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Success Story: Empire Bolt + Screw

Partner Information

Empire Bolt + Screw, Spokane, Washington
15,000 Sq. Feet
Annual Cash Savings: $2,159
Annual Energy savings: 51,500 kWh
Payback period: 4.6 years
Prevented 5,243 pounds of pollution

Service and Product Provider

Carr Sales

Tightening the Screws on Energy-Efficiency

Empire Bolt + Screw, Inc., wanted both high-quality illumination and low electric bills, but was having trouble figuring out how to achieve both goals together. At first Empire just lit the entire warehouse area with all its fixtures. This provided sufficient light across all floor space but cost a lot to operate. Then it tried turning every other fixture off. This cut down on the bills but made the warehouse area hard on the employees’ eyes. The small bolts and labels were difficult enough to work with without dark and bright spots in the packaging area.

Empire needed outside help to meet both of these goals, so Larry Stanley, Empire’s owner and CEO, brought in a commercial lighting consultant, Lyle Winkle who works for Carr Sales, to review conditions and make recommendations.

The Nuts And Bolts

Winkle recommended that Stanley change his warehouse area lighting from 8-ft. 75-W lamps with standard magnetic ballasts to pairs of 4-ft. T-8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts (Winkle prefers 4-ft. T-8 lamps to 8-ft. lamps partly because of their longer life). At the same time, he found additional opportunities in other areas of the facility. When all was said and done, Empire removed lamps and ballasts from 81 8-ft. fluorescent fixtures, 49 4-ft. fixtures, 12 U-tube fixtures, two incandescent canister lights, and one incandescent exit sign.

In their place Empire installed 4-ft. T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts in all the fluorescent fixtures, parabolic lamps instead of standard flood lights in the canisters, and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps in the exit sign.

Implementation Issues

Not all of the implementation was as straightforward as expected. To enhance light levels without increasing the electric bills, Empire had reflector coatings added to some of the fixtures. A lost shipment followed by an improper shipment delayed the schedule. Stanley still felt it was worth the trouble, and it cost less than buying new fixtures.

Empire contracted separately with an electric equipment supplier for the equipment and a contractor for installation. Acting as his own general contractor helped Stanley save some of the costs normally associated with turnkey projects.

Tightening Up On The Bill

For these efforts, Empire was rewarded with a 35-percent drop in the total electric bill. Comparing June statements, for example, Stanley found that his bill dropped from $470 before the retrofit to $300 after.

The calculated 4.6-year payback includes all of Empire’s contractor costs, internal labor, and miscellaneous accessories. That’s a pretty good payback, especially in an area of the country where electricity costs only 4.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Other Benefits

Empire increased light levels and eliminated the uneven light in the warehouse areas. In the offices, Empire kept the original 50-footcandle light level by installing four T-8 lamps in the 4-lamp fixtures that previously held T-12 lamps. Everywhere, light color and quality improved thanks to the better color rendition of T-8 lamps. Finally, all of the new lamps have equal or longer life spans than the old lamps, especially the exit sign, so maintenance costs will drop, too.