Ace Deploys Intelligent Lighting Controls

Ace Hardware has saved an average of 81% on lighting-related energy use in its 1 million-sq.-ft. retail support center in Rocklin, California, since implementing a LED upgrade.



The upgrade, completed in October 2013, involved replacing 1,551 T5 fluorescent and 102 metal halide lamps with an intelligent LED system from Digital Lumens. The wirelessly networked solution reduced the cen-ter’s power usage per square foot by 39.56%, while improving light quality and illumination levels.



As a member-owned cooperative, every dollar Ace saves using the Digital Lumens system directly benefits its member stores, according to Reid Barney, facilities and loss prevention manager for Ace Hardware.



“And since lighting is our single biggest energy warehousing expense, reducing lighting-related energy usage by an average of 81% since installing the system translates into extraordinary bottom-line savings,” he said.



The higher-quality light of the system has more than doubled the foot candle readings in the facility, Barney said, and enhanced productivity and employee satisfaction.



The deployment was preceded by an in-depth research project by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to quantify the impact of increasing levels of control on energy efficiency. Conducted by PG&E partner TRC Solutions, the study isolated the variables that contribute to energy efficiency and evaluated them in a real-world scenario at Ace’s Rocklin facility.



The PG&E study found that compared with basic LEDs, systems with “aggressive advanced controls” delivered 43% more energy savings, and a reduction of 93% over the previously installed metal halide fixtures



The system now in place at the Ace facility fulfills the latest Title 24 requirements for commercial lighting, which include mandated lighting controls.