Light Think University Connects the Next Generation of Consumers and College Campus Teams Nationwide with Sustainable, Smart Lighting

CHICAGO, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Light Think University (LTU), a thought and design leader inspiring people to see light differently, launched today an awareness-to-action campaign to enrich educational lighting experiences while reducing lighting energy use in colleges and universities nationwide by 80 percent. The LTU campaign joins interdisciplinary student teams with lighting industry leaders for experiential learning in integrated design practices using leading-edge solid-state lighting and control technologies for a wide range of room environments.

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LTU will present campaign details and presentations by academic and industry participants on April 24, 2013, at a panel discussion during LIGHTFAIR International (LFI) in Philadelphia.

LTU's awareness-to-action campaign intends to inspire lighting innovation that focuses as much on the beauty and comfort of the visual environment as on energy efficiency. A primary goal is to demonstrate how respectful, people-inspired lighting designs can enrich the learning experience, stimulate student interaction, enthusiasm and engagement, and increase the effectiveness and flexibility of any teaching method for improved educational outcomes. Participating schools will demonstrate an 80-percent reduction of lighting energy use while positively impacting their educational, technical and sustainability brand image with students, parents and the community.

"We are committed to connecting light with education to help drive the transformation to lighting experiences that are engineered for humanity through the use of solid-state lighting products and controls," said Eric Lind, vice-president of global specifications at Lutron. "LTU's programs are aligned with Lutron's goals and are designed to deliver transformation—both today, with its action campaign to universities, and tomorrow, through its outreach to students. We are proud to support this initiative."

Additional industry supporters include founding sponsor Tempo Industries, along with Finelite, Kenall, General Electric Lighting, Solatube International, Inc. and the National Science Foundation-funded Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center. These firms have joined with LTU because the results of this campaign will benefit and grow the entire industry. As James Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy lighting program manager, observed, "LTU plays a critical and valuable part in accelerating market adoption of LED lighting and energy efficiency transformation."

According to the Energy Information Agency, higher-education institutions spend nearly $12 billion annually in electricity costs for lighting, making them the third highest energy consumer in the U.S. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the world will require 80 percent more energy to power our lighting systems in 2030 than we do today. Contrast this projection with the U.S. Department of Energy's vision for net-zero energy buildings.

"We recognize the need for immediate action and proven real-world solutions. To achieve net-zero, we must reduce our lighting power consumption by 80 percent. We need to make a legal U-turn," says Derry Berrigan, LTU chair and co-founder. "Colleges and universities are the perfect place to begin changing direction toward sustainable, smart lighting. With LTU's 80% Today, Net-Zero Tomorrow Program, we can significantly transform higher education's built environment, potentially eliminating approximately 34 billion kWh in electrical consumption and 65 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions while creating learning laboratories for students. The new energy-efficient, lifestyle-inspired designs that emerge from these laboratories can then be transferred to the wider world of apartments, homes, office buildings, retail shops, hotels and restaurants. "

LTU will unveil prototype room designs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) later this year. "Rensselaer's work with LTU not only supports our Center's research on advanced lighting systems, it also is well aligned with RPI's commitment to quality education, innovation and responsible energy use," states Robert Karlicek, director of the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center. "LTU is an essential link in educating future engineers, designers and architects in the design and use of energy efficient lighting."

Based on the RPI installations, LTU will produce a series of 80 Percent Application Guides that detail the how-to for achieving 80-percent savings in spaces typical to university environments. The guides will help facility professionals scale 80-percent solutions on their own campuses. Then, in September, LTU will launch Light: Magic of the World, a 32-city, 50-university speaking tour connecting students and campus leadership teams to the story, magic and opportunities of light. "An entire generation of new consumers, workforce professionals and leaders will be inspired and empowered to see light differently," remarked Terrence Walsh, LTU board member and president and CEO of Tempo Industries.

The campaign's concept was first validated in 2012 when the first 80 percent pilot project was completed at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) for the Trades and Advanced Technology Center located in Santa Fe, N.M. It is the first college to achieve 90 percent in lighting energy savings and use 96 percent LED lighting with digital controls—proving that 80-percent energy reduction is not some futuristic ideal but is achievable today.

For more information about these programs, visit Light Think University at LIGHTFAIR International, booth number 3123.

About Light Think University
Light Think University (LTU) is an independent, lighting-focused nonprofit think-and-do tank. LTU activates the appreciation of light to redefine people's perception of the impact and value of light in their life through awareness, education and action programs. Working with industry, lifestyle partners and allied organizations, LTU is committed to teaching the next generation to see light differently, leading to lighting innovations that enriches people's experiences, shrinks the world's energy obesity and respects our generational stewardship responsibilities. LTU maintains a commitment to transform the educational lighting experience on college campuses with 80 percent energy reductions while setting the goal for net-zero tomorrow. To learn more, please visit www.lightthink.org.

About Lutron Electronics (www.lutron.com)
Founded in 1961, Lutron Electronics is headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Lehigh Valley.  From dimmers for the home, to lighting management systems for entire buildings, the company offers more than 17,000 energy-saving products, sold in more than 100 countries around the world. In the US alone, Lutron products save an estimated 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs per year.  The company's early inventions— including the first solid-state dimmer invented by Lutron's founder, Joel Spira—are now at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

SOURCE Light Think University