THE SITUATION
In 2015, one of the fastest-growing department store retailers in the world with over 200 locations in the United States and Canada embarked on an aggressive project to reduce energy usage to save money. This endeavor was spearheaded by the Director of Energy and Utilities, who first made improvements to the HVAC system and then updated halogen PAR lamps to LED. One of the last components of the campaign was replacing the existing fluorescent T8 lamps with an LED alternative. After reviewing several lighting manufacturers, the Director decided on LEDVANCE and SYLVANIA SubstiTUBE® IPS LED T8 Lamps. “SYLVANIA is a brand I know and trust,” he said, “which is why I wanted to evaluate the SYLVANIA T8 LED product. When it came down to two finalists, we went with the SYLVANIA product for several reasons, including ballast compatibility, quality of light and color, and ease of doing business. The SYLVANIA team is amazing, and really cared about my needs. With a project of this size, of course there are going to be some issues. My SYLVANIA rep wasn’t just focused on alleviating individual situations, but also about how to improve working together as a whole.”
THE SOLUTION
SYLVANIA SubstiTUBE IPS T8 LED lamps are engineered to operate on existing instant start and select programmed rapid start electronic T8 ballasts, providing energy savings up to 35 percent over T8 fluorescent lamps. These T8 LED lamps contain no mercury, provide instant light and uniform light distribution, and are available in 3000K, 3500K, 4100K and 5000K color temperatures. Due to their long rated life of 50,000 hours (L70), these lamps reduce maintenance and lamp recycling costs.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The T8 upgrade finished in August 2016 and is projected to save the retailer approximately 60 million dollars, with an internal rate of return between 30 and 40 percent. “Because of the potential energy savings, lighting is generally one of the most profit generating projects a retailer can implement,” said the Director. “When I demonstrated how this project could impact the budget line by line in a positive way long term, it was clear to the finance department that this made sense. The next step was making sure the Store Design team was a part of the conversation. It was important they had an active part in the process because obviously with lighting, it isn’t all just about savings, it is also about how the retail locations would look under the new light. Lighting is a true art and how the stores looked was just as important as the money saved. The SYLVANIA LED lighting delivered on both fronts.”
