MANITOWOC, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Orion Energy Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: OESX) (Orion Lighting), a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient LED retrofit lighting, today announced that Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine (EC&M) has named its ISON^™ LED High Bay luminaire as a 2017 Product of the Year Winner in the high bay category.

Debuting in September 2016, Orion's ISON LED High Bay luminaire was the first and remains the only luminaire to eclipse the 200 lumens per watt (LPW) energy efficiency barrier with performance of 214 LPW. The luminaire consumes approximately 47 percent less energy than the average LED high bay luminaire,* thereby offering the potential to reduce customer utility bills for lighting by up to 47 percent. Several of Orion's Fortune 1000 customers have retrofitted facilities with Orion's ISON LED High Bay series, including corporate giants Coca-Cola and US Foods. Toyota Motor North America, an early adopter of the ISON Gen III, retrofitted their Georgetown, KY 8.1 million square foot manufacturing plant with the award winning high bay. The Georgetown facility is Toyota's largest vehicle manufacturing plant in the world.

Orion's ISON LED High Bay series is a solid long term investment for Orion customers. Not only is it compatible with Orion's legacy fluorescent product controls and accessories, the plug and play modular design serves as a platform that can be upgraded as LED technology continues to evolve or light level requirements change. Orion customers who have invested in the ISON Gen II can cost effectively upgrade their existing platform to the 214 lumens per watt efficiency of the new Gen III, and continue to utilize their existing Gen II accessory and control options. This backward compatibility, combined with high performance, low cost install and maintenance, and a ten year warranty, is why the ISON LED High Bay offers the lowest total cost of ownership in its class.

Orion's ISON LED High Bay was selected from a pool of 155 nominations that were carefully evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of electrical professionals from the engineering, contracting, plant facilities and maintenance industries. Orion will compete for the 2017 Product of the Year Platinum, Gold, and Silver awards to be determined through an online readers' poll and announced in EC&M's August 2017 issue.

"We are extremely proud of this acknowledgement from EC&M and its judging panel," said John Scribante, Orion's chief executive officer. "Development of our ISON High Bay luminaire resulted from investments we have made in new product development, including the opening of our innovation hub in Chicago and our recruitment of the industry's most talented engineers and designers. Orion remains committed to the ongoing research and development of new and improved lighting systems that deliver added value, improved performance and special features for customers across a range of industry specialties from healthcare and foodservice to manufacturing and logistics."

ISON LED High Bay savings illustrations:

When replacing fluorescent products, the savings can be up to 52 percent. For example, a typical facility replacing fluorescent lighting with ISON Gen III LED High Bays could expect to save over $75,000 a year and more than $750,000 over a decade.** The ISON LED High Bay's enhanced energy efficiency also opens new markets for Orion, particularly for facilities with shorter hours of operation or lower utility rates. While earlier systems have been unable to deliver a clear ROI from energy savings in these more challenging applications, meaningful savings are now possible in most instances given the high efficiency of Orion's ISON LED High Bay solution.

For more information about the ISON LED High Bay and Orion's suite of energy-efficient LED lighting retrofit products, contact an authorized Orion agent or visit www.orionlighting.com.

*Based on average competitor's high bay efficacy of 111 LPW.

**Based on replacing 1,000 6-lamp T8 high bay fixtures consuming 221 watts with Orion's 106-watt ISON™ LED High Bay Generation III, operating 6,000 hours per year at an electric rate of $0.11.

About EC&M

Published monthly since 1901, Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) magazine is the technical authority for 130,000+ electrical professionals, including 80,000+ subscribers in electrical contracting firms (reaching all NECA and IEC member firms), 30,000+ subscribers in industrial plants and in commercial/ institutional facilities with 100+ employees (93 percent coverage of Fortune 1000 firms), and nearly 20,000 consulting electrical engineers. EC&M has earned over 70 editorial awards since 2000.

About Orion Energy Systems

Orion is a leading designer and producer of energy efficient lighting and retrofit lighting solutions for commercial and industrial buildings. Orion manufactures and markets connected lighting systems encompassing LED solid-state lighting and intelligent controls. Orion systems incorporate patented design elements that deliver significant energy, efficiency, optical, and thermal performance that drive financial, environmental, and work-space benefits for a wide variety of customers, including nearly 40 percent of the Fortune 500.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170512005303/en/

Investor Relations Contacts:
Bill Hull, Chief Financial Officer
Orion Energy Systems, Inc.
(312) 660-3575
or
Bill Jones, David Collins
Catalyst IR
(212) 924-9800
oesx@catalyst-ir.com
or
Media Relations Contact:
Linda Diedrich, Director, Marketing Communications
Orion Energy Systems, Inc.
(312) 660-3567

Source: Orion Energy Systems, Inc.

News Provided by Acquire Media