Green Manufacturer - November/December 2011

Plant Applications
Printer sees the light while saving energy

Situation

Printing company ePAC, San Leandro, Calif., needed a lighting upgrade. The company, which provides mission-criti-cal, advanced printing and logistics for the high-technology industry, relies on accurate color rendering to do business.

From an energy-efficiency standpoint, the company requires its light fixtures to produce minimal heat to keep air-conditioning costs in check at its 50,000-sq.-ft. facility.

Resolution

The company worked with Cal Solar
Works to implement a customized
lighting system featuring 89 Lumetric®
SmartPOD™ high-efficiency luminaires
driving 320-W ceramic metal halide
lamps, along with energy-saving con-
trols. Since the installation, energy
costs have been reduced by 55 percent.

“We knew we needed a lighting upgrade, but didn’t quite realize we’d been practically working in the dark until we saw the light of our new system,” said Cindy Vuu, ePAC production manager. “We now have more light while using much less energy.”

In addition, with their direct-drive, fully digital, solid-state light engine, the luminaires stay warm to the touch even after hours of usage, which helps reduce the heat they generate and cut air-conditioning usage as a result.

The lighting network at ePAC includes embedded, sensor-enabled controls, equipping the system with daylight harvesting, motion sensors, zoning, and scheduling capabilities.

The controls enable the system to react to changing lighting conditions and provide the right amount of light when and where it is needed.

The network system also includes future-ready demand response features that can be programmed at any time, a functionality that will allow the facility to take advantage of peak energy cost savings down the road as utility demand response programs take effect.