Denny's Settles for Cree LEDs for Energy Efficient Lighting

• Date: January 20, 2011
• Source: Admin

For new and remodeled Denny’s restaurants in the US, Cree Inc has become the preferred manufacturer of energy efficient LED lighting.  The Durham, NC-based lighting maker cites the experiences of two Denny’s franchisees that have seven restaurants and use Cree LR6, 6-inch downlights.  

Downlights

Downlights are fixtures that sit in recessed openings in the ceiling.  The company claims that Peter LaBarre of Colorado Springs installed more than 400 Cree downlights in his five restaurants and brought down his annual energy costs by about USD 15,500.  He also replaced 500 fluorescent bulbs and tubes with 200 Cree LR6 fixtures.  According to LaBarre, the lights stay on all the time at his restaurants.  He realized that his restaurants used 6,000 kilowatt hours fewer per month in the store that had the Cree fixtures compared to the store that had the fluorescent lighting.  

Illionois franchisee Joey Terrell’s newer restaurant relies on natural lighting and Cree LEDs to illuminate the dining area. The lighting design helped him bring down utility costs by 83%.  At his Joliet restaurant, it helped him bring down the electricity bill to USD 1,000 per month approximately, according to Cree Inc.  In the absence of the lighting design, the restaurant would have incurred USD 2,100 per month towards electricity, going by what Terrell’s other restaurant Mokena pays.  

According to Mitch Riese, Denny’s corporate architect and senior manager of design and construction, the firm settled for Cree LED downlights after reviewing products from several manufacturers.  Cree products were a good value, reduced energy consumption and required low maintenance.  

Energy prices and atmospheric temperatures have been rising.  Energy efficiency has become a vital environmental and business practice. Reducing energy consumption will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operating, manufacturing, and consumption costs.

Sources:

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/01/11/dennys-focuses-cree-leds-energy-efficient-lighting?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Greenbuzz+(GreenBiz+Feed)

http://www.greenbiz.com/buildings/view-term/all/Energy%20Efficiency