LORD Corporation

LORD began making strides towards more energy-efficient lighting at its main headquarters in 2012, with the completion of their first LEED Certified Gold facility, which features all LED fixtures in its corridor and task lighting, with lighting controls throughout the building. The energy savings seen in the new building exposed a need to begin retrofitting other buildings with more energy-efficient, cost-saving lighting.

“We replaced high wattage fluorescent fixtures with Cree’s CR22™ architectural LED troffers with SmartCast^® Technology,” says John Gardiner, Facilities Manager at LORD Corporation’s headquarters campus. “We knew that switching to LED fixtures would reduce our energy consumption on its own, but the addition of SmartCast Technology lighting controls allowed us to improve on what we were already saving.”

Cree’s CR22 LED architectural troffers deliver up to 5000 lumens of exceptional 90+ CRI light while achieving up to 130 lumens per watt, achieved by combining the high efficacy and high-quality light of Cree TrueWhite^® Technology. Their compact, lightweight design easily accommodates recessed, surface mount or suspended installations, making the CR22 troffer perfect for LORD Corporation’s retrofit application.

In addition to the high-performing, energy-efficient CR22 troffers, Cree’s new SmartCast^® Technology provides a level of control and flexibility to LED lighting not previously seen by its competitors. While several of LORD Corporation’s buildings feature lighting controls, Cree SmartCast Technology differentiates itself with its innovative OneButton™ Setup.

“SmartCast^® Technology really sets itself apart from other lighting controls we’ve installed because it’s programmable on its own network with a handheld configuration tool,” says Gardiner. “With other lighting control systems, we have to call a technician out to reprogram when necessary, which costs us thousands of dollars each time. The savings we see from being able to program the system ourselves is a win-win for us.”

Also important to LORD Corporation is the ease of installation and maintenance savings seen with Cree fixtures. With lights burning an estimated 2,000 hours a year, time needed to maintain a large lighting system is a key factor when deciding what lighting technologies to consider.

“Right now, we’re relamping fluorescent fixtures about every 3,500 hours. So, we’re typically spending at least an hour a week changing out bulbs. Our real savings with the LED lighting is maintenance —not having to get into the ceiling every week changing our lamps,” says Gardiner. 

When building LORD Corporation’s North Carolina campus, considerable attention was given to the orientation of each building in relation to sun exposure. The headquarters building retrofitted with Cree fixtures and SmartCast Technology is oriented on an east/west axis, and is subject to high incidences of outdoor lighting. This increased level of natural daylight makes the daylight harvesting feature of SmartCast Technology extremely important in maximizing energy savings.

“Daylight harvesting is very important to us,” Gardiner says. “SmartCast^® Technology allows us to utilize it within individual offices, which we’ve not been able to do with other lighting control systems. Daylight harvesting is a key component of saving energy and resources, especially when so much time and effort has been invested in the orientation of our buildings.”

With Cree fixtures equipped with SmartCast Technology, LORD expands its initiative towards sustainable workplaces with daylight harvesting, saving both energy consumption and operation costs, all with the crisp, warm light they’ve come to expect from Cree^® LED lighting.