1324 Washington Avenue,
Suite 200
P.O. Box 7079
St. Louis, Missouri 63177
Telephone: (314) 533-3200
Fax: (314) 533-9127

Webmaster: BSK. Inc., St. Louis, MO

GUTH CASE STUDY

Guth Lighting, Advance Transformer and Philips Team Up To Help Leading Supermarket Distribution Center Reduce Lighting Energy 47%

With a firm goal of reducing energy costs while maintaining light output, a well-known east coast supermarket chain with nearly 160 stores throughout 6 mid-Atlantic states recently undertook a lighting upgrade within nearly half of its 1.2 million square-foot Pennsylvania-based distribution center. Assessing the lighting system in the 500,000+ square-foot area where non-perishable items are stored in the facility, the retailer realized that significant energy and maintenance cost could be saved by upgrading from the use of high pressure sodium lamps to a more energy-efficient configuration involving pulse start metal halide technology.

An initial assessment of the space by St. Onge, Ruff & Associates, A York, Pennsylvania-based architectural and engineering firm specializing in food warehousing facilities, revealed the need for an energy-efficient system with extensive light output. "The retailer had recently converted from floor storage to racked storage, involving the use of aisles instead of open space," confirmed Darin Plitt, Manager of Electrical Engineering for St. Onge, Ruff & Associates. "The new compartmentalization of the space required more light output than their existing 900+ 20-30 year-old high pressure sodium hi-bay fixtures could provide."

While several options were considered, including the simple addition of more high pressure sodium fixtures as well as possible conversion to a fluorescent T5HO lighting system, a pulse start metal halide system proved to offer the optimal combination of energy efficiency and light output. The retailer ultimately selected a system comprised of an Electrolume™ fixture by St. Louis-based Guth Lighting, a leading manufacturer of fixtures for demanding environments, which housed a 400-Watt pulse start metal halide lamp from Philips Lighting Company powered by Advance Transformer Company's DynaVision® electronic HID ballast, along with the use of occupancy sensors. The retailer began the upgrade process in Spring 2004, conducting the installation in phases to minimize disruptions to facility operations.

Almost immediately, the extensive light output and high lumen maintenance exhibited by the DynaVision-based system began driving significant cost reductions. Said Plitt, "The level of light output that we needed (30 footcandles in the aisles and 50 footcandles in the docks) — which would have required over 1,200 HPS fixtures to achieve — required only 832 of Guth's 55°C listed, 85% efficient VUE-Trol pulse start fixtures, enabling the retailer to take advantage of a nearly one-third reduction in fixture count. The DynaVision-based system also draws 5-10% less watts than the previous high pressure sodium system, driving additional energy reductions, with energy consumption being driven down even further by the use of occupancy sensors installed on most of the fixtures. As a result of this upgrade, the retailer will be able to slash their energy costs by almost 50%, reducing them from $160,000/year to just $85,000/year." Other benefits that the retailer will enjoy from selection of this system include the ballast's end-of-lamp-life protection feature, continuous dimming down to 50%, and the ballast's exclusive 200-277V IntelliVolt® technology, which was a perfect fit for the retailer's application.

"Overall," concludes Plitt, "pulse start metal halide technology and a DynaVision-based system were optimal for the retailer's space, providing impressive lumen maintenance and significant energy-savings over high pressure sodium without the temperature sensitivity of T5/HO." Satisfied that the new lighting system has met all of its objectives, the retailer is currently considering additional upgrades throughout its space as it positions itself for continued success.

Advance Transformer Company, a leading ballast manufacturer based in Rosemont, Illinois, manufactures a full line of electronic and magnetic fluorescent and magnetic and electronic HID ballasts as well as a broad family of drivers for LED light sources. For more information on Advance's complete product line, visit Advance's website at www.advancetransformer.com or call Advance at (800) 322-2086. Advance is a division of Philips Electronics North America.

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