Trio Electric Guarantees LED Pay Back

Houston, TX /PRNewswire/ - Trio Electric (http://www.trioltd.com), a Houston based full-service electrical contractor, recently completed a lighting retrofit of nine locations for Star Furniture, converting the retailer's showrooms to LED lighting to increase energy efficiency and light quality. The new energy-efficient LED technology has delivered on Trio's promise of savings and financial return on the cost of the retrofit. In fact, Star realized a 100% return on investment within one year of installation of the new LED lamps. Trio was instrumental in guiding Star through the process of applying for utility rebates and incentive programs that covered a significant portion of the retrofit costs.

THE FINANCIAL VALUE
A lighting retrofit is a quick and easy way to make a good return on your investment. Trio provides customized programs that produce sustainable savings by lowering electric bills, HVAC and maintenance costs while also decreasing a company's carbon footprint. Industry experts forecast that production and usage of LED products will continue to escalate as thousands of square feet of real estate are slated to be retrofitted, including office buildings, manufacturing facilities, schools, multi-family housing, medical facilities and retail spaces.

"Trio has a dynamic portfolio of clients that have engaged us to retrofit their facilities," said Beau Pollock, Trio's chief executive officer. "We pride ourselves in providing expert counsel and delivering on our promise:  to give our clients solid 'energy intelligence' from which they can base a sound financial decision."

Star Furniture, a Berkshire Hathaway Furniture Division company, is no stranger in driving profits to the bottom line. The company's chief financial officer, Gary F. Gibson, engaged Trio to develop a solution that would provide increased energy efficiency and a lifetime of cost savings for the company.

"Commercial energy consumption in the retail environment equates to real dollars and cents," said Gibson. "When we look at the balance sheet, the ability to save on energy consumption over the life of this company is significant. Beau Pollock and his team are first-class in their presentations, detailed calculations and customer service."

As in most retail settings, lights are on for extended periods of time. The existing light bulbs produce significantly more heat, which makes the buying experience uncomfortable for customers. Installing LEDs lowers temperatures and also reduces cooling costs. Additionally, LED bulbs offer better quality light and a much longer lamp life, lasting on average 20,000 hours longer than incandescent bulbs.

By examining the current and proposed lighting systems, and hours of operation, Pollock calculated the estimated annual energy and maintenance savings. In addition, Trio was able to obtain utility rebates for the project. In all, the benefits of the project far outweighed the cost, which translated into a very positive return on investment (ROI) for Star.

Annual energy savings – the difference between the existing lighting system energy cost and the proposed lighting system energy cost

Annual savings – the sum of the annual energy savings, HVAC load reduction, and annual maintenance savings

Estimated utility rebate – a rebate paid by the utility company as an incentive for reducing energy consumption during peak consumption environmental impact and the environmental benefit based on reducing CO2 emissions per EPA estimates

DOWNSIZING DEBT
With nine stores included in the Star Furniture project, Trio was tasked with replacing more than 11,500 75 watt PAR 38 halogen lamps. Collectively these lamps were consuming approximately 3,190,784 kWh hours per year, representing a significant portion of Star Furniture's annual electricity costs.

The newly installed 17 watt LED lamps consume up to 80% less energy than halogen alternatives and have been designed to last 50,000 hours. In addition, the new LED lamps have a color rendering index (CRI) of 85 which enhances the colors of the furniture displayed in Star's showrooms.

While the proof is in the pudding so to speak from a financial and sustainability perspective, the new LED lamps will enhance the Star Furniture stores especially the merchandise. LED delivers exceptional quality lighting in a retail environment. Accenting the quality of furniture – empathizing wood grains, turning upholstery and fabrics colors more vivid. Quality lighting has been proven to create a shopping experience that is more pleasurable and allows the customer to see the merchandise in as realistic light as possible.