Rocklin, CA -- A report was recently released on behalf of Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) on SmartWatt Energy’s design and installation of an advanced lighting and controls retrofit, commonly referred to as “SmartLighting,” that took place under a SMUD-sponsored program.
The scope of the project involved replacing two hundred and ninety eight (298) 250-Watt metal halide (MH) fixtures with 160-Watt dimmable LED fixtures with motion sensors in their refrigerated distribution centers. Blue Diamond’s objective was not only to save energy and cost but also to improve lighting quality and control capabilities. According to the report, SmartWatt’s design and implementation of the project succeeded on all counts and has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
“Blue Diamond’s proactive thinking on energy efficiency, plus the encouragement and incentives from SMUD, frontloaded this project to be a decisive success. The design and installation went off without a hitch, proving that SmartLighting technology has come of age,” says Brooklyn Stewart, General Manager of SmartWatt’s Sacramento office.
At the Blue Diamond facility, SmartWatt managed to increase lighting levels throughout, provide a total annual energy savings of 593,688 kWh, and ensure a payback period of less than two years. Blue Diamond went from having a previous system too cumbersome to ever turn off their lights -- except on four national holidays a year -- to a motion sensor system so nimble it can be controlled through wireless technology.
The new LED fixtures consume approximately 59 percent less power (without task tuning) than the original 250-Watt metal halide fixtures and also offer better color rendering. Some of the highlights of the project include increased employee satisfaction, a centralized control system and a self-healing “mesh” network capable of handling disruptions and glitches. Based on the results of the project, any reservations as to whether SmartLighting technology was ready for widespread adoption have been firmly allayed. In fact, one respondent at Blue Diamond predicts that hospitals, offices and food processing plants are ripe for advanced lighting and control systems.