Community Consolidated School District 59, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Retrofit Team
Retrofit Team
LIGHTING AGENCY: KSA Lighting, Hanover Park, Ill.
DISTRIBUTOR: Graybar
Materials
The district worked with KSA Lighting to coordinate installation of more than 5,000 VT Series LED luminaires controlled by the nLight controls system in 480 classrooms across 14 of its campuses, including 11 elementary schools and three junior high schools.
The nLight system uses a cat 5 cable daisy chain from fixture to fixture, then to a multiple scene wall-control station that allows flexibility in the multiple levels of lighting scenes while giving local control to the teachers in each individual classroom.
LED MANUFACTURER: Lithonia Lighting by Acuity Brands
CONTROLS SYSTEM MANUFACTURER: Acuity Controls
The Retrofit
During spring 2014, Community Consolidated School District 59 decided to make changes to improve the overall learning environment in its schools. Schools throughout the district were using T8 fluorescent fixtures, which needed to be updated for controllability and light quality.
“The existing (old) fixtures only had two levels of lighting, high and low, limiting the levels the teachers were needing, due to the usage of new types of AV equipment and the changing need for computers and flat-screen monitors,” explains Jerry DeRousse, KSA Lighting sales representative.
Providing teachers with control of the classroom environment was a top goal of specifying a new lighting and controls system. It would be a bonus if the district could save energy, as well.
“We wanted to provide the classrooms with a sustainable and energy-efficient lighting choice that would be standardized throughout the entire school district and yet be controlled on a classroom-by-classroom basis,” says Tony Rossi, the district’s executive director for Facilities and Operations.
With the new energy-efficient lighting, there was an immediate 40 percent reduction in wattage used, which resulted in dramatically lower energy costs—even when classroom lights are left on. The school district also reduced maintenance costs attributed to lighting because the LEDs are long lasting.
“The new lighting upgrade has been a great opportunity to provide our classrooms with a more dynamic, 21st-century look that is flexible and inspirational to the students,” Rossi notes. “Plus, incorporating controls has also made the upgrade user-friendly for the teachers.”
PHOTO: Acuity Brands