Case Study:

LED Lighting Upgrade

Cherry Creek School District, Denver Colorado Area

Background

The Cherry Creek School District is one of the largest K-12 districts in the state of Colorado; it includes 69 schools and over 53,000 students. Known for its high academic standing, the school district recorded an impressive 91.2% four-year graduation rate in 2024, exceeding both state and national averages.

Challenge

The school district’s existing interior and outdoor lighting was not as stellar as its students’ academic achievements. Consisting of outdated, inefficient fluorescent and HID fixtures, the lighting was overdue for an upgrade.

Making the project extra challenging, the school had secured some government funding with a stipulation: the lighting upgrade had to result in energy savings that would pay for the district’s investment in just 15 years.

Solution

Johnson Controls International, a national leader in developing and installing connected lighting systems as well as a frequent collaborator of Cooper Lighting Solutions, invited Cooper to partner with them to upgrade the Cherry Creek School District to new ultra-efficient LED fixtures and advanced wireless lighting controls.

Cooper Lighting products chosen for this upgrade included:

WaveLinx LITE Bluetooth-enabled lighting control solution that delivers simplicity and flexibility in both new construction and retrofit projects.

Metalux OHB LED Optimized High Bay luminaire offering significant energy savings over linear fluorescent and HID fixtures.

Metalux CBRK Highly efficient Center Basket Retrofit Kit designed to replace recessed linear fluorescent troffers.

Lumark Prevail Discrete High-performance LED area and site luminaire for general outdoor lighting applications.

Invue Mesa Decorative area luminaire designed for outdoor applications that require weather-resistant durability.

Invue Epic Decorative pendant luminaire, with precise optical control, for outdoor applications.

Results

The project has received numerous accolades from teachers and staff praising the new learning environment created by the improved quality of light and light functionality (i.e., dimming, scenes, daylight harvesting).

Per the project’s energy savings performance contract – necessary to secure government funding – the energy savings associated with the upgrade will offset the installation cost of the system in under 15 yrs.

In fact, the project has exceeded the originally projected savings! Specifically, this upgrade project will reduce energy consumption by $2-3MW, saving the school district $1.6M annually – that’s the energy-saving equivalent of removing 3,000 gasoline cars from the roads!