Jun 12 2013
Weber State University’s installation of GE’s Albeo™ LED High Bay lighting at the Dee Events Center has been met with resounding cheers for its lighting quality and energy savings.
By replacing HID lighting commonly found in sports arenas, the Albeo ABHX-Series uses 70 percent less energy and is expected to save Weber State University nearly $40,000 each year.(Photo: General Electric)
By replacing high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting commonly found in sports arenas, the Albeo ABHX-Series uses 70 percent less energy and is expected to save the university nearly $40,000 each year.
When assessing a potential energy-saving project, the WSU Energy & Sustainability Office looks at other institutions’ solutions for ideas. But there were no examples to consider when an analysis of campus energy use revealed that HID lighting at the Dee Events Center was one of the single biggest power hogs.
“Month after month when the electric bill came for the Dee Events Center, all we could do was cringe and pay,” said Jacob Cain, WSU Energy & Sustainability Manager. “The new high bay lighting gives us brighter light with fewer fixtures, and we spend less money on energy. Now that’s something we welcome and our teams and fans can appreciate.”
GE Lighting offered WSU an LED high bay fixture that is commonly used for warehouse applications. The university’s energy team ordered one for analysis, testing its capabilities for this unique setting. The team measured its distribution of light, dimming capabilities, and net change in weight applied to the lighting scheme known as the cloud at the home of WSU’s men's and women's basketball. A mounting system was designed and fabricated, and then the single unit was hung for review by the athletics department.
Upon approval, a total of 80 fixtures were installed, requiring special attention to timing so it would not interrupt activities on the court. Replacing 100 HID fixtures, the new LED high bay lighting produces more than 200 foot candles, or the amount of light that falls on a given surface – double that of NCAA requirements for courts. The original lighting produced dim spots on the court, and foot candles ranged from 60-150 depending on location, Cain said.
Officials with WSU are pleased with the Albeo ABHX-Series because of the lighting quality, and the quantity of light is more than ample. In addition to considerable energy savings, it increases the ability for special effects because the LEDs instantly illuminate with no buzz or flickering and can be dimmable and adjustable in nine zones throughout the arena.
Additionally, the Albeo ABHX-Series LED lighting fixtures significantly diminish maintenance needs in difficult-to-reach areas, including those at arenas where swapping bulbs requires special equipment and trained personnel. Because LEDs dim over time, lifetimes are based on the number of hours the fixtures produce at least 70 percent of the initial light output, referred to as L70. The Albeo ABHX-Series’ life is rated for 100,000 hours at L70. The HID lamps they replaced last a fraction of that time.
The Albeo ABHX-Series fixture can substitute a range of legacy high bay lighting systems—250-watt to 1500-watt HID and four- to eight-lamp T5/T8 high-intensity fluorescent lighting, which burn out after 20,000-30,000 hours, creating a total failure of the lighting mechanism.
The Albeo ABHX-Series was recognized in the category of “Industrial Luminaires - high bay” in the 2013 Next Generation Luminaires™ (NGL) Solid-State Lighting Design Indoor Competition. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the NGL awards recognize excellence in energy-efficient LED commercial lighting unit design. The ABHX-Series also recently earned a 2013 Architectural SSL Magazine Product Innovation Award, which showcases cutting-edge LED and solid-state luminaires and fixtures.