North Carolina State University chooses Cree LEDs for better lighting and better learning
Lighting is a 24-7 operation for North Carolina State University’s Campus Life department. Between thousands of residence hall rooms and suites, common recreation areas for residents and computer labs open around the clock, finding ways to reduce energy consumption and operating costs are always top of mind. In its continued efforts to integrate energy-saving features into its student housing, the university once again turned to Cree for a solution.
As part of an ongoing campus-wide sustainability effort, NC State installed Cree’s CR22™ LED architectural troffers equipped with SmartCast™ Technology on the first floor of North Hall, located on main campus. A lobby, recreation area and computer lab make this area heavily trafficked, and in need of light 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Cree SmartCast Technology with motion sensing turns lights out when spaces are empty, and allows North Hall to only use the crisp, warm LED light they need, when they need it. “When overseeing dozens of campus housing environments, it is critical to keep expenses to a minimum,” says Pete Fraccaroli, Facilities Manager of Campus Life with North Carolina State University. “Fixtures that turn off automatically guarantee we are saving energy when students are away.” North Hall also benefits from the daylight harvesting feature of SmartCast Technology, which allows fixtures to detect extra daylight and adjust output as necessary to maintain consistent light levels.
“The daylight sensing feature helps make sure we’re considering the light coming in from outside and are only using the amount of light from the fixtures that we need. The consistency and quality of the light we’re seeing is very impressive,” says Mark Sorrell, head electrician with NC State’s Campus Life department.
Maintenance cost savings is a major benefit of switching any fixture to Cree LED lighting. Cree fixtures provide longer lasting light, reducing the amount of time and money spent on replacing lamps. With its innovative OneButton™ Setup, Cree SmartCast Technology simplifies the configuration process commonly found with traditional lighting controls.
Sorrell considers maintenance savings and simplicity of installation the major benefits of the new Cree fixtures: “One of the biggest bonuses to using these fixtures with SmartCast™ Technology is the time we’re saving with installation and maintenance. Also, the OneButton Setup of the controls system was a tremendous feature. It’s simple to configure, and very impressive.”
With Cree CR22 architectural troffers and SmartCast Technology, NC State continues to be on the forefront of campus energy-savings initiatives. Learn more about how Cree and NC State’s Campus Life department have teamed up in the past to integrate sustainability features across campus. …