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Walmart is making strides in its commitment to energy efficiency with LED lighting in 650 stores, in parking lots and in high efficiency pilot stores.
Cree, Inc. will be providing the LED light bulbs to replace ceramic metal halide lamps in Walmart’s produce and electronics departments. According to Cree, the new bulbs are designed to last 50,000 hours and use 82 percent less energy than the existing ceramic metal halide bulbs. Cree’s bulbs were reduce glare for customers and can last more than five years under constant operating.
This fall Walmart announced its completion of a parking lot fully lighted by LED lights at its Walmart Supercenter in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. The initiative is expected to save 48 percent of the electricity used to light the parking lot and improve visibility in all areas of the parking lot. LED lighting has been installed in other Walmart stores on the island under Walmart Puerto Rico’s Sustainable Development Program, which was launched in 2007.
On the U.S. mainland, Walmart is building new stores to high efficiency standards, which are designed to be 25 percent more efficient than Walmart’s 2005 baseline stores. The pilot stores feature efficient refrigeration systems, LED lights in refrigerated and freezer cases, daylight harvesting, white roofs, sensor-activated low-flow bathroom faucets and high efficiency toilets, and recycled materials.
LED lighting can save up to 80 percent in lighting electricity costs and are designed so the electricity used goes toward actual lighting rather than creation of heat as is the case with traditional lighting. One private company, LED Saving Solutions provides businesses of all sizes and types and property owners and lessees relief from exorbitant utility and maintenance costs associated with lighting. LED Saving Solutions provides lighting upgrades with LED lights that reduce electricity demand by up to 80 percent, allowing a business or property owner or lessee to reduce costs immediately as well as a means to reduce a facility's carbon footprint.
LED Saving Solutions has created the groundbreaking "Savings Share" program that gives property owners and managers a $0 start-up cost advantage since they only pay for the cost of the retrofit from a portion of the actual money saved each month. The program is cash flow positive from the start.
