As the largest privately owned HVAC distributor with 47 locations, we at US Air Conditioning Distributors take our energy-efficiency measures seriously. With solar energy already in use and on-site charging/fueling stations for our employees with electric or CNG cars, we set out to discover other ways in which we could reduce our carbon footprint. This time we looked to our ceilings to reduce our lighting load with the help of Venstar.

The Objective

Our goal was to reduce energy usage for the environment while reaping the monetary benefit of cutting energy costs at the same time. We were able to accomplish that by replacing our old fluorescent and HID lightbulbs with Venstar’s T8-1914P LED tubes.
We swapped out more than 2200 old T-12 and T-8 tubes at our City of Industry headquarters and Chatsworth, Ca store. The move to LED lights enabled us to leave behind less-efficient fluorescent and metal halide lighting systems at both locations. The need for ballasts in the 765 fixtures that these lights reside in was also eliminated due to the fact that Venstar’s LEDs are self-contained.

The Outcome

So what were the results of this switchover? The combined energy usage at these two locations was reduced by 40%, resulting in $55,000 in energy savings across our headquarters and Chatsworth store. With these numbers, our ROI will be completed in less than a year. Additionally, Chatsworth received a rebate in excess of $20,000 from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for making the move to more efficient lighting.

Jack Scarsi, the Vice President of Operations and Finance at US Air Conditioning Distributors says the following, “Using Venstar’s LED tubes has made a significant impact in our offices and warehouses, providing better light, reduced overall energy and maintenance spend.”

Bonus Benefits

In addition to reduced energy usage on lighting and monetary savings, we were also able to reduce our air conditioning costs thanks to the fact that the Venstar LED lights utilize lower wattage, emitting less heat while they are in use. The less heat emitted by lighting, the less air conditioning power needed to maintain cool temperatures for employees. The need for maintenance on our lighting was also reduced because of the tubes’ 50,000+ hour lifespan, which is significantly longer than the lifespan of the bulbs previous. The Venstar lighting also provided more adequate lighting in the warehouses and stores.