New Lighting Cuts Waste, Lowers Bills and Cheers Employees and Customers
Like many good things that happen at Dick Hannah Dealerships, the 63-year-old locally owned auto sales and service company, cutting down on energy waste wasn’t a top down corporate decision but rather the result of an employee-led brainstorm. The greatest area of opportunity for Dick Hannah Dealerships according to the energy assessment was in upgrading lighting systems.
How Clark Public Utilities Helped:
- Upgraded lighting in showrooms
- Installed new software systems
- Improved outdoor car lot lighting
The Challenge
The drive to cut down on energy waste grew out of a volunteer employee task force started in 2007 that focuses on making Dick Hannah Dealerships a great place to work and a responsible member of the community, explains Kent VanArnam, Director of Marketing at Dick Hannah Dealerships.
Previous employee-led efforts included starting a comprehensive recycling program throughout all areas of Dick Hannah Dealerships’ operations from the dealerships to the office to the body shop, and launching a tree planting program in partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation that has planted more than 72,000 trees, one for every Dick Hannah Dealership car sold.
“Reducing wasted energy drives down costs and is good for everyone.”
– DICK HANNAH DEALERSHIPS
The Solution
Working with Clark Public Utilities Dick Hannah Dealerships was has been able to cut their electric bills by 20%. The company’s energy reduction success was built around a comprehensive plan that started with an energy assessment of all the dealership locations and corporate office.
The lighting upgrade replaced a mix of existing halogen and incandescent lighting with energy efficient bulbs and fixtures across the interior of the buildings, service areas and show rooms as well as exterior exit and parking lots. Where possible the lighting was controlled by occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting controls, dim or shut off some of the interior lighting automatically based on the amount of sunlight present to maximize the use warm, natural light. The company installed new software that automatically reduced electric consumption by the computer systems when these systems were not in use.
Contact a Key Accounts Manager
Every commercial or industrial customer has an assigned key accounts manager who can help identify ways to cut energy waste and lower operating costs. Send us a message or call 360-992-3000.
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