Eureka Floor Carpet One (Figure 1) sells floor coverings and performs installments to homes and commercial businesses across Humboldt County. Eureka Floor Carpet One experiences customer visits sporadically throughout the day, sometimes several hours or just a few minutes apart, so lights must remain on constantly during business hours. With the assistance of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), Eureka Floor Carpet One replaced it's old lighting system with new energy efficient lighting.[1]
Before the lighting retrofits, Eureka Floor Carpet One experimented with motion-sensing switches to save energy. Even though Eureka Floor Carpet One was saving Kilowatt-hours, they reported replacing light bulbs more frequently. Before the installment of electronic ballasts during the lighting upgrade, Eureka Floor Carpet One had magnetic ballasts. Each time an older magnetic ballasts stopped working, an electrician would have to be hired to fix it. By participating in the RCEA lighting upgrade, Eureka Floor Carpet One could replace all of the ballasts at once, with the intention of saving time and money on maintenance.[1]
Lighting Retrofits[edit | edit source]
Eureka Floor Carpet One's main purpose for performing the lighting retrofits (Figure 2) was because of the cost benefit-analysis from a small business stand point. Eureka Floor Carpet One was looking for a more energy efficient lighting system and a means to replace their older, magnetic ballast lighting system which had been less cost-effective.[1] Seventy-four retrofits were performed by the RCEA in April of 2006. A complete list of RCEA retrofits is located in the Summary of Completed Retrofits (Table 2)
Data Analysis[edit | edit source]
The RCEA provided data eight months prior to the retrofits. To calculate the yearly average energy use, the sum of the energy used eight months prior to retrofits was divided by eight and multiplied by twelve. This number was subtracted from the sums of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 years to find average annual energy savings. This number for average annual energy savings was used in further calculations including energy savings, cost savings, carbon-dioxide savings, and simple payback.
| Table 1 | RCEA Estimate | Actual Result (2007-2008) | Actual Result (2008-2009) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Savings (Kwh/year) | 14,321 | 1,533 | 232 |
| Energy Cost Savings (Dollars/month) | 185.50 | 12.50 | |
| Energy Cost Savings (Dollars/year) | 2,226.00 | 149.96 | |
| CO2 Savings (Pounds/year) | 7,447 | 1,532.50 | 231.50 |
| Simple Payback (years) | 1.5 | 41 | (no payback) |
Energy Saved[edit | edit source]
After the retrofits, Eureka Floor Carpet One experienced a twenty-one percent energy reduction during the 2007-2008 year and a three percent energy reduction during the 2008-2009 year. According to Yearly Energy Savings Comparison graph (Figure 3), Eureka Floor Carpet One used less energy during the 2007-2008 year directly following the lighting retrofits. The year after, however, Eureka Floor Carpet One experienced an increase in energy use due to the business's change in habits. This increase in energy use can be attributed to more reported lighting use in Eureka Floor Carpet One's warehouse beginning the 2008-2009 year.
Money Saved[edit | edit source]
According to Cost Savings Comparison for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 Years graph (Figure 4), Eureka Floor Carpet One experienced the most cost savings during the 2007-2008 year directly following the retrofits. Even though total energy was reduced during the 2008-2009 year, Eureka Floor Carpet One did not save money as compared to the yearly average savings. These savings are lower than the RCEA projected savings of $2,226.00 dollars per year.
Simple Payback[edit | edit source]
Simple payback is the amount of time required to accumulate savings equal to the initial cost of the retrofits. Simple Payback is represented in the Eureka Floor Carpet One Yearly Savings and Simple Payback table (Table 1). Initial installation cost of $6,149.99 was divided by the yearly energy savings for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 years. If Eureka Floor Carpet One followed energy use for the 2007-2008 year, simple payback would occur in forty-one years as compared to RCEA projected one-and-one-half years. If Eureka Floor Carpet One followed energy use for the 2008-2009 year, simple payback would not occur because no money was saved during the 2008-2009 year.
