OREANDA-NEWS.   As part of considerable renovations at GE offices in Chicago, GE’s LED lighting with wireless controls is offering reduced maintenance, improved aesthetics and energy savings, demonstrating that GE does more than just talk the talk—it walks the walk when it comes to its energy-efficient office lighting solutions.

Headquartered at 500 West Monroe in Chicago’s West Loop, GE Transportation and GE Antares Capital, a unit of GE Capital, committed to major renovations spanning more than 400,000 square feet among a dozen floors.

The new layout now comprises an open workspace design with more natural light while incorporating offices, conference rooms and a cafй. In addition to contributing to the new look and feel of the space, GE’s LED lighting provides energy savings that equate to more than USD 55,000 in annual cost savings compared to traditional lighting, including T8 and T12 linear fluorescent lamps, used before construction began.

While original construction plans called for traditional LFL lighting with controls, GE Lighting identified an LED-based office lighting solution at the same budget, providing a better return on investment over the life of the product. LED lighting fixtures have a significantly longer life than fluorescent products and up to 50 times greater lifetime than traditional incandescent lighting. Among the LED lighting fixtures installed were the Lumination™ LED Suspended Luminaires, Lumination LED Recessed Troffer Luminaires and downlights with Infusion™ LED Modules.
Additionally, GE’s Lumination BL Series LED Luminaires, integrated with USG’s Logix™ Integrated Ceiling System with Halcyon™ ClimaPlus™ Acoustical Ceiling Panels and DONN® Fineline® 1/8 DXFF Acoustical Suspension System, provide long, narrow bands of light for a uniform and contemporary look at 500 West Monroe.

“We wanted a low-maintenance option that would help us keep costs down. GE Lighting presented an LED solution with Lutron lighting controls that also gave us the best look,” said John Craynon, global site optimization manager for GE Transportation. “The ceiling is neat, clean and uniform throughout the entire area. Plus, the LED lighting fixtures provide good light levels for employees, who have responded with very positive feedback about how beautiful their workspace is now.”

Since installation was completed earlier in 2013, employees also have been pleased their work hasn’t been interrupted by lighting repairs or replacements, Craynon said.

“Every time there is a maintenance issue with the lighting, it causes disruption,” he said. “With a much longer life expectancy for our new LED lighting fixtures compared to the old traditional lighting, we know we can minimize these interruptions.”