Ruffwear estimated to save $1,900 annually with lighting upgrade. A company known across the country for their performance dog gear and apparel, Ruffwear has upgraded the lighting at their Bend-based headquarters.
In the first year alone, the retrofit is expected to save $1,921 and the equivalent of offsetting nine tons of CO2 or planting over 1.4 acres of reforested trees. This shows not only the company’s commitment to the health of their business, but also to a healthy environment.
Thanks to an incentive from Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit that provides cash incentives and services for energy efficiency improvements, Ruffwear’s out of pocket cost was reduced by $4,793. Due to the longevity of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting, the avoided maintenance costs could add up to $1,600 each year in avoided labor and materials. Ruffwear worked with Sunlight Solar, a local solar and lighting contractor, to perform the lighting upgrade. Sunlight Solar is an approved lighting Trade Ally with the Energy Trust of Oregon and assisted Ruffwear in applying for the incentives.
Ruffwear replaced their existing 400 Watt metal halides, a common lighting fixture in warehouse applications, with LEDs. They are now utilizing sensors to maximize natural daylight and occupancy sensors, limiting the number of hours that the lights are on each day. LEDs are a semiconductor device, that when charged with an electric current, emit visible or infrared light. While LED technology has been around since they ‘60s, over the last decade they have risen in popularity for conventional lighting uses.
Lighting accounts for 35 percent of the typical commercial building’s energy usage. LEDs can often cut lighting bills by 50 percent or more. “Based on the amount of energy they can save, LEDs are nothing short of a revolution,” says Paul Israel, owner and President of Sunlight Solar. “They not only save energy, but can also enhance visual aesthetics and comfort over all compact and tube florescents.” LEDs have a very high Color Rendition Index (CRI), which gives a more accurate rendition of the true color of an object.
Many retail businesses are also converting to LED in order to give a higher quality of light and CRI in their stores. Sunlight Solar 541.322.1910 www.sunlightsolar.com.
