Thousands of Fixtures Projected to Achieve Better Than Four-Year Payback

Feb 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Cree, Durham, N.C., recently announced plans to install more than 4,200 LR24 recessed LED luminaires in Wedge 5 of the Pentagon as part of a major renovation currently underway. John J. Kubricky, deputy undersecretary of defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, and Albert C. Ellet, acting director of the Washington Headquarters Service responsible for overseeing the renovation, signed an intra-departmental Memorandum of Agreement kicking off the initiative to install LED lighting in the Pentagon.

The Cree LR24 luminaires have undergone extensive government testing and business-case analysis, including a preliminary Pentagon installation to meter the fixtures and compare the results to the alternative fluorescent technology. This independent analysis demonstrated a 22% reduction in energy usage and improved light quality.

The business-case analysis yielded a payback of less than four years. The payback analysis considered energy savings, lifetime maintenance savings, savings from reduced load on the HVAC system and elimination of hazardous waste disposal fees for mercury-laden fluorescent bulbs. Extensive modeling also was performed to determine optimal lighting design — analyzing the light distribution and spacing to ensure superior lighting and energy efficiency. The Wedge 5 installation is estimated to save 140 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.

The LR24 units being used for the Pentagon renovation are being purchased from Cree by the Department of Defense's Title III program as a part of its ongoing development program with Cree, and provided to the Washington Headquarters Services, which oversees the Pentagon renovation program.

Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus