4 minute read
In Control
Images courtesy of Linmore LED
By Parker Allen
Uneven. Discolored. Wasteful.
North Bakersfield Toyota in Bakersfield, California, was experiencing issues with their lighting that were affecting both customers and employees. They approached Linmore LED for a solution.
“They wanted to improve the customer shopping experience and employee experience, to improve sustainability, and to improve security,” said Paul Chamberlain, CEO of Linmore LED.
“We chose Linmore because they are a local company. We’ve had a relationship with them for a long time, and they offer a great product built here in California,” noted Andy Pappas, the dealership’s GM.
Linmore designed a lighting and control plan to accomplish these objectives. They began by examining existing light levels and then designed a solution based on IES standards and on common light levels at similar businesses.
In outdoor spaces, the previous 1,000W HID fixtures were replaced with Linmore’s Site Lighter Area Lights (SL1) Eliminator High Bays (EHB) were used in the service areas, and the Universal Retrofit System (URS) bars were installed in the offices to replace the previous fluorescent lighting.
Great communication from Linmore LED with the dealership meant that the estimates were easy to understand and the benefits were clearly identified from the start.
Not only does Linmore have the end-customer in mind during the process, they also take into consideration the contractor or installer. “What I appreciate as a contractor is the ease of installation with the Site Lighter Rapid Mount Bracket, and I think Linmore really takes into consideration the contractor when they design the product. It makes our job easier; we can do it faster and more efficiently,” explained Steve Valencia of Waveform Electric Solutions, the project installer.
The upgrade increased light levels between 50 to 100%, depending on the area, increasing productivity and employee safety.
The energy savings were remarkable – energy consumption was reduced by 90% in the outdoor spaces and by 70% inside in the showroom, offices, parts and service departments. The reduction equates to 1.2 million fewer pounds of CO2 annually, the same as planting 153 acres of trees or burning 75,000 fewer gallons of gasoline. And, importantly for the dealership, this translated to a pay-back period of less than a year.
This was made possible by combining the high efficiency of the LED fixtures with Linmore’s UltraLink wireless controls. Every fixture is in communication with a central gateway, accessible on Linmore’s mobile app, allowing the dealership to control the lighting by zone and monitor energy usage.
All car dealerships have persistent safety issues and concerns about the safety of their employees and cars, especially in outdoor areas. Linmore set up four zones within their parking lot where lighting levels vary depending on the time of day and motion detection.
At sunset, all outdoor lighting automatically comes on at 100%. Using the time schedule, lights will then turn to a motion control system 30 minutes after business hours. During this time, lights dim by 85%, and when motion is detected, the entire zone pops on to 100%, startling and deterring unwanted visitors.
Importantly, the motion sensors are not affected by nearby road traffic – the infrared technology specifically detects body heat. The sensors did, however, alert the dealership to the presence of feral cats on the lot at night, triggering the motion-activated light level increase. The solution was as simple as adjusting the sensitivity of the sensors so that they wouldn’t be turned on by the presence of the cats.
The cats proved to be the only significant obstacle in what was a successful collaboration. Linmore’s solution accomplished the dealership’s stated objectives and provided great lighting for years to come.
