Massive Beer Distribution Center Goes GREEN with U.S. made Independence LED High Bays.

GREENandSAVE Staff
Posted on Monday 27th October 2014
Reducing energy is often more cost-effective than creating renewable energy. Pennsylvania based Gretz Beer Company has set a new standard in energy-efficiency and CO2reduction for Distribution Centers with new U.S. made LED high bay fixtures from Independence LED. On October 27th, 2014 Independence LED Lighting, an award-winning U.S. manufacturer of LED tubes and high bay fixtures, announced that they have completed delivery of their energy saving LED lighting for the Gretz Beer Company in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. With its new 320,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility, Gretz has raised the bar for the beer wholesale industry. Gretz has also set a benchmark as the largest beer distribution center in the U.S. to date with American Made LED lighting. The new lighting will save Gretz over $100,000 per year and over $1 million across the long life of the LED technology. With energy-saving motion sensors, the LED energy intelligence will also reduce lifetime CO2 emissions by over 6.6 million lbs, and Gretz plans on adding solar photovoltaic panels as a further commitment to advanced technology and sustainability. See the Gretz Beer Case Study (www.independenceled.com/Gretz-Beer-Co-Case-Study). The Independence LED “Rebate Ready” high bay fixtures are Design Lights Consortium (DLC) approved on the Qualified Products List (QPL) for High Bay Rebate Eligibility (www.independenceled.com/DLC-LED-High-Bay-Fixtures). See the High Bay Specifications (www.independenceled.com/pdfs/Independence-LED-High-Bay-Data-Sheet.pdf) The facility reflects a comprehensive new design approach by Gretz to incorporate advanced technology. The Independence LED external drivers and aircraft grade aluminum heat sinks are ideal for industrial applications. Project Team: Architect: Margulies Hoelzi Architecture, PLLC – New York, NY (www.margulieshoelzli.com) General Contractor: Blue Rock Construction, Inc. – Allentown, PA (www.blrck.com) Electrical Installation: Cheran Inc Electrical Solutions – Camp Hill, PA (www.cheraninc.com) "We looked at multiple lighting companies and chose Independence LED for their product efficiency, track record of installations, cost-effective solutions, and U.S. made quality and reliability,” said Gerry Dougherty – Gretz V.P. of Operations. “We also appreciate that Independence stepped up to meet our tight delivery time frame and make some custom fixtures to meet our foot candle needs throughout the facility.” “We are very pleased with our new Independence LED lighting and believe that this was not only a great financial decision for our company, it was a decision made all the easier by the creation of U.S. jobs, and is consistent with our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Mike Gretz – Gretz Beer Company President. Mike is currently a board member of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (www.nbwa.org) and is past Chairperson of the NBWA Innovation & Technology Committee. “We applaud Gretz Beer for taking a leadership role in energy intelligence,” said Charlie Szoradi – CEO of Independence LED. “We often talk about our American Made LEDs as the workhorses or Clydesdales of the lighting industry. Since Gretz is a leading regional Anheuser-Busch wholesaler and Budweiser is such an iconic American brand, this large scale project takes a special place in our growing portfolio.” Impact across Anheuser-Busch U.S. Distributors In 2012, Independence LED provided its LED high bays for Rex Distributing Co. in Gulfport, Mississippi. The Rex distribution center is about 60,000 sq. ft. See Rex Distributing Company Case Study (www.independenceled.com/Rex-Distributing-Company-Case-Study) which is less than 20% of the size of the new Gretz facility. Impact across all types of U.S. Warehouse and Storage Facilities Independence LED helped build a mountain of energy intelligence at Gretz Beer Company, and Independence wants to help build a mountain range across other U.S. warehouse and distribution centers to foster American Energy Independence. