LED lighting company Cree (Nasdaq: CREE) has launched a new self-programming wireless lighting control system that the company says can reduce energy consumption by more than 70 percent – and at half the cost of traditional lighting controls.

And two of its first customers are near by.

The SmartCast Technology is intended to be easy to use, easy to maintain and affordable, which the Durham company says removes barriers that had blocked consumer adoption of the technology.

Among the customers of the new technology is Cary-based Lord Corporation.

“Cree exceeded our expectations of what a lighting controls system could provide. Without any extra devices or wires needed, our maintenance team spent only minutes installing the Cree CR22 architectural LED troffers with SmartCast Technology throughout our corporate headquarters, saving us thousands of dollars on programming and setup,” John Gardiner, Lord’s facilities manager, said in a statement. “The savings on energy consumption and maintenance costs we expect with this installation will be a huge benefit to our business.”

N.C. State also has installed some of the new Cree gear, with an emphasis on two aspects:

  • Shutting down when not needed
  • Sensing and measuring sunlight then adjusting LED lighting accordingly

Cree LED fixtures in the “North Hall” on the main campus are equipped with SmartCast. Lighting is nneeded in a computer lab, lobby and recreation 24 hours a day, every day, NCSU says. If no one is detected in the areas, lights are shut down.

“Fixtures that turn off automatically guarantee we are saving energy when students are away,” said Pete Fraccaroli, Facilities Manager of Campus Life at NCSU.

The system also monitors sunlight and adjusts the amount of light the fixtures need to generate in order to maintain consistent lighting.

“The daylight sensing feature helps make sure we’re considering the light coming in from outside and are only using the amount of light from the fixtures that we need. The consistency and quality of the light we’re seeing is very impressive,” said Mark Sorrell, head electrician with NCSU’s Campus Life department.

Cree SmartCast Technology is sold through Cree lighting sales channels throughout the United States and Canada.