ADVANTAGE
POLE LIGHTING/VACUUM BAY LIGHTING
Perimeter lighting is increasingly being used as a strategic differentiator to entice night traffic and provide a cleaner looking car wash that can improve traffic flow. Vacuum-bay lighting is also now being used as signage to draw attention to the car wash with uniquely shaped and interesting canopy designs.
SIGNAGE
Pole lights and vacuum area lighting invite customers to your property and can keep them there longer, spending more money. Traditionally, pole lights were used partially for security and typically provide the minimum light needed by city ordinance to enable foot traffic on the property at night. Pole lights and vacuum-bay lighting is 30 percent to 38 percent of lighting costs. This equates to $1,700 annually for a self-serve car wash and in-bay automatic and $3,400 for a tunnel. Pole lights will offer the best ROI from power savings and, if that is the primary goal, pole lights should be the initial investment.
Power costs for box signs and menu signage is 7 percent to 13 percent of power costs. While this is a relatively small amount of cost, the loss of marketing when these lights fail is critical to the customer experience and driving new/repeat business. Plus, most box signs are difficult to service resulting in longer downtime periods between bulb/ballast changes. New, custom-made LED upgrade kits are available to turn any single-sided or double-sided box sign into highly efficient, highly reliable LED power signs.
SELECTING THE RIGHT LED
Once the areas to upgrade are prioritized, an LED fixture selection process is required. Generally, LED upgrades are accomplished in one of two ways: upgrade kits and replacement fixtures. If your existing fixture’s housing is in good condition and the lens is in good shape, save on product and installation costs by using a LED upgrade kit. Pricing for upgrade kits is generally 30 percent less per lumen Continued on pg. 23
19