OXFORD, Mich. – Relume Technologies, a leading manufacturer of light-emitting diode (LED) products and smart grid control systems for outdoor lighting applications, was chosen by the historic City of Redlands, Calif., to retrofit their existing HID street lighting to Relume’s patented LED light engines.
The installation, which was completed in November, resulted in the retrofitting of hundreds of lighting fixtures. The city’s objective was to conserve energy, but just as important, to maintain the historic ambiance of its unique downtown.
“The City of Redlands has joined the ranks of communities around the country that are reaping the environmental, cost and efficiency benefits of upgrading to LED lighting systems,” said Crawford Lipsey, Relume’s CEO. “Relume is unique in that we engineer LED light engines for almost all historical applications. Our combination of thermal and optical capabilities is excellent. Relume has completed retrofit projects in over 100 cities and municipalities across the U.S. and Canada.”
CLIENT SATISFACTION EVIDENT IN CITY OF REDLANDS INSTALLATION
“There is no better feedback on a project than directly from the customer. After speaking with Ross Wittman, Project Specialist for the City of Redlands, I told him that our employees in the factory rarely get to view projects and rarely receive feedback directly from the customer. Ross sent me the following letter to read to our employees and I want to share it with you.”
Dear Relume Technologies:
“I wanted to share some of the feedback members of the community as well as city staff have given to me regarding the LED Conversion using the Relume LED light. First off though, I want to say that personally, as a 30 year resident of Redlands, the installation of the Relume LED lights represents an enormous upgrade in the lighting of the downtown area of my hometown. Speaking as a citizen of Redlands and not as the project manager of the LED Conversion, the LED lights did not change the feel of my hometown at all. Rather, the lights have served to enhance the nature of the area by illuminating the historic buildings and increasing the visibility of the sightlines in the area. Additionally, by providing greater visibility I have immediately felt a greater sense of security when I go to businesses in the area. Perhaps most importantly though, the quality of light provided by the Relume product has already and will continue to make it safer for pedestrians and drivers in the area by making each other more aware of the presence of the other. While the old HPS fixtures gave that traditional feel to an older area, they also made it exceptionally difficult to see given its lighting limitations. The Relume product immediately alleviated this issue upon its installation. As a citizen, I want to commend you, Relume’s staff and its manufacturing team for creating an LED product which has created many benefits for my hometown while not detracting from its historic nature.
While my feedback is my own, let me tell you some of the feedback I have received from some of the other people in the community. City Council members have sent emails to staff indicating their immense satisfaction in the lighting upgrade, as well as the “greening” of the City through the usage of less energy by the Relume product. The Director of my department, Municipal Utilities & Engineering, was a 20 year employee of the City of Los Angeles, who has done an extensive study of LED products. Due to this, he has a special affinity for LED lighting and has a critical eye. Even he was thoroughly impressed by Relume’s quality. Internal City staff who were skeptical of the conversion from HPS, were swayed after one look at the lighting. “Historic nature preserved while more lighting provided” was the paraphrased quote. I personally have visited restaurants on Orange Street and retail shops on State Street without them knowing my position as Project Manager to the conversion and asked for their opinion on the lights. To a person, each response was glowing and the same. Providing more light provides greater visibility for vehicular traffic to see their restaurant or shop, while providing a safer environment through more light will in turn provide more business. The downtown business community couldn’t be happier with the upgrade. Even long time citizens of Redlands who are generally adverse to any type of change that takes the City away from what it has always looked like have emailed the City commending them for this enormous upgrade to the Community.
Thank you for upgrading MY town and I hope to work with Relume again in the future as we implement future LED conversion phases.”