In 2014, Love Chevrolet made a full-scale lighting upgrade to reduce energy use and better illuminate the facility. Owners of the dealership, located in Columbia, South Carolina, decided to replace exterior lighting and lighting in the service bay with more efficient light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
The lighting replacement project was funded with a loan from the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan (EERL) program and cost approximately $251,000. EERL is a loan fund administered by the Business Development Corporation. The purpose of the loan fund is to enable businesses and industry to save money by saving energy.
“When we looked at the energy savings we’re getting, and that it’s really the right thing to do for the environment, it’s just a win-win for everybody.”
-Ben Hoover
Executive Manager
Love Chevrolet
LOWER UTILITY BILLS
Before the project, Love Chevrolet had a monthly electric bill of over $14,000. With the new LEDs, the bill has been cut in half and reduced to an average of $7,000 a month. The dealership also received $64,849 as an energy incentive through its utility, South Carolina Electric & Gas. With an average $7,000 per month savings and a $64,849 incentive from the utility, the lighting project will return the investment in just under two years.
LOWER MAINTENANCE
Before Love Chevrolet installed LED exterior lighting, maintenance of the metal halide lights was expensive and time-consuming. The dealership needed to rent a bucket truck to be able to accomplish the maintenance on lights. Unfortunately, as soon as one group of lights was repaired, another would burn out. An LED needs to be replaced far less frequently than a metal halide light, which decreases maintenance costs for the dealership. LEDs can last up to 100,000 hours and are expected to maintain 70% of their light output for up to 50,000 hours.
BRIGHTER SERVICE BAY
In the service check-in area and service bay, 100 fixtures were upgraded to LEDs. Also, 25 fixtures were upgraded in the detailing shop. Technicians immediately noticed the difference after just one row of lights being changed in the service bay. The
new LED lighting provided brighter illumination without any shadows. They even reduced the need to use fluorescent drop-light bulbs to see underneath vehicles.
BRIGHTER LOT
Love Chevrolet replaced 148 metal halide fixtures on the dealership’s primary and secondary sales lots and driveway with LEDs. Because LEDs render colors more accurately and vividly, prospective car buyers see the true colors of the cars on the lots. The LEDs also illuminate the lots more effectively than the non-LED lights used by the dealership’s nearby competitors.
The LEDs provide consistent light levels, reduce hazardous waste disposal, and provide dramatically more efficient light distribution.
Customers have made positive comments about the new lighting and inquired about the changes that were made.
For more information about funding opportunities available through the Energy Office, visit ENERGY.SC.GOV/programs/funding.