Production Plant

A 200,000+ sq. ft. production plant built in 2009 was in need of some energy upgrades. Power Management served the energy consulting and procurement needs of the organization and approached them to conduct a facility audit. In an effort to update existing lighting to save both energy and maintenance costs, Power Management evaluated current equipment and proposed recommended lighting upgrades.

The initial audit determined that there were approximately 1,750 total lights to be upgraded or replaced. The current lighting system was comprised of mainly T8’s and metal halides. Power Management proposed a turn-key solution which incorporated engineering & design, incentive coordination, material, labor, certified lamp recycling and project management. The project included all new energy efficient components; including LED fixtures, LED tubes, reflectors and brackets. Occupancy sensors were also included within the project scope and controlled over 53% of the lighting fixtures for additional energy savings.

Work began in November 2016. As this building was an active production facility, there were certain requirements such as special LED tubes for food grade facilities that were required. The retrofitting of the light fixtures was accomplished mostly during non-production hours with careful planning and coordination while working over certain production lines.

The project was completed in February 2017. Upgrading to LED’s, some with motion sensors, will save the facility an estimated $110,000 annually. The annual energy removed was upwards of 2 Million kWh and the project reduced lighting energy by 67%. The fixtures that were upgraded or replaced qualified for over $290,000 in federal and utility financial incentives. The LED solution significantly reduced the energy and maintenance costs with an estimated 2-year payback. The new LED equipment is rated for a longer life at 50-100,000 hours vs. 24-30,000 hours and will be simple to maintain in the future as there are fewer installed components which are standardized and less expensive.