Installation Snapshot:
• New installation
• (134) 150W
LED High Baysw/ occ sensors
• (16) 80W LED
Low Baysw/ occ sensors
• Delivered light: ~300 lux
• Payback: 2 years
• 19% return from UK's Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA)
scheme
One of the largest importers of fresh fruit in the United
Kingdom, MMD Shipping's inbound facility at the City of
Portsmouth handles roughly 60 percent of all bananas brought
into the UK. With a dozen ships that traverse the Atlantic
hauling fruit "across The Pond" from the Caribbean,
MMD operates a 12-warehouse facility that receives and
distributes all varieties of fresh fruit to the British
market.
Already coping with a nearly 20 percent increase in energy
rates over the past year, the company was facing an
additional 10-15 percent year-over-year increase down the
road. In an effort to overcome the rising cost of electricity
and improve overall operational efficiency, MMD has recently
begun to install Dialight's high-efficiency LED lighting
fixtures at both its new and existing facilities. Not only
has the effort paid off by cutting energy consumption and
cost with an expected ROI of two years but it has also
dramatically improved lighting efficacy and safety while
reducing maintenance demands and expenses throughout the
company.
New Facility Demands New Approach to Lighting
With construction of its new 3,000 square meter (32,000
square foot) Portsmouth cold storage facility underway, MMD
began looking at a variety of lighting solutions. Lighting
needs alone accounted for up to 15 percent of the
company's total electrical consumption, and rates had
already jumped considerably over the past year. Looking to
minimize consumption and costs, the company compared Dialight
LEDs against some other LED products, as well as induction
and fluorescent options, for its new chill store.
Working with Elite Renewables, a Dialight authorized
distributor and installation contractor, a trial of the
Dialight product ultimately demonstrated superior light
output with the High Bay fixtures delivering up to 320 lux on
the floor, even at a ceiling mounting height of 12 meters
(nearly 40 feet). MMD had found its high-efficiency lighting
solution for the new cold storage facility. Elite Renewables
then went to work providing complete lighting schematics with
layouts and measurements to optimize light efficacy.
"The improvement in on-the-ground lux level made
possible with the Dialight High Bays was truly
impressive," said Adrian Corthine of Elite Renewables.
"In some areas, the 320 lux was nearly five times what
the typical metal halide or high-pressure fitting could
provide and with a much greater operational
efficiency."
Dialight Delivers Dramatic Savings
The company installed 134 Dialight 150W High Bays in the cold
storage area proper, with an additional 16 Low Bay units in
the indoor and outdoor loading bay areas. Not only do the
fixtures deliver even illumination with clear, crisp white
lighting, but due to the LED's superior performance in
cold applications, the fixtures in the chill store actually
deliver more than the advertised lumen output, thanks to the
ambient temperature of 5°C. And, with the Dialight LED's
exceptionally low heat output, the entire cold storage locker
runs more efficiently with less refrigeration demand to
maintain optimum temperature.
Finally, each fixture is also linked to occupancy sensors to
illuminate the area only when needed. Instead of the 24/7
burn time common with other conventional lighting solutions,
the fixtures are only on about 30 percent of the time. This
feature alone delivers dramatic energy savings compared to
typical metal halide or high-pressure sodium fixtures and
significantly extends the life span of the fixture itself
well beyond its warranted five-year period.
"We have been extremely pleased with the energy savings
and reduced operating cost we've seen with the new
Dialight fixtures in the cold storage facility," said
Tim Schofield, Financial Controller with MMD. "In fact,
we've been so impressed with the performance and warranty
that we've begun retrofitting nearly all of our other
facilities to Dialight LEDs to improve efficiency, lighting
efficacy and safety throughout our operations."
Outstanding Results Drive Corporate-Wide Rollout
With the new cold storage facility now complete, MMD has
since purchased an additional 440 Dialight fixtures for a
one-to-one replacement of existing 400W metal halide fixtures
at 11 other warehouse buildings. At one banana storage
facility, the retrofit has earned rave reviews from the
employees who immediately noticed a vast improvement over the
previous lighting conditions. The reduced heat output of the
LEDs has also helped improve temperature maintenance in the
banana facility. The chillers no longer have to work so hard
during warmer weather to keep the temperature down and the
product itself benefits from optimum, even temperatures
throughout.
Furthermore, the long-life performance of the Dialight LEDs
will significantly reduce MMD's lighting maintenance
needs, which were once a costly and cumbersome exercise. Now,
rather than halting production to bring in a scissor lift and
change bulbs every few months, the facility can enjoy years
of reliable, steady light output with virtually zero
maintenance.
Tax Incentives Sweeten the Deal
Supplementing the energy and maintenance savings, MMD has
also been able to take advantage of a nearly 20 percent tax
break from the British government as part of the UK's
Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme. The program allows
companies that invest in energy-efficient equipment and
machinery to write off the entire expense in the year in
which the investment is made, rather than amortize the cost
over several years. Similar programs are also available in
the U.S. for Designlights™ Consortium qualified products,
such as the Dialight High Bay fixtures.
"I don't understand why everyone doesn't go
LED," Schofield quipped. "Between the energy and
maintenance savings, and the tax incentives, the switch to
LED fittings was a no brainer."
For more information about Dialight's LED lighting
solutions for commercial and industrial applications,
including cold storage environments, visit
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