even more electricity and lengthening fixture lifetimes.”

Safety can be improved with the bi-level system. When motion is detected and the higher light mode is activated, the change in the visual environment alerts people nearby. Drivers, pedestrians and security agents now have an indicator when there is activity in the area.

UC Davis joins LED University participants North Carolina State University, Marquette University, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Arkansas, Madison Area Technical College, Notre Dame, and Tianjin Polytechnic University in China in evaluating, promoting, and deploying LED lighting as they work toward increasing energy savings, protecting the environment, reducing maintenance costs, and providing better light quality for improved visibility and safety.

About California Lighting Technology Center
California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), within the Design Program at UC Davis, is a research and education facility that focuses on the application of energy-efficient lighting and daylighting technologies through research, development, demonstration, outreach, and education in partnership with utilities, manufacturers, end users, builders, designers, and governmental agencies. CLTC was established through a collaborative effort of the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program and the University of California, Davis, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association to advance energy efficient lighting and daylighting technologies. For more information, refer to http://cltc.ucdavis.edu.

About LED University
The LED University initiative is a growing international community of universities working to evaluate, deploy, and promote LED lighting across their campus infrastructures to save energy, protect the environment, reduce maintenance costs, and provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 22 percent of electricity used in the U.S. powers lighting. In a world with soaring energy prices based on the availability and control of fossil fuels, and with growing concern about sustainability of the environment, a revolution in lighting is long overdue.

Details of each university’s LED lighting pilots and installations are available on the LED University web site: www.leduniversity.org.