Retailer - How Not to Do a Project

EPL was in a competitive battle to upgrade the lighting for a local retailer. The retailer went with the low bid and got exactly what they paid for. The low bidder did not do any photometric testing in the facility, and replaced every metal halide light with a 6 lamp fluorescent fixture (218 watts/fixture) - regardless of light levels.

EPL recommended a 4 lamp fluorescent system (141 watts/fixture) which would have lit the store at 70 foot-candles. The Illuminating Engineering Society recommended practice is 60 to 70 foot-candles for this type of store.

The low bidder took the light levels up to 105 foot-candles! But the retailer thought the savings were great and did not consider the recommended light levels. Here is a breakdown of the savings provided by the lower-cost lighting contractor, compared to what they would have received from EPL:

The low bid saved the retailer $3,000 in upfront costs, but increased their maintenance costs by 30%, and over-lit the store by 30+ foot-candles.

Their new lights are projected to last 15 years. But because the store is over-lit, the retailer is going to spend an extra $91,500 in electrical costs (at today’s prices)!

The solution recommended by EPL would have paid for the project 3 times over, just with the energy savings!