A school district in the Greater Austin Area, Texas, has cut its electricity use by 41 percent after installing a Lantronix Power-over-Ethernet++ solution. The installation has also improved the lit environment for students.

The school district worked with Lantronix VAR Bryte Light and BryComm to design and install the Intelligent Lighting solution, which includes the Lantronix 24-Port Managed Gigabit Ethernet PoE++ Switch.

The district required interoperability between the lighting, HVAC, automation systems, fire alarm, security cameras and access control; automated notifications for decision makers from intelligent sensors in the smart lighting; the ability to control each individual fixture via local keypads or automation; and sensors to provide information on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity, occupancy, photocell and humidity and temperature capabilities.

Using the Lantronix PoE++ Lighting Switch, the school district exceeded its energy savings goals, achieving a 41.4 percent reduction in energy usage. It reduced its carbon footprint by 129,726 kWh annually, which equals approximately 0.85 pounds of carbon, the equivalent of 177 mature trees cleaning the air. This energy usage reduction results in an annual savings of $33,665.

The lighting lifespan with the solution is double that of traditional lighting, reducing material costs and eliminating the 40-hours-per-week maintenance requirement to change light bulbs. As the lighting hue can be adjusted, it also provides a better learning environment for students, including Tunable White Lighting with Correlated Color Temperature (CCT).

“Designed for intelligent PoE lighting and smart building applications, the Lantronix PoE++ switch powers more than 4,700 lighting devices at the school district, providing a 41 percent reduction in energy usage while providing a better-lit environment for students,” said Brian Johnson, director of Sales and Business Development for Bryte Light. “Bryte Light is pleased to be part of the first state-of-the-art smart school for K–12 in the state of Texas, if not the country.”