(Wellington, Fla.)—LED Source, a national and international supplier of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting that specializes in full-scale evaluations and retrofits, makes it easy for companies to reduce overhead and execute environmentally-conscious decisions through the use of LEDs. And that’s exactly what they did for Audi Coral Springs, a Coral Springs, Fla.-based car dealership owned by Qvale Auto Group. In December 2010, LED Source helped the company transition from traditional lighting to LED lighting. As a result, Qvale Auto Group is expected to save 50.7 percent in lighting energy costs as well as an additional $17,200 in annual maintenance.
“This was a large, state-of-the-art facility in desperate need of an upgrade,” said Marcel Fairbairn, CEO and president of LED Source. “It was important to improve color rendering, increase general lighting, provide tighter spot lighting for their vehicles and enhance the building’s unique architectural elements. LEDs were the perfect solution; we were able to meet the company’s needs with high quality products that fit within its budget.”
In 2009, Qvale Auto Group purchased the 66,000 square foot showroom and though the structure itself was exactly what they were looking for, there was a lack of upkeep and maintenance on the building, especially when it came to lighting.
“The facility was absolutely beautiful, but we started noticing that bulb after bulb continued to burn out and the showroom began getting darker and darker,” says Paul Jensen, the dealership’s operations manager. “We knew something had to be done, so we started researching our options.”
The building previously featured 77 watt conventional lamp technology on a track positioned about 30 feet above ground. One option was to hire a maintenance crew with special equipment to replace bulbs as they burned out, yet this would have been expensive and only temporary. Jensen knew it was only a matter of time before he’d have to replace them again. LED lighting offered the most attractive option and when the company met with LED Source, the team learned all the fixtures could be replaced with 38 watt LEDs, thus reducing power consumption by 50.7 percent for each of the 80 fixtures. They could also use the existing track, which was another perk. Almost every other lighting company wanted to remove the entire track system and start from scratch—a costly and unnecessary option.
Utilizing cutting-edge LED lighting technology, LED Source developed the eFFINION AJ111 fixture specifically for this project. The installation was completed in less than six hours and the fixtures are expected to last over 10 years before requiring further maintenance. With the combined reduction on both lighting energy and maintenance costs, it is estimated that the dealership could achieve a savings of nearly $200,000 over the life of the LED fixtures.
“LED lighting now illuminates our vehicles, as well as the office space and the structural elements that make this showroom so unique—all while saving energy and keeping electricity bills at a minimum,” said Jensen. “And the best part is that we spent half of what we thought we were going to on this project. Now, we won’t have to invest money into the showroom for a long time.”
For more information on this project, CLICK HERE.
