Associated Food Stores' Installs Energy Efficient Lighting at DC

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -Associated Food Stores here yesterday completed an energy-efficient lighting system upgrade for its distribution center in Farr West, Utah, that is expected to deliver $310,000 annually in energy savings while reducing the emissions of harmful gases into the environment.

Working with Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based energy-efficiency technology vendor Lime Energy, Associated spent approximately $725,000. on the project.

"With the project just recently completed, we are already seeing our anticipated returns with improved lighting levels in our production and administrative areas, as well as reduced power consumption and the corresponding savings," said Craig McPhee, Farr West retail support center general manager. "Lime educated our staff on the positive benefits of the project from a lighting, energy, and monetary standpoint and were instrumental in leading the process to secure the efficiency incentives available from Rocky Mountain Power."

According to Lime, the project is expected to reduce energy consumption by an estimated 4,738,000 kilowatt hours per year, and has reduced the facilities peak demand by 544.4 kW.

"The negotiated and secured incentive from Rocky Mountain Power for this project reduced upfront capital requirements, lowering the payback period for the investment to one year," said Reid Cram, project lead for Lime Energy. "This payback period can be further reduced as the project qualifies for significant federal tax credits under the Energy Policy Act of 2005."

In addition to hard dollar savings, the project benefits the environment by the elimination of:
- 10, 205,652 pounds of Carbon Dioxide
- 23,614 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide
- 26,258 pounds of Nitric Oxides

The project included the replacement of almost 2,000 existing 400w and 1000w metal halide light fixtures with a lesser number of linear high-bay fixtures using T5HO lamps and ballasts. Other technologies included in the project were LED emergency lighting, occupancy controls, low-temperature fixtures for operation in the sub-zero freezer spaces, and a custom-designed, battery-backup system installed in the new overhead lighting system.

Each light fixture was relocated to optimize its efficiency, which resulted in the reduction of the number of light fixtures in the facility by approximately 9 percent. According to Lime, although the electrical consumption of the lighting system was decreased by well over 50 percent, light levels actually increased by 10-50 percent.

Associated Food Stores is an independent retailer-owned wholesaler that provides complete warehouse facilities and services to nearly 500 grocers throughout the Intermountain West.
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