turn-key LED Lighting solutions
Client : L. Knife & Son
Facility Type: Warehouse and Cold Storage
Project cope : Full LED retrofit
Results: $77,215 in annual Lighting Energy Savings and $15,400 in refridgeration costs annually
L Knife & Son’s vision is to be the best beverage distribution company in the world by continuously improving customer satisfaction. Since their inception over a century ago, the company employs more than 1,200 individuals and operates over 1,000,000 square feet of environmentally controlled warehouse space that exceeds the highest level of standards and ensures product reliability year round. Each division has made extensive capital investments in technology to maintain the highest in-stock rate in the beer industry. The company has grown to include an importing company, and 18 distribution operations which provide statewide coverage in California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin.
As part of the ongoing capital investments, those responsible for facilities management, realized that significant benefits that would be achievable by way of retrofitting the incandescent lighting systems in favor of energy efficient LED lighting. Company management determined that by reducing the energy demands of the facilities, along with the reduced maintenance cost, would boost corporate profitability which would flow through to the bottom line in less than one year.
In 2012, L Knife & Son acquired a 300,000 square foot facility in Everett, MA as the company’s craft beer arm needed more space to support increased distribution. This facility, which had been vacant for over two years, was in dire need of a lighting upgrade. At the request of a major client, we were tasked with achieving minimum lighting levels of 50Fc at the floor.
Before
After
Keg Cooler
The keg cooler is kept at 40°F, which reduces the life expectancy of incandescent lighting. We removed all of the 54W T5X2 fixtures installed in the keg cooler and replaced them with vapor-proof fixtures, designed to keep moisture out, and fitted them with 22W T8X3 LED tubes. Each fixture reduced the wattage from 120W to 66W. This conversion reduced the energy demand from 20,127kWh annually to 10,715 kWh, with improved lighting.
Notice the old 400W MH fixtures along with the T5 fixtures.
After installation of 240W LED HiBay fixtures
Dry Storage Before
Dry Storage after retrofit
Keg cooler before
Keg Cooler after w/ 22W T8LEDX3 vapor-proof fixtures
Loading Dock Before
Loading Dock After
Exterior
Lighting the exterior of the facility was a combination of metal halide wall packs, floodlights and canopy lights. We removed all the 250W metal halide wall packs and replaced them with 60W LED wall packs. We removed 21 flood lights, which were a combination of 1000W and 400W metal halide fixtures, and replaced them with 260W LED flood lights. The 150W metal halide loading dock canopy lights were replaced with 60W flush mount canopy fixtures, preventing damage from the loading trucks. All “swing-away” loading dock lighting was retrofitted with 16W PAR38 LED bulbs. Annual energy demand for the exterior lighting was reduced from 97,734 kWh to 27,191 kWh or 73%. The company saved $10,581 in annual electrical charges by retrofitting the exterior lighting.
The Net Result
The finished product was a facility that met required lighting expectations, reduced energy consumption, reduced required maintenance of lighting components, was eco-friendly and most importantly, it added to the L Knife & Son bottom line profitability by reducing operating cost. Furthermore, we’ve removed the maintenance burden as these High Bays are warranted for five years of continuous performance and you can expect them to last ten or more if they’re not in use 24/7.
L Knife was impressed enough with this target program and now expects to retrofit all of its owned facilities.
Facility L Knife & Son Distribution Center
Location Everett, MA
Partner Luminous Energy Designs
Fixtures Used (60) 160W LED HiBay Fixtures (124) 240W LED HiBay Fixtures
(48) Vapor-proof fixtures w/ 22W T8LED tubes
5 to T8 Gear Trays w/ 240 22W T8LED tubes
(15) 60W LED Wall Packs
(21) 265W LED Flood lights
(10) Flush Mount LED Canopy Lights
(467) HiBay Motion Sensors
Annual Lighting Energy Savings $77,215
Annual Refrigeration Savings $15,400
Utility Rebate $175,000
Estimated Payback 6 Months
Reduction in Annual Greenhouse
Gas Emissions 362 Metric Tons of C02 Equivalent