Arizona Cardinals Install Ephesus LED Sports Lights For 2014 Season, 2015 Super Bowl

Super Bowl 49 and the 2014 Arizona Cardinals NFL season will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium under new LED Lights provided by Ephesus. The undisputed leader in LED Lighting, Ephesus installed their sustainable lights before the Cardinals game on Sunday, the 21st when they remained undefeated after defeating the rival San Francisco 49ers in a key NFC West divisional battle, enhancing each teams’ player performances while illuminating the playing field for the better of the fan experience and television broadcasting. The Sports Techie community blog readers and followers support the sport movement towards increased sustainability, a greener environment and necessary infrastructure technology to make it all so as is the case with this historical switch from metal halide fixtures to LED light by the proactive University of Phoenix stadium.

University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ shines with an abundance of natural sunlight so the designers of the University of Phoenix Stadium engineered a pioneering retractable roof and field to take advantage of the solar light making the facility a first-of-its-kind stadium in North America.

“We are excited about replacing our metal halide fixtures with state-of-the-art Ephesus LED lighting fixture,” said Peter Sullivan, General Manager and Regional Vice President for Global Spectrum at University of Phoenix Stadium. “As the host venue for the 2015 Super Bowl, we look forward to demonstrating the benefits of LED technology to a global audience.”

A single Ephesus LED light delivers a substantial increase in brilliance compared to the traditional metal halide light mounted at the University of Phoenix Stadium when the building launched in 2006. Amy Casper, CEO of the Syracuse-based company, shared an impressive fact that the venue is now the first NFL stadium to illuminate the playing surface exclusively with LED lighting.

The 312 new Ephesus Stadium fixtures need only 310,000 watts of energy to compare to the 780 older metal halide fixtures system that required nearly four times the amount at 1.24 million watts. The median cost-saving average for most facilities is a eye-opening 75% reduction in overall sports lighting energy consumption compounded by the reduced power on any air conditioning systems operating to offset the high temperatures generated by obsoleted metal halide lights.

A key operations features are that these LED lights can be flipped on and off with a standard switch, saving time and energy compared to metal halide fixtures that need at least a 20-minute warm-up to fully function. Using a simple on/off button enables stadium or arena operators to establish fan and sponsor friendly entertainment light shows.

Ephesus manufactures the brightest LED in the Industry and is the only stadium-designed lighting listed under Design Light Consortium’s (DLC) quality, performance and energy efficiency requirements. The DLC certification enables buildings to receive energy incentives from utility providers.

The business trend towards purchasing LED lighting is because they are less expensive to operate, brighter and produce a more uniform light setting that removes shadows on the ground. The results are an improved atmosphere for athletes in addition to fans at all levels in the stadium, as well as any fan viewing on HD TV in their man-caves at home, or on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops, while on the go.

“We are excited that so many sports and entertainment venues have seen the light and made the switch to LED lighting over the past two years,” said Mike Lorenz, President of Ephesus Lighting. “The feedback from fans, players and broadcasters at venues all across North America who are using our LED sports lighting reinforces that LED is the premier lighting solution for sports and entertainment venues.”

In addition to serving as the Arizona Cardinals’ home field, University of Phoenix Stadium is also the site of the Super Bowl on February 1, 2015, the Pro Bowl on January 25, 2015 and the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2014. This multi-purpose facility, which opened on August 1, 2006, previously hosted Super Bowl XLII in 2008, two BCS National Championship Games (2007 & 2011), the annual Fiesta Bowl, and numerous international soccer matches. The 63,400-seat stadium, which is expandable to seat 72,200 fans, is owned by the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority (s) and operated by Global Spectrum.

Ephesus
“The capabilities of LED technology have changed the way we view sports lighting,” said Joe Casper, Founder and CTO of Ephesus Lighting. “This was a great opportunity to showcase our innovative lighting technology in a venue known as a leader in introducing new ideas to the sports marketplace.”

Since lighting the first sports venue with LED technology in North America in 2012, Ephesus Lighting luminaires have been operational for over 70,000 hours in more than 30 indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment venues across North America. Some of these other facilities include: the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, Duke University’s Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, and The Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island.

Ephesus Lighting, Inc. is a US-based company that manufactures high-output LED lighting solutions for challenging applications in the industrial and sporting markets. Ephesus is focused on innovating advanced LED solutions that will enrich and illuminate the world, by creating brighter, more vibrant and more sustainable environments.

For more information, visit www.ephesuslighting.com, follow us on Twitter @EphesusLighting or contact us at 315-579-2873 or [email protected].

Sports Techie, Lighting at preseason, regular season, postseason, and Super Bowl games will never look back thanks to the new business model implemented by the sportsbiz efforts by Ephesus, AZSTA and Global Spectrum. Better light, less costs and helping the world’s ecosystem is a no-brainer decision for today and the future. NFL and playoffs games at the University of Phoenix Stadium are a showcase opportunity for the way sports tech is shaping the world into a better place.

I personally applaud the executive teams responsible for making the change to LED lighting in time for Super Bowl XLIX. The hope is more venues will jump aboard the LED trend whether they are a brand new facility or upgrading with a new stadium redesign.

Football is meant to be played outdoors and now in Glendale, you have that lighting option if the roof is open or closed due to weather. Fans, teams and broadcasters all win with LED lighting vs. metal halide fixtures. I am a Seattle Seahawks fan at heart but my fandom does extend to inner-division organizations such as the S.F. 49ers who play in new Levi’s Stadium, the host of SB 50, and the St. Louis Rams, just in case the Hawks cannot repeat as Super Bowl Champions for the first time since the New England Patriots did winning Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX.  I also root for the local Atlanta Falcons who play in the old Georgia Dome.

Bravo to the University of Phoenix Stadium, your title sponsors value, the Cardinals’ fans sport viewing pleasure and taking care of our planet priority just went up a notch thanks to installing Ephesus LED sports lighting.

I will see ya when I see ya, THE Sports Techie @THESportsTechie – http://twitter.com/THESportsTechie

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