Lake Nona Saves with LED 

When Lake Nona pursued a vision to line its Southeast Orlando streets with new lighting, the 7,000-acre, master-planned community needed to match exacting aesthetic guidelines to leading-edge technology. Community leaders found their answer in Current's Evolve™ LED fixtures. Combined, the fixtures will consume approximately 253,000 fewer kilowatt hours (kWhs) of electricity a year - a $27,000 utility cost reduction. 

OUR CUSTOMER 

Adjacent to Orlando's international airport, Lake Nona was established in the late 1980s and has continued to grow into the state-of-the-art community it is today. A recent surge in development caused Lake Nona to consider new street lighting to match the modern architecture and design of new businesses, medical facilities and a residential neighborhood of 2,700 homes. 

THE EXPECTATION 

"We wanted to push our energy savings initiatives, so we made the commitment to going 100 percent LED with our street lighting," said Richard Levey, vice president of planning, Lake Nona. "But none of the decorative fixtures we were being shown had the exact design aesthetic we wanted, and we felt it was critical to install a forward-focused lighting solution to go above and beyond in all aspects of the community to build long-term value for our residents." 

OUR SOLUTION 

Lake Nona architects connected with Current engineers to arrive at a decorative fixture solution that matched the community's contemporary look and feel. The fixture uses the same energy-efficient LED technology as other Current Evolve LED post top fixtures; the base and pole being specially designed for Lake Nona. 

 More than 370 Evolve LED fixtures now illuminate Lake Nona where a 175-watt metal halide system had been originally proposed.  

 "This lighting is exactly what we wanted. It fits perfectly with our vision – it's the right scale and the right character. Current did what we didn't think was possible – they took an idea, really a picture, from us and turned it into a phenomenal product in record time," said Levey, explaining Lake Nona received the first fixtures in time to satisfy the project's aggressive timeline. 

RESULTS & BENEFITS 

"The payback for us has been almost immediate – we've essentially seen savings since day one," said Levey. "Lake Nona's unique relationship with OUC coupled with OUC's long and successful partnership with Current ensured this project would proceed flawlessly. The LED technology is so efficient that, when paired with an energy credit also earned from OUC, it didn't make sense not to install the new fixtures. It was a win-win." 

 Throughout Lake Nona, Current's Evolve LED Contemporary Twin Support Post Top fixtures also reduced glare commonly cast onto lawns or into homes by conventional street lighting. 

 Around Lake Nona, new lighting on more heavily traveled arterial and collector streets was also installed. Current's Evolve LED Roadway fixtures, drawing 130 watts each, avoided a 250-watt high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixture design, saving 83,000 kWhs annually, or nearly $9,000. The 134 fixtures feature advanced reflective optics to more efficiently aim light where it's needed. A unique heat sink design further provides excellent thermal management to extend LED life. 

Current Evolve LED Contemporary Twin Support Post Top and Roadway fixtures have helped Lake Nona achieve its goal of creating a community both contemporary and futuristic in nature. And this represents only 10 percent of total project completion. Lake Nona anticipates more than 5,000 Current outdoor LED fixtures will be installed at community education, medical, retail, residential and recreational facilities. 

Explore what’s possible with smart LED and other technologies for cities with Current.