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INDUSTRY NEWS
Save So Much Energy the Utility Company Double Checks Your Meter!
End the warehouse utility woes. The reality is, energy used by a distribution facility can get very costly. Lighting is typically one of the largest consumers of energy in a warehouse, according to Memphis Light Gas and Water Division (MLG&W). The smack down on your bottom line is significant, but the cost of electricity isn't the culprit; the culprit is energy usage - and unfortunately a lot of energy is wasted in many warehouse facilities. What's worse is whether it's wasted or used, you're still paying for it.
Lighting, while just one of the areas to reduce energy, often can represent the best opportunities for savings. The MLGW Energy Advisor website lighting savings can be found in two areas: installing the most appropriate lighting technology and controlling it effectively. High-intensity discharge (HID) light sources, such as metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps, have long dominated the market for lighting indoor spaces with high ceilings, but today other technologies have proven more efficient under many common situations.
A workup by a local lighting company, Factory Sales, shows a prime example of significant potential savings. In a warehouse with 1,288 fixtures, using 400 watt metal halide HID fixtures, 18 hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year: spends about $117,890 annually. With a simple switch to fluorescent fixtures of nearly equivalent lighting capacity (known as a lighting retrofit) this same warehouse of 1,288 fixtures burning the same amount of time, would now cost $56,858 annually. That's an energy cost savings of $61,031.
The return on investment in such a retrofit is typically 3-5 years, which is easily recouped in the annual energy savings. Plus, the reduction in costs continues for years to come. In addition, lighting controls and occupancy sensors offer a tremendous amount of energy control and can help extend the life of fixtures.
The bottom line, today's technology offers building owners a host of solutions to see immediate savings on their electric bills. Not to mention, now is prime time to take advantage of federal, state and local tax incentives to do energy retrofits on existing buildings. More good news, companies that offer energy efficient solutions usually provide a free cost comparison.
Improve your bottom line by keeping that $$ in your pocket instead of giving it away to the utility company!
**Find advice for business owners on energy savings on the MLGW business site. Check out their Energy Advisor page, which offers facts, figures and tips on energy consumption and efficient design for a variety of commercial businesses.
Warehouse energy use
Lighting Energy Use by Building Type
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