Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. Case Study
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. is a wholesale electric power supplier. As part of its commitment to its members, Tri-State tests and vets cutting edge lighting technology in its own facilities and shares results and best practices.
General Facilities Manager Ben Mayer wanted to explore the latest and highest quality LED lighting technology for a 116,000-square-foot office expansion and renovation at Tri-State’s headquarters.
A Simple Decision
Tri-State turned to The Lighting Agency, who suggested the Lithonia Lighting RT series, an indoor ambient luminaire with embedded Sensor Switch nLight controls.
“The Tri-State team agreed the RT Series delivered superior light quality; the fixture’s volumetric lens distributes the light equally throughout a much larger area than competitive fixtures. Furthermore, RT Series embedded controls not only achieve greater energy-efficiency, but the nLight technology ensures immediate savings and a smoother installation process,” said Rob Pries, Lighting Controls Manager from The Lighting Agency. “The bottom line: not all LEDs are created equal.”
“We had worked with Lithonia Lighting before; it is a name we knew and we trusted.” said Mayer. “We were interested in the RT Series because they were paired with the nLight controls system and offered capabilities for daylight harvesting and occupancy controls.”
An Intelligent Solution
Completed in March 2012, the renovation spanned two buildings. “We had two priority goals to achieve with the new lighting systems - reduce maintenance and reduce operations costs,” said Mayer.
Delivering better quality of light to Tri-State employees was also key for Mayer. “We were concerned about the quality and the color of the lighting. We wanted the lighting to have a more natural look rather than the harsh lighting currently in the space.”
The solution was to install more than 300 RT Series luminaires and 100 nLight control devices to help meet Tri-State’s goals. Additionally, 35 Sensor Switch occupancy sensors were necessary to increase efficiency and decrease energy.
Creating a Smarter Facility
While RT Series with embedded controls meet Tri-State’s needs now, they also serve as a key foundational element to make its headquarters a smarter facility. In the future, Tri-State hopes to implement a smart buildings interface to allow different buildings systems – like HVAC and other mechanical systems – to communicate with third party systems – like the Sensor Switch lighting controls system.
Products Included In This Solution
