The Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) has undertaken a lighting retrofit in parking garages at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) with LED lighting projected to reduce energy consumption by 66% and generate $1.2 million annual savings in electricity and maintenance costs. Eaton's Cooper Lighting supplied 6050 McGraw-Edison Valet and Ventus luminaires for the project. Meanwhile, Cooper also has announced the Lumark Caretaker solid-state lighting (SSL) product that is designed for all-night security applications.
DTW airport parking
While the airport project was certainly driven by energy savings, the WCAA also sought to improve the light quality in its parking structures. "Our team invested a significant amount of time field testing 12 different lighting fixtures and visiting local municipalities that completed parking garage lighting upgrades to take into account their lessons learned and implement best practices for a results-driven end product," said Tom Naughton, CEO of WCAA.
LED lighting has been deployed in parking garages in general and airport settings in particular over the past four years. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was among the first to install SSL in an airport project. There was also a major project at the Atlanta, Georgia airport.
The project included two different facilities and SSL choices. In the Blue Deck garage, the WCAA installed 1200 60W Valet luminaires in place of 210W metal-halide fixtures. The same products were also installed in the lower levels of the McNamara Terminal Parking Structure replacing 4800 legacy fixtures. The WCAA installed the pole-mounted Ventus luminaires on the open upper decks.
The project also includes installation of Cooper's LumaWatt Outdoor Wireless Control and Monitoring System that both automates maintenance operations and adds adaptive control to maximize energy savings. The lighting in the garages operates 24 hours a day, but the control capabilities can dim the lighting to save energy based on occupancy and daylight sensors.
The WCAA projects a reduction in electricity usage of 7,335,000 kWh annually and equates that conservation to the ability to power 880 US homes each year. "This project is improving the lighting performance in our parking facilities, reducing energy consumption, saving on maintenance costs, and shrinking our carbon footprint," said Naughton.
Lumark Caretaker
Cooper also introduced the Lumark Caretaker fixture that it said can deliver 85% energy savings relative to high-intensity discharge (HID) alternatives. The luminaires can be pole or wall mounted in applications ranging from residential or business perimeter security to parking areas to loading platforms.
"The Lumark Caretaker luminaire not only delivers exceptional light output, but serves as a versatile, low-cost, low maintenance solution our customers demand for a wide range of security lighting applications," said Mark Eubanks, president of Eaton’s Cooper Lighting Division. "Its LED optics deliver a wide, uniform distribution with excellent vertical illumination for maximum light coverage and years of worry-free illumination."
The 50W Caretaker product is designed to replace up to 175W HID fixtures. The fixture outputs 5200 lm. Lumen maintenance is projected at 84% at 36,000 hours of operation.
