Mall of America to Install Acuity Brands’ LED Lights in the Parking Ramps

The Mall of America, a retail and entertainment complex with over 520 shops, has planned to install LED lights in its parking ramps.

The announcement, which was made on Earth Day, is part of the Mall’s multi-faceted sustainability program and is the largest lighting renovation project in the U.S. The installation process, which is scheduled to commence in July 2011, will replace 5,400 high pressure sodium and metal halide fixtures with LED lamps. The Mall has chosen to install LED lamps manufactured by Acuity Brands, a global provider of lighting control systems and luminaires.

The new fixtures would have a special design and would help reduce energy consumption in the parking ramp by over 800 KW, which is two-third of current power usage. The energy saved could provide power to over 11,000 homes per annum or run the Mall’s Nickelodeon Universe indoor family amusement park for six years.

The LED lamps have an operating life of over 50,000 h and deliver directional efficiency and good performance in cold temperatures. They do not contain mercury and also reduce light pollution.

Mall of America’s lighting renovation project received a $500,000 grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Energy. The City of Bloomington is finalizing the conditions for a Special Assessment Funding Agreement for the lighting project.