High-Performance Cree LED Lighting Shines Brightly at Raley’s Petroleum and Convenience Store
DURHAM, NC -- As part of its commitment to sustainable operations, Raley’s® Family of Fine Stores selected energy-efficient LED lighting by Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) to illuminate its new petroleum station, car wash and convenience store in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Featuring advanced LED technology paired with an integrated dimming system, Cree® lighting delivers improved light quality combined with reduced energy consumption and maintenance costs for the store, with payback in less than one year.*
Sixty Cree LED luminaires illuminate the South Lake Tahoe store, generating significant energy savings compared to the fluorescent, metal halide and halogen fixtures used at Raley’s existing Fair Oaks, Calif. location. Cree’s interior and exterior fixtures deliver exceptional color rendering, light quality and distribution and allow the use of fewer fixtures than required with traditional lighting.
The new Cree lighting system includes Cree 304 Series™ recessed soffit luminaires and Cree CR24™ troffers in the convenience store along with Cree 304 Series recessed canopy luminaires installed over the fuel canopy deck and Cree 227 Series™ recessed soffit luminaires in the car wash bay. Cree Edge™ wall-mount security luminaires, as well as post-top and arm-mounted luminaires provide further exterior lighting in the parking lot.
“Implementing energy-efficient LED lighting supports our goal of reducing overall energy consumption at new stores and in upgrades to our 128 locations,” said Randy Walthers, energy and utility manager, Raley’s. “We found a valued partner in Hi-Def Lighting & Electrical, Inc. [formerly Fillner Construction, Inc., dba Filner Electric] who met our needs with high-quality Cree LED lighting equipped with a sophisticated control system for remarkable savings and light quality.”
Featuring an optional integrated sensor, Cree luminaires help Raley’s conserve energy and meet California’s daylight control requirement at the South Lake Tahoe store. Cree luminaries in the car wash, for example, operate at 20 percent power until the occupancy sensor brings them to full power and then dims them when not in use.
An additional benefit of the Cree lighting installation is the universal drivers that provide continuous illumination during periodic brownouts that are common to the area. “In South Lake Tahoe, the voltage will drop as much as 30 percent during hot afternoons creating multiple problems with electrical systems,” said Walthers. “Cree luminaires are unaffected by these erratic voltage drops and continue performing at peak efficiency due to dependable drivers that include AC input protection.”
“Raley’s is fast becoming a model of energy efficiency in the petroleum and convenience store industry,” said Mike Bauer, vice president sales, lighting at Cree. “Cree offers a full suite of energy-efficient lighting for 24/7 operations, helping Raley’s continue its mission toward environmental stewardship, while supporting their bottom line.”
* Based on typical commercial usage of 12 hours per day for exterior products and 24 hours per day for interior products, and the state of California average of $0.14 per kWh electric costs, lighting-related HVAC impact and relamp maintenance reductions.
About Cree
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, mercury-free LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications.
Cree’s product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, power supplies and solar inverters.
For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com/lighting.
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 risk that actual savings will 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 30, 2013, and subsequent filings.
Cree® is a registered trademark, and 227 Series™, 304 Series™, CR24™ and Cree Edge™ are trademarks of Cree, Inc.
Raley’s® is a registered trademark of Raley’s.