Tim Hill

Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) recognized a need for upgrading the parking garage lighting that would optimize energy savings, while continuing to provide a safe and well-lit environment for its customers. Analyzing multiple products and their performance to find the best solution, they selected LED fixtures from Cooper Lighting.

With funding from the city’s Green Loan Fund, ATL officials decided to replace the 4,342 210-watt metal-halide fixtures in the north and south parking decks with 80-watt McGraw-Edison Valet LED fixtures.

Their decision would lead to not only greater energy efficiency, but also substantial annual cost savings. The city’s Office of Sustainability, the airport’s financial and environmental partner, said the carbon reduction associated with the project is equivalent to taking 500 cars off the road.

“Replacing parking garage lighting with more energy-efficient options is one of the most practical upgrades a city can make to save energy, reduce costs and lower CO2 emissions,” said Mark Eubanks, President of Cooper Lighting.

“This project has been a great opportunity to showcase how Cooper’s innovative LED products can increase overall efficiencies and performance to provide a safe and well-lit environment, all while helping the city save almost $500,000 each year in energy costs.”

Through superior optical control, the company’s Valet LED fixtures are optimized to improve vehicular movement and pedestrian safety in parking structure applications. The fixtures, designed to last 50,000 hours, also should reduce maintenance costs. Its modular LightBAR technology, featuring the patented AccuLED Optics system, also is designed to deliver uniform and energy-conscious illumination.

Both factors were key to Atlanta airport officials, who wanted to improve the distribution of the lighting in the parking garages while optimizing energy savings.

Tim Hill is Director of Marketing and Product Management, Outdoor Products, at Cooper Lighting, a subsidiary of Cooper Industries. Contact him at Timothy.Hill@CooperIndustries.com.