Press Release: Gray's Ferry Shopping Center Lighting LED Conversion

Stouch Lighting is pleased to announce the completion of an LED retrofit for Korman Commercial Properties and the parking lot lighting at Gray’s Ferry Shopping Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Korman Commercial Properties manages the shopping center with relatively fixed costs and wanted to upgrade their existing high pressure sodium (HPS) parking lot lighting to provide an improvement in the light levels as well as to reduce the energy consumption for the exterior lighting at the complex. Low energy consumption, high performance LED lighting helped them to achieve both goals.

The new lights are expected to reduce the Company’s energy costs by 74% (112,268 kWh per year), which equates to nearly $10,000 of annual savings. They were also able to save approximately $3,615 on annual maintenance costs and qualified for a $3,840 rebate for making the improvements. The combined savings were estimated to be $20,927 ($17,087 of which is a recurring annual savings).

Often, maintenance savings represent the largest portion of savings when converting shopping center lighting to LED. LEDs are such a boon in terms of maintenance savings because they last at least two to four times as long as virtually all conventional lighting solutions (100,000 operating hours or more for LEDs as compared to roughly 18,000 for HPS lights). This means the organization saves by not needing to repeatedly purchase replacement bulbs, but also, and perhaps more significantly, on the cost of the recurring labor required to replace bulbs and maintain the facility.

The project entailed the one-for-one replacement of 32 existing lights composed of 1000 watt HPS fixtures with high efficiency (279 Watt) LED lights and fixtures. The HPS lights are identifiable by their characteristic yellow glow, as evidenced in the "before" photo above. Stouch Lighting used its expertise as a lighting distributor to help specify the proper replacement fixtures and also served as the project manager during implementation.

For more on the difference between LED and HPS lighting read here . In addition to the huge reduction in energy and maintenance costs that will benefit the Korman Commercial Properties for years to come, we were able to improve light levels by specifying the appropriate light distribution patterns for the new LED fixtures at various locations around the facility. Perhaps more noticeable, however, is the large difference between the dark yellow, virtually monochromatic glow from a 2000K HPS light and the cool white (5000K) LED light. This was a focus point for the shopping center because the new lights result in a much more secure and professional atmosphere for customers frequenting the stores. The sense of security instilled by high quality lighting is an often under appreciated yet important aspect of professional property management. HPS lights are well known for illuminating objects without color but they’ve been so ubiquitous for the last few decades because of their energy efficiency and long lifespan. Now that LEDs are superior in both of these categories it’s a no-brainer to take advantage of the long-standing and obvious performance improvements of the light itself. Here’s another image of the project before and after the LED retrofit:

When you look at this image you can really see the improvement in the parking lot’s overall light levels. What’s more is the difference between the more yellow HPS lights and the white (color rendering) light from LEDs. High color temperature and improved CRI make a big difference in the human perception of light in the parking lot. HPS lights make illuminated objects appear much more like a yellow/black shadow while LEDs make objects appear very much like you are used to seeing them during the day. Perhaps the only light worse in terms of color rendering than an HPS light is the related low pressure sodium (LPS) lamp that uses exclusively sodium metals inside the fixture. Low and high pressure sodium lights are the virtually monochromatic yellow lights you often see on streets and in parking lots. They have been the dominant light for organizations like municipalities for several decades because of their high efficiency. It is only recently that they are being surpassed by LEDs in terms of energy efficiency, quality of light, and reduced maintenance costs.

The results of the Korman LED lighting conversion are impressive to say the least. The Company was able to reduce its existing energy consumption by 74% (a 112,268 annual Kwh reduction). Considering the average cost of a Kwh of electricity is about $0.12, the annual savings total to roughly $13,472. Annual maintenance savings on top of the energy savings were estimated to be $3,615 and greenhouse gas reduction was estimated at 144,130 lbs annually. See the table below for a full comparison or read the case study here :

Light

Used For

Watts/Fixture

Energy Reduction Per Fixture

Total Energy Reduction

Color Temperature or CCT

HPS

Parking Lot Light

1000 Watts

-

2200K

LED

Parking Lot Light

279 Watts

721 Watts

112,268 kWh ($13,472 annually)

5000K

Replacing both legacy high pressure sodium (HPS) lights and fixtures with new LED lighting can make a big difference in the cost, effectiveness, and aesthetics of a real estate organization’s properties. Additionally, higher quality lighting with significantly improved color rendering makes for a noticeably improved feeling of security for tenants and/or facility users, owners, and operators. Unfortunately, HID lamps like HPS and fluorescent lights are still somewhat ubiquitous. There’s a good chance that your facility is still shedding money by using them. If you are interested in learning more about the exciting trend in LED lighting, Stouch Lightin g can help. We have the knowledge and expertise to guide your organization through the process of an LED retrofit from start to finish. Contact us today to see how we can help, or use the ROI Calculator above to see how much you can save by making a long-term investment in energy efficient, long lasting LED lighting. Interested in learning more about parking lot lighting before deciding on the switch? Read our Lighting Education page.

Related Articles