People often ask me, "What's the best choice I can make to improve energy efficiency in my store?". Over the years the answer to this question has been different ranging from night covers to T8 lighting to anti-sweat heater controls to ECM motors to LED lighting. One common trend for food retailers is that the popular energy efficiency upgrades always have something to do with lighting or refrigeration...probably because these two items comprise the bulk of grocers electricity consumption. It should not be a surprise then that retrofit door kits pre-fitted with LED lights installed on open multi-deck refrigerated display cases are the next big thing for food retailers. The benefits are many:
Reduced compressor load and runtime - 50% reductions are common
Reduced lighting input power - 50% reductions are common
Easier lighting maintenance with vertical easy access fixtures replacing "hard to reach" horizontal fixtures
Enhanced merchandising from vertical door frame mounted LED lights shining directly on product facing
Reduced average product temperatures
Warmer aisles increasing customer linger time
Faster ROI for LED lights when combined with door packages - As fast as 18 months - 24 to 36 months is more common.
As with other leading edge energy efficiency solutions the technology is arriving before the prescriptive utility rebates do. But for those who are ready to implement now, most utilities offer custom rebates which are typically larger than prescriptive rebates. Reputable solution providers can help you with measurements and calculations which will qualify your upgrades for rebate dollars. Another financial bonus (thanks to section 179 of the IRS tax code) is that you may be able to immediately write off 100% of the purchase price (up to two million dollars) as a tax deduction in the year the purchase was made.
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