Iowa Car Dealer’s Switch to LED Saves Money and Improves Look

Car dealer Carl Moyer, founder of Karl Chevrolet, Ankeny, IA, just north of Des Moines, was looking to upgrade the look of his 30-acre dealership but demanded an acceptable return on the investment. As one of the largest single-line Chevrolet dealerships in the United States, Karl Chevrolet is attentive to the look of its lot at night, particularly along the all-important “front row” facing one of the busiest stretches of interstate in the Midwest.

Moyer and his management team knew they wanted to replace the lot’s legacy 1,000W metal-halide (MH) fixtures but needed a proven 1:1 replacement as well as a controls solution that was both affordable and compliant with the local utility’s program requirements to qualify for a custom rebate.

Ewweb Com Sites Ewweb com Files Uploads 2017 02 03 Hubbell Lighting Karl Chevy3 330

Karl Chevrolet worked with local electrical contractor Tesdell Electric to track advances in lighting technology over the years and entertained numerous lighting proposals but none accomplished 100% of Karl Chevrolet’s goals, until recently. Tesdell worked with John Temple, director of corporate lighting technology at distributor 3E, based in Windsor Heights, IA, and Doug Olson at rep firm Lighting Solutions of Iowa, also based in Ankeny, to develop a lighting solution that combined Spaulding Lighting’s Arceos ARA3 luminaires and Hubbell Control Solutions’ wiSCAPE lighting control platform. The ARA3 was designed with automotive dealerships in mind, to create an inviting and safe environment for customers. The ARA3 can be mounted at heights up to 50 feet and features the latest LED technology, precision optics, thermal management and controls, while providing excellent lighting and uniformity for large area/site applications. Most importantly, the ARA3 saves over 50% of the power needed to drive the 1,000w HID lights it replaces.

To further increase energy savings, the lighting team elected to use wiSCAPE to create and control the lighting scenes. With wiSCAPE, the controls installation was non-invasive and non-disruptive, allowing engineers to avoid a lengthy wiring process and avoid installing relay panels. The wiSCAPE View software gives facility managers real-time monitoring, instant alarm notifications on faulty lighting equipment, and increased network efficiency and maintenance operations – all from a smartphone or tablet.

The end result – the function of the lights, controls and the ROI – shows Karl Chevrolet in a new light. In the first full month of operation the team saw a $12,500 reduction in energy cost, and that was before wiSCAPE was up and running. The annual energy savings are estimated at $143,465 with a total reduction in energy use of 74% and annual maintenance savings of $11,988. The payback period is 3.8 years and the internal rate of return is 29%.