Jackson Firm Provides Enhanced Lighting For Tulsa's Chili Bowl
JACKSON -- The Tulsa Expo Square is one of the largest clearspan buildings in the world, and plays host to the widely acclaimed Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Every January the event boasts over 15,000 spectators and attracts NASCAR and USAC drivers from around the country.
In preparation for this year's event, the Square went through a major renovation, and featured enhanced lighting.
Due to the demands of an indoor race track, the imminent scheduling of the event, and the American Electric Power-Public Service Co. rebate requirements, criteria for indoor lighting was very stringent. Facility managers at the Expo Square were concerned about light levels, dimming capabilities, installation deadlines, reliability, and procuring a fixture that would meet the energy reduction and US Made requirements of the AEP rebates.
"When we began our test period in March 2011, I was surprised to see how the quality of the fixtures varied between manufacturers," said Wayne Driggers, grounds supervisor at Tulsa Expo Square. "Our process included a long research period, followed by a long test period and finally the installation. In the first week, half of the other manufacturers' products failed. We did not go forward with any LEDs after we tested a few single fixtures. The LEDs did not make it out of our preliminary testing for a number of reasons. The five EverLast fixtures we were testing are still there with absolutely no problems or complaints. Everyone was impressed by the attention to detail that EverLast put into the product. Right out of the box, EverLast stood out. The packaging was even better."
As a result, the Tulsa Expo Square moved forward with installing 539 400-watt, variable dimming EverLast high bay fixtures in the winter of 2011. The fixtures replaced 1000-watt metal halide lamps throughout the square, delivering a savings of approximately 1.5 million kilowatt hours, and over $100,000 a year.
In addition, Tulsa Expo Square officials received a refund of nearly $150,000 for the installation. The check refund was part of AEP of Oklahoma's energy-efficiency payback program.
"I am proud to support a true American manufacturer," Driggers said. "We are looking forward to a long relationship with EverLast as we move forward with our energy conservation efforts. It would be my pleasure to recommend the EverLast products to anyone."
EverLast Lighting is a subsidiary of Full Spectrum Solutions Inc. and has quickly grown into the leading manufacturer of energy efficient lighting solutions for roadway, parking structure, facility and area lighting applications. For additional product information, visit www.everlastlight.com, call (888) 383-7578, or email info@everlastlight.com.
