Inefficient lighting is in the past for Arc's Value Village
Arc’s Value Village began the process of upgrading to LED lighting after a One-Stop Efficiency Shop lighting consultant visited their Richfield location and noticed outdated, inefficient lighting throughout the store. The lighting consultant knew the store could benefit greatly from LEDs and offered a free lighting assessment. He discovered the store was dealing with failing fluorescent bulbs and at-capacity circuits. Maintenance was difficult and time consuming for in-store employees and finding bulbs with matching color and temperature was a challenge. The lighting consultant learned that two other Arc’s Value Village stores in the area dealt with similar problems but lacked the capital needed for upgrades. Fortunately, CEE’s One-Stop Efficiency Shop was the perfect solution to provide low-interest, nonprofit financing, bring in qualified contractors for bidding, find the best rebates and equipment for the space, and maximize savings for upgrades at all three locations.
Facility Assessment
The Richfield location needed lights that would be longer lasting, easier to maintain, and uniform in color and temperature, and would lower the overall building energy use. After performing a free lighting assessment, the One-Stop lighting consultant created a customized report with recommendations, estimated payback periods, energy savings, and rebates to help the Arc’s Value Village team make the best decisions. The lighting consultant connected the organization to grant funding available through the City of Richfield and EnerChange to help cover upgrade costs and reduce payback periods.
Problems
- Frequent fluorescent bulb and ballast burnouts
- Costly and frequent maintenance
- Mismatched lighting colors
- Circuits at capacity
“A big change has been the consistently bright lighting. Our fluorescent lighting was all mismatched color and temp, and it was difficult for our in-house staff to keep up with replacing bulbs. Our stores now look bright and inviting.”
Improvements
The lighting consultant recommended an extremely high performance, low wattage LED T8 with the same color and consistency throughout the store to maximize cost-savings and improve customer experience. The new lights are much easier to maintain and have a five-year warranty to cover the cost of replacement. With uniform brightness and color, the lighting quality throughout the store has dramatically improved.
Results
- Reduced maintenance costs
- Improved lighting quality and customer experience
- Reduced overall energy load
- Utilized CEE's low-interest, nonprofit financing and grant funding
Total Rebates and Savings
- $22,182 in annual savings
- 207,700 kWh saved
- $32,166 in rebates
- Average 1.4-year payback period
Center for Energy and Environment’s (CEE) One-Stop Efficiency Shop®, sponsored by Xcel Energy, offers free lighting consulting and rebates to help businesses save energy and reduce operating costs through lighting upgrades.