DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 11, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq:CREE), a leader in LED lighting, announces that the University of Notre Dame is joining the LED University(tm) program, an international community of universities working to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient LEDs across their campuses.
The university is implementing four pilot installations to evaluate the feasibility of LED lighting across the campus. These pilots include LED step lighting from BEGA-USA on the new Irish Green, recessed LED lighting from Cree in the Facilities Building conference room and in the elevator lobby of Hesburgh Library, and outdoor decorative area lights from Sternberg Lighting on central campus.
The energy savings in the elevator lobby of Hesburgh Library are particularly high because the library is illuminated 24 hours a day. Notre Dame is realizing energy savings of 81 percent for the library installation compared with the previous incandescent lighting and 50 percent for the outdoor lights compared with the previous metal halide lighting. Considering that the campus lies on 1,250 acres and includes 137 buildings, the potential savings from widespread use of LED lighting are tremendous.
A Facilities Building conference room was completely relit with LED lights, providing dramatically improved light quality and energy savings of approximately 80 percent, compared with the fluorescent troffers and recessed lights that were replaced. The university installed a combination of energy-efficient Cree LR6 and LR4 recessed lights and the new LR24 two-foot by two-foot LED recessed light. These lights all provide dimming capabilities for optimizing lighting levels.
"Addressing energy and maintenance costs for campus lighting is one of the most effective ways we can reduce energy use, achieve our sustainability targets, and save money," said James Mazurek, Notre Dame's Director of Sustainability. "On average, Americans use 22 percent of energy for lighting, so it makes sense to target lighting in our efforts to become a campus leader in sustainable business practices."
"We encourage universities to approach LED lighting implementation as Notre Dame has," said Deb Lovig, LED Programs Manager at Cree. "Pick three or four distinct applications to install various LED lights, and then measure the quality of light as well as energy and maintenance-cost savings. If the light is better, energy is saved and maintenance costs are significantly reduced, moving to LED lighting from older technologies is a no-brainer."
University of Notre Dame joins North Carolina State University, Marquette University, University of California at Santa Barbara, University of Arkansas, Madison Area Technical College and Tianjin Polytechnic University in China in evaluating and deploying LED lighting in areas such as offices, student housing, parking garages, walkways and streets across their campus infrastructures. The LED University member institutions are evaluating, promoting and deploying LED lighting as they work toward increasing energy savings, protecting the environment, reducing maintenance costs and providing better light quality for improved visibility and safety.
About the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame, founded in 1842 by Fr. Edward Sorin, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is an independent, national Catholic university located adjacent to the city of South Bend, Indiana, and approximately 90 miles east of Chicago. Admission to the University is highly competitive, with more than five applicants for each freshman class position. Sixty-nine percent of incoming freshmen were in the top 5 percent of their high school graduating classes. Freshman enrollment for 2008 was 1,995, with 26 percent of applicants accepted out of a total of 13,947, the second-largest applicant pool in the University's history.
About LED University
The LED University initiative is a growing international community of universities working to evaluate, deploy and promote LED lighting across their campus infrastructures to save energy, protect the environment, reduce maintenance costs and provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 22 percent of electricity used in the U.S. powers lighting. In a world with soaring energy prices based on the availability and control of fossil fuels, and with growing concern about sustainability of the environment, a revolution in lighting is long overdue.
Details of each university's LED lighting pilots and installations are available on the LED University web site: www.leduniversity.org.
About Cree
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting retrofit solutions, and semiconductor solutions for backlighting, wireless and power applications.
Cree's product families include blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, LED recessed down lights, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.
For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com.
The Cree, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3529
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the possibility that actual energy savings may vary from expectations; customer acceptance of LED products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree's products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 29, 2008, and subsequent filings.
Cree is a registered trademark and LED University is a trademark of Cree, Inc.