Switch to LED lights is a trend

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Contractors from Northridge Electric install LED lighting fixtures on one of the light poles on the roof of the parking garage at the Santa Ana Star Casino. LED, or light emitting diode, fixtures use less energy than the fluorescent fixtures they replaced. (Courtesy of Santa Ana Star Casino)

Santa Ana Star Casino has retrofitted indoor and outdoor lighting systems with new technology that is being widely adopted for business and residential use.

The casino on Santa Ana Pueblo land just west of Bernalillo recently completed an 18-month project, switching from fluorescent lighting to LED light emitting diode technology that provides a brighter light using less energy, casino spokeswoman Shannon Guess said.

Its a trend. Its happening everywhere, said Mark Scott, a Rio Rancho city councilor who owns a lighting business.

He said his company, Total Lighting Supply, has been busy retrofitting everything from residential kitchens to military bases.

LED bulbs last longer than conventional bulbs, reducing replacement and maintenance costs, and use less electricity, cutting energy bills, said Susan Sponar, spokeswoman for Public Service Company of New Mexico.

Guess said that, in May, PNM recognized the casino with an innovative project award for the high-tech lighting controls at its nightclub The Stage and in Lounge 54.

Work on retrofitting the outdoor lighting fixtures, including the parking garage, was completed at the end of August, she said.

The exterior fixtures are equipped with dimmers and sensors that determine whether the available daylight is above or below an acceptable threshold and turns the lights on or off accordingly. In the parking garage, there are motion detectors that reduce lighting levels by up to 80 percent when there is no activity, Guess said.

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Switch to LED lights is a trend