Selinsgrove, PA - Ken Bergren Inc. is a retailer of outdoor power equipment. They recently noticed that their light levels were low. They turned to Energy Controls Group (ECG), the area’s premier lighting specialists, for a solution.

The certified lighting specialists at ECG designed a solution to the problem, increasing light levels where needed while still maintaining energy efficiency, and reducing costs. The new lighting system reduces eye strain, increases employee productivity, and creates a more welcoming environment for customers. Ken Bergren Inc. was able to take advantage of utility company rebates, and the design capability at ECG that is second-to-none.

 
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Mike Arnold, on-site manager of the four-story complex, teamed up with ECG’s certified lighting professionals and tasked them to upgrade the facility’s lighting systems with three priorities; maintain or improve the lighting to ensure the safety of the residents, reduce operational costs, and do both within his budget. Mr. Arnold and his board of trustees opted for upgrading all common spaces with new energy efficient and longer-life lighting options. This substantially reduced energy and maintenance costs while maximizing utility rebates to pay a significant portion of the project costs. Most importantly, the project yielded a satisfied customer with some very pleased residents.

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The facilities in Selinsgrove had three distinct areas: sales office, warehouse & yard, and administrative offices. Each area had its own set of lighting issues and challenges. The team of certified lighting professionals and project managers at ECG were able to design a turnkey solution for L/B Water, giving them the best in energy-efficient lighting design, while maximizing their savings.

 
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Keystone Bingo Supply’s warehouse and office building, approximately 40,000 square feet, were in need of lighting renovation to improve effectiveness and reduce energy costs. Keystone Bingo Supply opted for a full turn-key solution from ECG’s certified lighting professionals and project managers. A unique combination of new and upgraded energy efficient lighting fixtures, and controls, offers substantial reductions in energy costs, all at the most competitive prices available.

 
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After remodeling our State College store in 2008 and Wilkes-Barre store in 2009, we knew the Williamsport location, remodeled in 1986, was outdated and dark due to the heavy reliance on incandescent track lighting fixtures and T12 fluorescent lamps. Additionally, with the arrival of electricity rate deregulation across the state we knew we’d be facing increasing costs in the years to come.  We’d gotten estimates in recent years, but the cost of retrofitting such a large building were high and the job of fitting that into our budget daunting.  A meeting with Dave Abernathy of Energy Controls Group, put it, literally, in a new light. He was able to put numbers to the project, showing project costs, but also concrete financial and energy savings on the back end, including significant savings through rebates offered by PP&L.

Significant Savings Equals Cash-Flow Positive Investment

PP&L rebates were something we had not been aware of, but it makes sense that even though they sell energy, the utility company requires efficiency to simply keep pace with the ever-growing number of users and usage rates. Therefore, they will pay you back if you show considerable energy savings through updating your lighting fixtures and lamps.  This was the break we needed to pull off such a large project all at once.

Four weeks of installation were completed in March of 2011, and before the project was finished, we had already noticed a 25 percent drop in cost on the electric bill for that month. Between the rebates and excellent five-year financing package through Woodlands Bank, we’re saving around $1,000 a month on electricity and we’ve quickly determined the project as a cash-flow-positive investment from year one.

EGC managed to not only forecast our overall savings through the upgrades we planned to make, but saved us money throughout the project as well. Rather than say, “Let’s do everything,” for example, they suggested using signs in lower traffic areas rather than installing a motion sensor. We changed the fixtures and lamps, but we’ve also changed the culture and usage.

Positive Customer and Employee Comments

Much of the focus of our remodel was centered on the customer experience, but it quickly became apparent that 20,000 square feet of our space is office and repair space.  Whether you are working with a computer and paperwork each day or rebuilding and repairing pianos, violins or speakers, the older T12 lamps were not bright enough, poorly positioned, and produced the “pulse” often visible in older four-foot fixtures. It’s difficult to quantify eye strain and fatigue for those working in these areas, but a brief comparison of the before and after shows the improvement in the work areas in terms of both lumens and color reproduction. ECG tested fixtures and lamps both on site with our staff and in their lighting design software to confirm we were getting the best result.  Now we hear as many positive comments from our employees as we do from our regular customers.

Determining where to invest your limited resources is a tough job even in the best of times.  However, a project such as this is rewarding on so many levels when it’s done well.  Once we knew we could do it all in about 30 days while lowering utility costs, increasing sales, promoting sustainability, and improving productivity and the customer experience, it was truly a no-brainer.

By the Numbers

• Achieved an increase in coverage and lumens of 25 to 50 percent in our shops, offices, and retail floor while reducing our electricity usage and maintenance costs
• Reduced our fixtures from over 225 incandescent track lighting lamps to about 130 LED lamps, which are now available in warm color spectrum (about 3300K in wide and spot coverage) and last for 50,000 hours
• Achieved proper color rendering of wood finishes by using warm spectrum T8 efficient fluorescent tubes on the floor so wood doesn’t get washed out by white light (about 5000K).

- Peter Sides
President, Robert M. Sides Family Music Centers

]]> http://energycontrolsgroup.com/2011/04/goodbusiness-sense-illuminated-using-rebates-to-help-finance-lighting-renovation/feed/ 0 http://energycontrolsgroup.com/2011/04/robert-m-sides/ http://energycontrolsgroup.com/2011/04/robert-m-sides/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:47:36 +0000 admin http://energycontrolsgroup.dreamhosters.com/?p=113 The Robert M. Sides Music project provided turnkey lighting upgrades which dramatically improved the lighting system’s performance and efficiency while greatly improving the overall illumination of all retail spaces.

Careful consideration paid to the customer’s budget, color rendering, lighting levels, and LED accent lighting placement resulted in merchandise-friendly lighting which enhanced the wood tones, brass, and other aspects of the fine instruments offered by this high-end retailer. The solution also resulted in substantial savings.

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