LED Lay-In Troffers Just What the Teacher Ordered

Students in Rachel Nemitz’s 2^nd grade class at Wisconsin Lutheran School in Racine, WI, noticed immediately there was something different about their classroom when they reported for the first day of school last fall.

“They looked up and said the room was so bright,” Nemitz remembers.

Leaders of Wisconsin Lutheran last summer swapped out 1-for-1 existing T12 linear fluorescent fixtures for 2x4 LED lay-in troffers offered by e-conolight. Nemitz said the difference in the quality of light is what makes her appreciate the new fixtures.

“With the new LEDs we have bright light without the glare we had before,” she added. “I really notice the difference when I’m at my desk grading papers.”

Principal Paul Patterson also likes the way the troffers deliver warm, even light throughout the classroom.

“The light is brighter but also softer and not as institutional,” he said. “There is definitely a better mood in the room.”

Another positive factor associated with the LED troffers is that they’re silent instead of giving off a low-level hum that can come from traditional lighting fixtures. For students with distraction issues, this is a nice bonus.

“Having less background noise for students who struggle with distraction is very helpful,” Nemitz noted.

Nemitz’s classroom is the first of what Patterson hopes will eventually be the whole school, budget permitting.

“We would love to afford doing the whole school right away,” he stated. “Old ballasts are at the end of their lives so we’re working additional LED fixtures into the budget.”