Wal-Mart, one of the largest and most popular retail providers, is about to get an LED lighting retrofit that will save the company millions of dollars and have a substantial impact on the LED market. Cree recently announced in a press release that 650 Wal-Mart stores will be replacing the ceramic metal halide lighting in their produce and electronics departments with Cree LRP-38 LED light bulbs. In new construction projects, Wal-Mart will be installing Cree’s popular LR6 recessed downlights.

The LRP-38 LEDS are 82% more efficient than the 70-watt metal halide lighting currently used. One of the reasons the lamps were chosen is because their expected lifespan is 50,000 hours, which lasts more than five years when turned on 24 hours a day. The lights also reduce glare on items and helps focus customers’ attention on Wal-Mart products. Neal Hunter, Cree co-founder and president of Cree’s LED Lighting Division, said the LED lighting will be “…making food and merchandise attractive, which we believe enhances the customer’s experience.” Not only is the installation benefiting Wal-Mart, but it will also have a big impact on Cree. Though we couldn’t find any information about financial details, we did find that Michelle Murray, spokeswoman for Cree, said it will be an important milestone for the company.

Wal-Mart has also made many other changes in their stores to be more “green.” They have mounted refrigerated units on top of some stores that reduce refrigerant charge by 90% and use waste heat to heat water used in bathrooms and kitchens. A Wal-Mart store in Santa Ana, California, installed solar panels on the roof that supply 20-30% of power needed to operate the store. The store’s dual-mode diesel-electric trucks increase efficiency by 25%. Fifteen trucks in Phoenix run off of fuel made by waste brown cooking grease, which could also increase efficiency by 2%. The store also has a “Home Efficiency Center” that offers customers LEDs, CFLs, Energy Star washers and dryers, and high efficiency toilets.

We look forward to seeing how Wal-Mart’s installation of LED lighting impacts the market and the company! Continue to keep going green, Wal-Mart, and we hope others will do the same!