Denny's Buys Cree LEDs For All New Restaurants

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Restaurant chain Denny’s will install Cree LED lights in the dining areas and restrooms of all new restaurants.

The chain has agreed to use Cree’s LR6 six-inch downlights in all newly constructed and converted restaurants nationwide, after testing the lights at several franchises.

A Denny’s franchisee in Colorado Springs, Colo. installed more than 400 of the lights in the dining rooms of his five restaurants, saving $15,500 in annual energy costs. One store used 6,000 kWh less per month once the Cree lights were installed, Denny’s said.

A LEED Gold Denny’s in Joliet, Illinois uses a combination of Cree lights and natural lighting to reduce energy consumption. The lighting design has reduced the restaurant’s utility costs by 83 percent, Denny’s said.

“We evaluated numerous LED light fixtures from a variety of manufacturers to ensure that we chose the best possible product and partner for this major lighting specification,” said Mitch Riese, Denny’s senior manager of design and construction.

Restaurants are huge consumers of electricity, using about 2.5 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lights in restaurants typically run 16 to 20 hours per day.

Last year Chili’s Restaurant said it would install 125,000 LED lamps for interior and exterior lighting across all 827 of its restaurants, in what the chain touted as the nation's biggest LED rollout. Chili's is using Eco-story lamps, which employ Cree Xlamp LEDs.

Chili’s parent company Brinker International said the installations will save more than $3.7 million annually.

Other restaurant chains that have made the switch to LED lighting include Applebee’s and Red Robin Restaurants.

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