Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet will save an eye-opening $421,492 over the next 5 years.
Greenville Auto Dealer Targets Energy Savings With LED Retrofits
Automotive dealerships in North America use up to 18% more energy each year than a typical commercial building. Consuming $1.9 billion dollars in energy costs annually, lighting can represent up to 45% of overall energy costs at an auto dealership. And in 2011 dealership profits averaged just 2.3%. All of this means that an LED lighting retrofit can reduce energy use substantially, while maintaining or improving quality of light, making a tremendously meaningful impact on profits.
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet of Greenville, South Carolina has been serving upstate SC for over 30 years. Recently, interest in LED lighting technology has created a flood of new lighting products on the market. All of these options can make it difficult to narrow down and select the right lighting fixtures for an energy efficiency overhaul. It is because of these reasons, and many more, that Net Zero USA partnered with Hubbell Lighting to offer Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet three different outdoor LED lighting products.
Over one hundred 1000-watt metal halide fixtures at the tops of existing poles were replaced with 332-watt LED luminaires. Forty four 250-watt small metal halide floodlights located halfway down some of the front line inventory poles were swapped out with forty four 70-watt Hubbell outdoor lighting LED floodlights. And a dozen 1000-watt metal halide floodlights on the exterior of the building were updated with fourteen 107-watt LED floodlights.
The lighting shows the cars far better at night and folks driving by are giving our inventory a second look. Also, the brighter lights provide better security and since they require less electricity, we run them later into the night for even greater peace of mind.Kevin Whitaker, Owner
68.2% Energy Savings From LED Lighting Retrofit
Prior to the retrofit, the dealership’s lighting consumed 949,326 kWh annually. After the LED retro fit, this electricity consumption fell to 301,005 kWh — or a 68.2% decline. Thanks to this new level of energy efficiency and annual equipment savings, the dealership will save an eye-opening $421,492 over the next 5 years all because of their decision to upgrade the lights.
Additional Benefits
Lighting is an important part of the automotive shopping experience, but also one of its greatest expenses, accounting for more than 45% of a dealership’s energy costs. Dealerships can increase earnings before taxes up to 4% by upgrading their lighting while enhancing the quality of light at their facilities, as well as dramatically cut costs.