Wal-Mart, one of the largest and most popular retail providers, is about to get an LED lighting retrofit that will save the company millions of dollars and substantially impact the LED market. Cree recently announced in a press release that 650 Wal-Mart stores will replace ceramic metal halide lighting in their produce and electronics departments with Cree LRP-38 LED light bulbs. Wal-Mart will install Cree’s popular LR6 recessed downlights in new construction projects.
The LRP-38 LEDS are 82% more efficient than the 70-watt metal halide lighting currently used. One of the reasons the lamps were chosen is that their expected lifespan is 50,000 hours, which lasts more than five years when turned on 24 hours a day. The lights also reduce glare on items and help focus customers’ attention on Wal-Mart products. Neal Hunter, Cree co-founder and president of Cree’s LED Lighting Division, said the LED lighting will be “…making food and merchandise attractive, which we believe enhances the customer’s experience.” Not only will the installation benefit Wal-Mart, but it will also significantly impact Cree. Though we couldn’t find any financial details, we discovered that Michelle Murray, spokeswoman for Cree, said it would be an essential milestone for the company.
Wal-Mart has also made many other changes in its stores to be more “green.” They have mounted refrigerated units on top of some stores that reduce refrigerant charge by 90% and use waste heat to heat water used in bathrooms and kitchens. A Wal-Mart store in Santa Ana, California, installed solar panels on the roof that supply 20-30% of the power needed to operate the store. The store’s dual-mode diesel-electric trucks increase efficiency by 25%. Fifteen trucks in Phoenix run on fuel made from waste brown cooking grease, which could also increase efficiency by 2%. The store also has a “Home Efficiency Center” that offers customers LEDs, CFLs, Energy Star washers and dryers, and high-efficiency toilets.
We look forward to seeing how Wal-Mart’s LED lighting installation impacts the market and the company! Continue going green, Wal-Mart, and we hope others will do the same!
