The Fresh Market to Save 10M kWh with LED Lamps

The Fresh Market expects to save more than 10 million annual kilowatt hours of energy with the installation of energy-saving LED replacement lamps that have a high color rendering index (CRI) and long life.

The independent grocer is installing GE’s energy smart 17-watt LED PAR38 Retail lamps in all of its new stores as well as select existing stores, based on a thorough evaluation of several lighting scenarios.

The Fresh Market first started to evaluate its retail lighting energy costs in 2011 and launched into a thorough trial and evaluation period with the help of its distributor partner Illuminating Technologies. “We didn’t just replace 10 or 15 lights in one area of the store—we actually asked suppliers to provide us with 300 lamps for a complete store retrofit so our executives could properly evaluate the light levels, quality and spread,” said Paul Poole, energy and engineering manager for The Fresh Market. “Moving forward, we plan to take a hard look at any store lighting that isn’t currently LED.”

According to the vendor, GE’s PAR38 LED lamps helped The Fresh Market maintain its retail atmosphere by enhancing the color quality of goods while reducing glare, consuming less energy and generating less heat than the traditional halogen lamps they replaced. Since March 2011, The Fresh Market has installed nearly 17,000 LED replacement lamps in its stores.