RCEA Projected Savings Versus Actual Savings[edit | edit source]
Eureka Floor Carpet One Yearly Savings and Simple Payback table (Table 1) lists the projected and actual savings for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 years. All savings projected by the RCEA were overestimated because they were based the conjecture that Eureka Floor Carpet One would continue with the same energy use habits as the year 2006. Eureka Floor Carpet One did not follow energy use habits from 2006 and consequently, the RCEA's projections were lower than actual savings.
Effects of Retrofits[edit | edit source]
Customer Satisfaction[edit | edit source]
Eureka Floor Carpet One expressed satisfaction with their overall experience with the RCEA staff and contractors. Eureka Floor Carpet One believed that analysis took longer to complete than the expected amount of time.[1] Without the proposal from the RCEA, Eureka Floor Carpet One expected to have completed the same lighting upgrade after a period of one and a half years or longer.[1]
Future Upgrades[edit | edit source]
Eureka Floor Carpet One has no more lighting available for upgrade, but has expressed interest in both solar electric and solar heating retrofits.[1]
Summary of Completed Retrofits[edit | edit source]
Table 2. Complete list of lighting retrofits at Eureka Floor Carpet One| Location | Pre Retrofit | Post Retrofit | Installation Cost | Annual Projected Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tile Area | Four 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) | Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) | $228.04 | $138.88 |
| Restroom Hall | One Incadescent A19 Lamp (60 watts) | One Compact Fluorescent Lamp (13 watts) | $13.07 | $16.00 |
| Kitchen/Break Room | Two Incandescent A19 Lamps (60 watts) | Two Compacts Fluorescent Lamps (13 watts) | $2.14 | $4.57 |
| Area Rug Room | Eight 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) | Eight 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) | $456.08 | $198.40 |
| Laminate/Tile Area | Sixteen 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) | Sixteen 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) | $848.00 | $238.08 |
| Restroom (M/F) | Two Incandescent A19 Lamps (60 watts) | Two Compact Fluorescent Lamps (13 watts) | $26.14 | $4.57 |
| Laminate/Hardwood Area | Eleven 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) 12 and Five 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (60 watts) | Eleven 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) and Five 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) | $939.11 | $241.49 |
| Displays | Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) and One 8' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (60 watts) and Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) | Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) and One 8' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (59 watts) and Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (33 watts) | $347.74 | $79.99 |
| Carpet Roll Area/Back Showroom | Fifteen 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) and Two Metal Halide Lamps (400 watts) One 8' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (60 watts) | Fifteen 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) and Two 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) and One 8' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (59 watts) | $1218.52 | $323.16 |
| Shelly's Office | Four 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (40 watts) | Four 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) | $228.04 | $193.44 |
| Mail Machine Room | One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (40 watts) | One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (32 watts) | $46.96 | $1.95 |
| Mike's Office | One 4' Fluorescent 12 Lamp (40 watts) | One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (32 watts) | $57.01 | $35.96 |
| Back Warehouse Exterior | Two Halogen lights (300 watts) | One Compact Fluorescent Lamp (42 watts) | $92.53 | $164.66 |
| Back Warehouse | One Halogen Light (300 watts) and Six 8' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamps (60 watts) and One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (40 watts) and One 6' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (55 watts) and One Metal Halide Lamp and One Incandescent A19 Lamp (60 watts) and One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 12 Lamp (40 watts) | One Compact Fluorescent Lamp (42 watts) and Six 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamps (32 watts) and One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (32 watts) and One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (32 watts) and One Compact Fluorescent Lamp (13 watts) and One 4' Tubular Fluorescent 8 Lamp (32 watts) | $1215.86 | $495.53 |
| Main Building Exterior | One Mercury Vapor Lamp (175 watts) | One Compact Fluorescent Lamp (65 watts) | $65.13 | $89.35 |
| Lamp and Ballast Disposal | N/A | 200 4' lamps and recycle non PCB ballast and 8' lamps | $241.92 | $0.00 |
References[edit | edit source]
Helpful Links
[edit | edit source]
- Eureka Floor Carpet One website
- Pacific Gas and Electric Website
- Redwood Coast Energy Authority Website
- Compact Fluorescent Lighting
- U.S. Department of Energy Website on Solar Electric Power
- U.S. Department of Energy Website on Solar Heating
- U.S. Department fo Energy Website on High-Intensity Discharge Lighting