Warehouse and Distribution
Through our entrenched experience in designing energy efficient lighting solutions for Warehouse and Distribution facilities, we have documented several key learnings. These learnings demonstrate our ability to identify and manage the unique engineering challenges associated with every lighting project.
Temperature Fluctuation
The particular concerns when dealing with terminals or docks are temperature and the effects that extreme cold/hot temperatures have on the light output. Mounting heights effect the light distribution. In both cases, it's imperative that the design team selects the correct "light system", i.e., lamp, ballast and fixture.
Ambient Sensors
Ambient sensors are another source of energy savings. Here it's important to explore what areas with-in the terminals can have "lights off". Sun Industries closely evaluates security issues while engineering the correct and financially prudent solutions in the use of sensors. Temperature is also an issue as our engineers consider the warmth and light before programming the sensor to shut the lights down.
Motion Sensors
In areas that do not function 24x7, motion sensors conserve energy by shutting lights down when there is no activity. However, there are areas in the facility, like the maintenance bays, where is would be unsafe to install motion sensors.
Maintenance Bays
Many warehouse and distribution centers have an area dedicated to maintenance and repair of their equipment. The location of the lighting in the maintenance bay is primarily in the rows between where the trucks pull into the maintenance bays. Mis-locating the lighting in these areas would severely affect the productivity and accuracy of the work.
MRO Savings
In any lighting efficiency solution, there are significant savings in Maintenance, Repair and Operating expenses (MRO). Sun Industries works closely with our clients to determine the impact of the project on MRO spending. We calculate the current investment in maintaining and repairing the existing lighting systems and then we conservatively estimate the inventory management and labor reduction due to the project. The difference is the savings to our client and the cost benefit is incorporated as a variable into the financial analysis during the audit.
Total Building Savings
While the warehouse, distribution center and loading docks of these facilities are often fairly uniform, the facility often contains office and employee space that is potentially unique. If these add-on spaces are evaluated for an upgrade, the extra square footage may mean the difference between an acceptable project payback and a borderline financial project. Additionally, energy rebates and tax credits – like those available from EPAct – may allow for different methods of computing savings based on partial versus total building savings.
Case Study - Distribution and Warehouse company
A national distribution and warehouse company has made a commitment to the visual environment of their distribution centers as well as to energy conservation. But they also face a unique challenge. The lighting for their loading docks is exposed to extremes in temperatures depending on their geographical location. Compare Phoenix and Dallas to Kansas City and Seattle. They also experience extreme fluctuations in temperatures in single geographical locations like Denver. This is of particular interest to warehouse and distribution companies because their loading dock doors are rarely ever closed.
When Sun Industries approached their client with possible upgrades to their lighting systems the focus was three fold. Of priority was enhancing and maintaining an aesthetic visual environment. In addition, it was important to ensure the lighting technology they proposed would be standardized across their over 470 facilities to increase maintenance and inventory management efficiency. Finally, the solution they designed had to withstand to any extreme in temperature. All while conserving energy. The client agreed to an initial audit of 5 of their facilities to test Sun Industries expertise and innovation.
Based on the initial audits of the facilities, Sun Industries engineered a design that met all of those goals and was consistent in the three environments that exist in each facility, the loading docks, the offices and the maintenance and repair shops for their equipment. The existing lighting system relied on HID technology to withstand the temperatures. Sun Industries proposed a state of the art technology, 6-lamp, T8 linear fluorescent hibays that enclosed the ballast in the fixture that provides heat to ensure lamp performance in cold temperatures. Sensors were also installed in appropriate environments to manage lamp usage based on motion and ambient light. The result was a 50% reduction in energy, a reduction in MRO due to a much lower lumen depreciation within an acceptable payback period. And most importantly, the reaction to the newly lit environment was overwhelmingly positive.
Sun Industries
Illuminating the Future