We have worked with several car dealerships over the years. In that span of time, we have seen every kind of car lot there is to see. From dealerships building new lots deciding to upgrade to LED lighting as a part of their construction budget and others that decide to pass on LED lighting and use older, antiquated lighting technology.
In both cases, once they do come around to the advantages of LED lighting, there’s one critical piece that dealerships (and businesses in general) overlook.
The Problem
Most of the time, when a lighting company calls upon a potential client, their focus lies in producing the biggest energy reduction they can possibly generate. This is done by replacing every light fixture on that lot with an LED fixture, citing that LED’s cut cost and there’s no reason not to replace it.
Once they have this number, they complete it with a great-looking graph that shows the type of constant savings that anyone well-versed in energy costs would have a tough time arguing. With the sole focus on ROI, the dealership signs off on the one-for-one replacement.
Fast forward 12-18 months and that same dealership reduced its energy costs but did not see a change in business. Why is that? Well, energy savings is only part of the equation when it comes to dealership lighting.
The Difference
In order to make the sale on an LED lighting solution, most lighting companies are happy to assess your current dealership and talk, in broad strokes, about an installation that merely replaces all current fixtures—a “one-to-one” replacement, as we call it. This affords them the biggest numbers in terms of savings which offers the quickest simple payback on paper.
An engineered solution developed for your dealerships offers various insights to the lighting needs of your car lot. A photometric analysis showing where your lot needs more light, where your lot does well, and how consistent your light levels are across various sections (like the front row, the interior sections, the main building, etc.) are all integral pieces to the lighting puzzle. Without this level of analysis, you might as well be working in the dark.
We develop a lighting package that balances savings with a great-looking lot. For a car dealership, lighting is a critical piece to attracting the right type of customer to your lot, getting them into a vehicle, and moving inventory off your lot. With a one-for-one replacement, there is no consideration given to where you’re directing that light, the consistency of light-levels, or even what type of LED lights would work best. Our solutions hinge on finding the answers to these questions and giving you all the information for a more informed buying decision.