Cree Luminaires Installed at Washington State Elementary School

EVERETT, Wash. — Monroe Elementary School in installed nearly 450 LED fixtures by Cree Inc., becoming the first predominately LED-lit school in the Everett Public Schools district. The company’s luminaires light the newly rebuilt two-story, 68,000-square-foot, grades K-5 elementary school, which serves about 600 students.

The Cree fixtures met all of our requirements for high-quality lighting and cost savings, said Harold Beumel, director of facilities and planning, Everett Public Schools. He added that since the lights are designed for 50,000 hours of life, the school should see ongoing operational savings due to decreased energy consumption and decreased maintenance compared to linear fluorescents.

He anticipates a reduction in maintenance costs and interruptions to the students’ learning environment, since there would be no on-going need to change ballasts or lamps.

According to Beumel, the district plans for an all-LED school to be completed in fall 2012. View Ridge Elementary School plans to install Cree CR24 troffers, which provide higher-quality light, longer life and greater energy savings than comparable fluorescent options, delivering beautifully lit classrooms for years to come.

"Proper illumination is essential for academic settings," said Al Safarikas, marketing director, Cree lighting. "Not only do the students get to work under much higher quality light than the previous fluorescent fixtures, but schools can also save significantly on maintenance and energy costs, allowing administrators to invest in other academic priorities."