Las Vegas Convention Center Cuts Energy Consumption by 40% with High Bay Luminaires from Acuity Brands

The Las Vegas Convention Center selected approximately 2,000 Holophane® DualBay high bay luminaires from Acuity Brands to improve lighting and reduce costs in its 3.2 million-square-foot facility. Installed in the convention center’s central exhibit halls, DualBay high bay luminaires feature Holophane ISD Superglass™ reflectors, dual lamp technology, solid-state electronic ballasts, and a state-of-the-art thermal management system to deliver better light quality, distribution and energy savings. The luminaires are ideal for a variety of industrial, retail and commercial applications.

“DualBay high bay luminaires have reduced the convention center’s energy consumption by nearly 40 percent while creating a vivid, uniformly lit environment with less glare and strain on the eyes,” said Joe Toro, electrical supervisor for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Using two, 315-watt ceramic metal halide lamps, the high-efficacy DualBay luminaire delivers a 90+ color rendering index (CRI) and up to 112 lumens per watt in the Las Vegas Convention Center. The light levels in the central exhibit halls now range from 60 to 85 footcandles, with greater intensity in areas with lower ceilings.

“Our exhibitors have commented about how well their products look on display,” said Walter Laub, senior manager of facilities engineering for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “The new lighting complements the exhibit space, making it more attractive and easier to promote overall.”

The fixtures are mounted up to 40 feet and positioned so light patterns overlap to help eliminate the possibilities of dark areas. An automated computer system controls the lighting and allows luminaires to be turned on or off individually.

Based on the current success, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority plans to add an estimated 1,400 fixtures in two additional halls. For more information about Holophane DualBay high bay luminaires, please visit www.holophane.com or www.acuitybrands.com.

Acuity Brands Acquires eldoLED, a World Leading Designer and Manufacturer of Intelligent Drive Solutions for LED-based Lighting

Acuity Brands, a market leader in innovative energy-efficient lighting and controls solutions, today announced it has acquired eldoLAB Holding B.V., (“eldoLED”), a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance, intelligent drivers for LED-based lighting systems. Founded in 2003, eldoLED is a privately owned company headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

eldoLED intelligent drive solutions are accelerating the LED transformation by delivering the promise of smarter, sleeker and more efficient lighting solutions. eldoLED offers a wide range of readily available LED drivers using state-of-the-art drive, networking and control architectures, providing full-range dimming for white LED and dynamic color solutions for RGB effect lighting.  eldoLED also develops customized and design-in solutions for its worldwide customer base of leading OEM lighting manufacturers, including Acuity Brands.  Proprietary digital technologies provide eldoLED drivers with advanced capabilities such as flicker-free dimming to off, optimum power efficiency, configurability, and robust thermal management in a small footprint.

“eldoLED has developed and continues to develop breakthrough solutions in the field of solid-state lighting through its comprehensive offering of driver, controls and networking solutions,” said Vernon J. Nagel, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Brands. “As we have discovered first-hand, its best-in-class drivers provide exceptional, smooth dimming and consistent color and brightness. In addition, the ability of eldoLED driver technology to integrate with all types of solid-state lighting applications and communicate with lighting controls systems aligns well with Acuity Brands’ mission of providing superior integrated lighting solutions.”

The core of the eldoLED product architecture is firmware that allows a single driver to flexibly deliver a wide range of current and voltage outputs to optimize LED fixture operation, as well as enabling simple communication with a variety of sensors. And when integration with an external control system is needed, the eldoLED driver architecture interfaces seamlessly across industry-standard protocols, such as the global standards 0-10V and DALI or the theatrical lighting standard DMX with RDM.

“Our focus is to create cutting-edge technology solutions that enable our customers to bring next-generation, high-power LED products to market,” said Albert Berghuis, Director and General Manager, eldoLED. “We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Acuity Brands on several LED fixtures across its Gotham®, Mark Architectural Lighting™ and Winona® Lighting brands. And now we look forward to joining the Acuity Brands family and utilizing its significant resources to further accelerate the delivery of superior driver solutions for all of our OEM customers, including Acuity Brands, in order to maximize the potential of solid-state lighting.”

eldoLED will continue to focus on providing superior intelligent drive solutions to service its growing list of global OEM customers.

For more information on eldoLED please visit www.eldoled.com or www.acuitybrands.com.

The acquisition is not expected to materially impact Acuity Brands’ fiscal 2013 consolidated financial performance.

Acuity Brands Extends Leadership Position with High Lumen LED Downlighting Series from Gotham Architectural Downlighting

New Incito series of solid-state luminaires handle a wide range of lighting scenarios with up to 2,000 possible performance combinations.

Acuity Brands continues to demonstrate its innovation leadership with the introduction of the Incito™ LED open downlight series from Gotham Architectural Lighting. Incito is a new series of solid-state luminaires that combine the performance characteristics of multiple light sources and handle a wide array of lighting scenarios.

Incito downlights feature top performance characteristics – lamp life, dimming capability, color, efficacy, and lumen packages – from multiple light sources in a single system, allowing designers to configure luminaires for a variety of ceiling heights from 12- to100-feet. The series also combines long-life LED technology, seamless dimming capabilities and numerous lumen packages, ranging from 2000 to 6500 lumens.

“The design team at Gotham has created a revolutionary LED platform combining the best attributes of quartz, halide and metal light sources for up to 2,000 possible performance combinations,” said Douglas Grove, Gotham Value Stream Leader. “The result is a dramatically increased variety of spaces – from retail stores and restaurants to hotel lobbies and auditorium theaters – that can be illuminated with greater precision and more freedom.”

Incito downlights deliver the energy efficiency and long life of solid-state technology, which results in both energy and maintenance savings over downlights using traditional light sources. It also provides system-wide control because every device in every zone or network is digitally addressable using nLight® technology from Acuity Brands. Incito downlights also offer ultra-smooth dimming capabilities from 100 percent to less than 1 percent standard.

Abundant lumen packages allow Incito downlights to work in many different spaces from atriums to lower corridors. Its diffused lighting, aesthetic appearance and color consistency complement the popular EVO® line of LED downlighting luminaires from Gotham. For more information about LED lighting and controls, please visit Acuity Brands and Gotham on the web.