With a strong commitment to finding innovative ways to increase efficiency and provide savings for the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA), engineers selected Cooper Lighting for a large-scale upgrade of 972 of the Islands’ street lights. In developing the project plan, the Virgin Islands WAPA engineers hoped to achieve a model for energy savings for the Authority as well as for other Caribbean utilities.

The goal for the upgrade in the Virgin Islands was to replace the existing 200-watt High Pressure Sodium (HPS) street lights with LED fixtures to save on energy costs and lower the environmental impact while maintaining or improving lighting levels and roadway visibilities. As part of the selection process, WAPA engineers R. Arthur Burton and Allyson R. Gregory staged a side-by-side performance evaluation to get input from the community, resulting in Cooper Lighting’s Streetworks™ OVH LED Luminaire being chosen for a one-to-one replacement. Receiving stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to fund the project, the new lighting system will only consume 103-watts per fixture and is estimated to provide energy savings of 56% compared to the older system.

“We are steadfast in our intention to find new ways to decrease energy usage and save on costs, and we saw an opportunity to capitalize on the benefits that LED light fixtures offer,” said Clinton Hedrington, Jr., Director of Transmission & Distribution, Virgin Islands WAPA. “We chose Cooper Lighting based on its proven history in the lighting business and the research the company has done on LED technology.  We were also influenced by the particular design of the fixture, its lumens output and the community feedback on visibility. The Streetworks OVH LED Luminaire was the best choice for our project’s objectives.”

More than ten different manufacturers participated in the Virgin Islands WAPA’s selection process. “Sample fixtures were mounted next to each other and we asked the residents and motorists to vote on the desired light quality,” says Clinton. This included Clinton actually stopping and asking motorists during the comparison installation at night.

The OVH LED Luminaire offers excellent optical performance and versatility with a choice of 15 optical patterns and four lumen outputs. Utilizing a unique patent pending modular LightBAR™ technology and patented AccuLED Optics™ system, the OVH LED Luminaire system’s unique application-specific design allowed the Virgin Islands WAPA to customize the lumen and energy output to fulfill its exact street lighting needs.

“When looking to save energy and reduce costs, one of the most practical upgrades is the replacement of outdoor lighting with more energy-efficient options,” said Mark Eubanks, President at Cooper Lighting. “The Virgin Islands WAPA and residents do not have to sacrifice quality, uniform street illumination to reap all of the energy-saving benefits of the OVH LED Area Luminaire. We are pleased that engineers recognized Cooper Lighting’s product as ideal for their job.”

Cooper Lighting offers a range of LED indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, all of which are specifically designed to maximize energy and cost savings. For additional information, visit www.cooperlighting.com/led.

About Cooper Lighting
Cooper Lighting, a subsidiary of Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE), is the leading provider of innovative, high quality interior and exterior lighting fixtures and related products to worldwide commercial, industrial, retail, institutional, residential and utility markets. As lighting technologies have advanced over the years, Cooper Lighting has been at the forefront of the industry in helping businesses and communities leverage the latest technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enrich the quality of the environment. For more information, visit www.cooperlighting.com.

About Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE) is a global electrical products manufacturer with 2010 revenues of $5.1 billion. Founded in 1833, Cooper's sustained success is attributable to a constant focus on innovation, evolving business practices while maintaining the highest ethical standards and meeting customer needs. The Company has seven operating divisions with leading market positions and world-class products and brands including: Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG explosion-proof electrical equipment; Halo and Metalux lighting fixtures; and Kyle and McGraw-Edison power systems products. With this broad range of products, Cooper is uniquely positioned for several long-term growth trends including the global infrastructure build-out, the need to improve the reliability and productivity of the electric grid, the demand for higher energy-efficient products and the need for improved electrical safety. In 2010 fifty-nine percent of total sales were to customers in the industrial and utility end-markets and thirty-nine percent of total sales were to customers outside the United States. Cooper has manufacturing facilities in 21 countries as of 2010. For more information, visit the website at www.cooperindustries.com.