Hubbell Lighting Helps Dirksen Federal Court Building Cut Lighting Energy Usage by More Than 50%

Hubbell Lighting, (www.hubbelllighting.com) a division of Hubbell, Inc (NYSE: HUBA, HUBB), and a market leader in innovative lighting technology for over a century, and its Columbia Lighting brand (www.columbialighting.com) have recently begun a major lighting fixture installation at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in downtown Chicago, IL.

Working closely with the noted New York headquartered lighting design firm, Domingo Gonzalez and Associates (DGA) (www.dgalight.com), Columbia Lighting crafted a custom 12” wide x 48” long surface mounted fluorescent fixture and an 8” wide x 48” long recessed fluorescent fixture both built to the Gonzalez firm’s specifications.

Illuminating offices, courtrooms, hallways, stairwells and conference rooms in virtually the entire 30-story glass and steel edifice located in the heart of Chicago’s downtown business district, the new fixtures were specifically designed by DGA to emulate the character and general appearance of the original fixtures – in place since the building was completed in 1964.

The new fixtures include modified optics to improve energy efficiency, T8 lamps, and dimming ballast technology. The glass lenses of the original design are being replaced with white parabolic baffles optimized for minimal glare but maximum lumen output. The original lighting fixtures employed two 40W T12 lamps powered by magnetic ballasts. By comparison, the new energy efficient Columbia replacement fixtures employ a single 32W T8 lamp powered by a Lutron Ecosystem electronic dimming ballast tuned to desired footcandle and energy levels. The T8 lamp is estimated to have a 40,000 hr. lamp life.

The installation of the new Columbia fixtures began in the summer of 2009 and is on schedule to be completed in 2012. Upon completion, the Dirksen Federal Court Building will contain 9,000 new fixtures including 7,782 surface mounted and 1,318 recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures.

About the Dirksen Courthouse

The Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, sometimes referred to as the Dirksen Federal Building, is located at 219 S. Dearborn Street in Chicago. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the building is 384 feet tall and was named for U.S. Congressman and Senator Everett Dirksen. The building houses the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh District, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and local offices for various federal agencies.

About Hubbell Lighting

Hubbell Lighting, Inc., is one of the largest lighting fixture manufacturers in North America. The company provides a full range of indoor and outdoor lighting products serving the commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential markets. Hubbell Lighting brands include Alera Lighting, Architectural Area Lighting, Beacon Products, Columbia Lighting, Compass Products, Devine Lighting, Dual-Lite, HomeStyle Lighting, Hubbell Building Automation, Hubbell Industrial Lighting, Hubbell Outdoor Lighting, Kim Lighting, Kurt Versen, Precision-Paragon [P2], Prescolite, Progress Lighting, Security Lighting, Spaulding Lighting, Sportsliter Solutions, Sterner Lighting Systems, Thomasville Lighting, and Whiteway.