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10-14 May 2010 | Las Vegas, NV

Sustainable Design

Trading Up

BY ELIZABETH HALL

The government’s Cash for Clunkers program encouraged drivers across the country to swap their aging vehicles for newer, more energy-efficient models. One car dealership has followed suit with their lighting.
  Looking to save energy and cut lighting costs, the Weseloh Chevrolet Hummer dealership in San Juan Capistrano, CA, has traded in 105 existing metal halide fixtures for new pole-mounted outdoor fixtures with T5HO linear fluorescent lamps from Alumen8. San Diego-based commercial lighting retrofit specialist American Lighting Supply helped the dealership select fixtures that would minimize energy and maintenance costs and maximize light levels.
   Weseloh wasn’t planning to upgrade its lighting until American Lighting Supply demonstrated how much a one-for-one replacement could save. “The metal halide fixtures consumed 1,000 watts per unit, while the new fixtures use 270 watts each. This resulted in a 70 percent reduction in energy,” says Neil Miller, CEO, American Lighting Supply. With the new lighting, kilowatt hours have decreased from 430,000 per month to 94,000. For Weseloh, this equates to saving more than $3,800 a month in utilities.
   Each pole has multiple fixtures, each with multiple lamps, which allow a larger area to be covered. Both three- and four-fixture units were used at the dealership. Poles with five-lamp fixtures were used to illuminate cars in the front sales lots, while poles with four-lamp fixtures were used in areas requiring less light, like car storage lots. Multiple lamps also mean less maintenance. “If there is a problem with a traditional one-lamp fixture and a light goes out, the area underneath is completely dark. With these, you still have several other lamps to provide coverage,” notes Miller. In addition, a longer lamp life—the T5HO lamps have a 36,000-hour life compared to the old 20,000-hour metal halide lamps—means the lights will still be working long after the sales staff goes home.

November 09