Lighting

Q: In my furniture store, I've been upgrading my lighting to CFLs to reduce my electricity costs. That's working fine except for display lighting. My products just look better under halogen light than CFL light. Are there any low-energy lights that will provide quality product-display lighting? - GF, Manchester, VT

Dan:

Definitely. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are just one type of energy-efficient lighting. As you may have found, they provide excellent general light while using as much as 75% less energy and lasting up to 10-times longer than incandescent bulbs. Unfortunately, CFLs often aren't up to the task of delivering spot lighting for products or displays. I have two recommendations for energy-efficient options. A new version of halogen reflector lamps, called halogen infrared (IR), provides the quality illumination of old halogens while using as much as 27% less energy. Ceramic metal halide lighting is also a great option, saving up to 81% of the energy required for standard halogens. While some ceramic metal halide products can be screwed into existing tracks, most require new track heads. Note: ceramic metal halides are not dimmable.

Paul:

From a financial standpoint, lighting upgrades are a sound investment for a retail store. Lighting is a significant contributor to retail energy costs. To help offset the purchase price of new and improved lighting, Efficiency Vermont provides financial incentives for many energy-efficient technologies. You and your contractor can download an incentive form from the Business Rebate Center at www.efficiencyvermont.com. The form will show you a wide range of energy-saving lamps, fixtures and lighting controls eligible for incentives. If a particular technology is not listed on the rebate form, contact Efficiency Vermont to see about possible custom incentives.

Dan:

By upgrading your halogen display lights, you also can reduce your store's cooling costs. Standard halogens use only 10% of their energy to provide light. The rest is released as heat. This heat can increase your store's air conditioning needs. Infrared reflective halogens operate cooler. And, because efficient lighting lasts longer, it will cut maintenance and bulb-replacement costs. Standard halogens typically last 2,500 hours, newer infrared reflective halogens have a life of up to 5,000 hours and ceramic metal halides can last for as many as 10,000 hours.

Paul:

You can see why these technologies are cost-effective, from their longer life as well as their ongoing energy savings. Another financial benefit of efficient lighting has to do with sales. As you know, sales motivation can come from intangibles like how a customer feels in your store. Energy-efficient lighting not only can enhance the appeal of your products, through excellent color rendering and lighting quality, but also can create a comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing place where customers want to do repeat business.

Dan:

Overhead lighting also plays a key role in product display. If your overhead fluorescent tubes are standard T12s, you could be getting better quality lighting while paying up to 40% less in lighting-energy costs by upgrading to new High Performance T8s.

Paul:

As Dan and I interact with business owners around Vermont, we're hearing about an increase in customer interest in supporting 'green' companies. With efficient lighting, businesses can draw attention to their concern for the environment. This can increase loyalty from green-conscious customers while reducing a company's energy costs. So, congratulations on your lighting upgrades and all the benefits they'll bring to your business, your customers and Vermont.

Q: I own a convenience store in the Burlington area. Lately, I've seen a few articles about people saving significant amounts of money on their power bills after switching to energy efficient lighting. I'd like to do the same, but I don't want to sacrifice aesthetics. How does energy-efficient lighting stack up to what I have now, and what kind of savings can I expect if I switch?

CB - Jericho, VT

Paul: We get a lot of questions about the quality of energy-efficient lighting, and for good reason. The short answer is that lighting has come a long way in the last few years, and switching is one of the easiest and most effective ways to cut your operating costs. From a savings and payback standpoint, you can often save 20 to 50 percent on your lighting costs.

Dan: Another benefit to energy-efficient lighting is the amount you'll save on cooling costs. Not to get too technical, but an incandescent bulb-your basic light bulb-is really an electric resistance heater that emits light. Even older fluorescents throw out a lot of heat. If you've got a space that you also air condition, which in your case would be your coolers and walk-in refrigerators, incandescent bulbs add heat to the space you're trying to cool. As a retail owner, you'll find that your electric bill drops because your lighting and your cooling costs have gone down.