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) there are over 597,000 Warehouse and Storage Facilities in the U.S. totaling over 10 billion sq. ft. Based on multiple different calculation paths using ASHRAE and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) data, the energy savings with LEDs for U.S. Warehouses and Storage buildings would exceed $3 billion annually and $27 billion over the long life of LED high bay fixtures. Energy efficient LED high bays would also reduce CO2 emission by over 17 million tons each year and over 155 million tons over the life of the LED industrial fixtures. With average annual energy savings of $.30 per sq. ft. from industrial LED lighting and 3.37 lbs of CO2 emission reduction per sq. ft., LEDs present the lowest hanging fruit for energy intelligence. See Support Data and Sources (www.independenceled.com/U.S.-Savings-for-Warehouses). Plus, American Made technology creates thousands of jobs and helps promote economic recovery and stability in the growing global energy economy. LED High Bay Savings Calculations If Gretz had installed commonly used 450 watt Metal Halide high bay fixtures at 24/7 hours of illumination per day (8,760h/year), each fixture would have used 3,942 kWh/year. At the average electricity rate in PA of $.12/kWh, the lighting cost would have been $473.04 per fixture per year. With high bay bulb replacement and maintenance labor costs of over $48, the annual cost would have exceeded $521 per fixture. Independence LED‘s 174 watt LED high bay fixture saves 275 watts per fixture, for over 64% savings with the reduced maintenance costs. By reducing fixture wattage from 450 to 174, the annual savings is 2,417 kWh and $290 per fixture + the $48 in reduced bulb replacement and maintenance labor for total savings of over $338 per fixture. The saving over the long 7 year life of the LEDs (8,760h/year) is $2,315 per fixture and even higher with inflation on energy. With over 300 high bays, the annual savings is over $101,400. Independence also provided on-board motion sensors for added savings and other LEDs throughout the interior and exterior. Each of the Independence LED high bays reduces CO2 emissions by 3,240 lbs per year and 22,190 over the long life of the LEDs. With over 300 fixtures, the CO2 reduction is over 972,000 lbs per year and over 6.6 million lbs over the LED life. About Gretz Beer Company: www.gretzbeer.com and www.abwholesaler.com/Group12/GretzBeer: The Gretz Beer Co. has a five generation legacy in the beer industry, dating back to the late 1800s. Brothers Rob, Steve and Mike Gretz continue the tradition of distributing, selling and marketing the “Greatest Beers of the World” to the suburban Philadelphia counties of Bucks, Berks, Montgomery and Delaware. Michael Gretz, Jr. is one of the latest additions to the team of over 120 employees, and he leads the company’s social media efforts, making the business one of just a handful in the country with five generations of active, consecutive family involvement. Gretz outgrew its space in Norristown, PA, triggering the move to its new Hatfield location. In 1881, the Gretz family opened a brewery in Philadelphia, the William Gretz Brewing Co. At its peak in 1949, it was brewing close to 250,000 barrels and had secured 5 percent of the Philadelphia beer market share. The William Gretz Brewery was eventually sold in 1961 to Esslinger, another regional brewery. In 1954, Robert J. Gretz left the family brewing business to purchase his first beer distribution company. Gretz has a long standing history of community involvement and charitable contributions, including financial donations and support for charity festivals and other events, as well as scholarship programs. About Independence LED Lighting: www.IndependenceLED.com: Independence LED Lighting, LLC, is a U.S. LED manufacturer of industry leading LED products, and was the 2013 Best Lighting Retrofit winner by the U.S. Green Building Council for the Urban Green Award. Independence LED’s founder and CEO, Charlie Szoradi, has a 100 year, four generation, history of innovation in building technologies, dating back to his great grandfather who was an engineering innovator and early patent holder. Mr. Szoradi brings the tradition of innovation, patents, and U.S. manufacturing to Independence LED and the American Energy Revolution. See: 100 Years of Family Innovation (www.independenceled.com/100-years-of-family-innovation). Source: See Gretz Beer Press Release (www.independenceled.com/Press-Release-Gretz-Beer-Distribution-Center)

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