Paul: To address the other part of your question about quality concerns, in my experience dealing with businesses all over the state, switching to efficient lighting definitely helps your bottom line.

Dan: We constantly hear from people that energy-efficient lighting actually improved their work area and helped bring in more customers. With today's energy-efficient lighting, you're not going to get any buzzing or flickering. Your skin won't look green. And you won't have to change bulbs nearly as often. Newer, efficient lighting can last several times longer than your existing lighting and provide the same-or higher-level of performance.

Paul: And energy-efficient lighting is often eligible for financial assistance. Efficiency Vermont offers a wide range of prescribed lighting rebates for smaller projects. You can check out our lighting rebate form online at www.efficiencyvermont.com. For larger or more complex projects, a Project Manager will work with you to establish a customized cash incentive amount. If you install a significant amount of lighting equipment, you could be eligible for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in incentives from Efficiency Vermont.

Dan: From a marketing perspective, energy-efficient lighting makes a lot of sense for any retail business. Whether it's a convenience store like yours, a country inn or a restaurant, energy-efficient lighting gives you a great opportunity to market your business in a positive way. When clients come in, you'll appeal to them not only through improved aesthetics, but also because you?re showing your commitment to energy efficiency.

Q: As a clothing store owner, I need quality lighting to sell my products. In the past, energy-efficient lighting has affected the appearance of my merchandise. Are there newer, energy-efficient options for spot lighting that provide good color rendering? Will they work with my existing track lights? -CEB, Burlington

Paul:

Good news. Energy-efficient lighting has come a long way, with options that work well in a variety of environments, including retail stores. As you well know, lighting should attract customers to your product and make it look good, and new energy-efficient lighting can do just that.

Generally, two types of lighting are used in a retail space: spot lighting and general/diffuse lighting. For spot lighting, there are two energy-efficient options, halogen infrared (HIR) and ceramic metal halide (CMH), both of which offer great color rendering.

Dan:

HIR is a new generation of halogen that reduces energy use by 20 percent and increases lamp life by 40 percent. It looks identical to standard halogen track lights and is available in all of the common configurations (MR16, PAR30, and PAR38) in a variety of beam spreads and wattages. Just remember to drop down in wattage from your existing halogen track lights to a new HIR. For example, if you're using 75 watt PAR38 spotlights, you can replace them with 60 watt HIR PAR38 spots and maintain the same light output.

CMH is a new type of metal-halide that uses as little as 30 percent of the energy an equivalent halogen light source requires and has much better color rendering than other metal halides. CMH has a 1-2 minute warm-up time, so you shouldn't use it in an area where lighting will be switched on and off frequently. Once it warms up, though, you get a nice punch of light. CMH bulbs do require a ballast, so that typically means you'll have to replace your entire track unit. However, new products are available with the ballast integrated with the bulb, allowing you to use your existing track heads. Finally, you should note that CMH bulbs are not dimmable. If your existing track lights are on dimmers, HIR would be your best option.

Paul:

The amount of energy CMH products save, along with their long operating life, make them cost-effective in the long run. Annual savings are typically $25 per bulb. For stores with 100 track heads, that could mean $2,500 in savings per year! Be sure to check Efficiency Vermont's Rebate Center for financial incentives on this and other energy-efficient lighting.

Dan:

For general lighting in your store, you should consider using linear fluorescent High Performance T8 ("Super T8") products or compact fluorescents. Frosted track lights, called BR30, are available in a compact fluorescent version that looks almost identical to the traditional bulbs and uses only 16 watts versus the typical 65 watts.

Paul:

Remember that reducing energy use is just one benefit of HIR and CMH lighting. Both also produce less waste heat than older track lighting. Your air conditioner will have less to cool, meaning you'll save even more energy. Your store will be more comfortable for employees, and customers are more likely to shop longer when they aren't browsing under hot lighting-a win/win for everyone!