faces of the future - Illuminating Engineering Society

Photos: Joseph Michael Photography
A Dealer Cashes In
Car dealers are typically responsible for promoting rebates. But this fall, Agincourt Hyundai in
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, received a rebate of its own from its local utility. Hoping to boost sales
and cut maintenance costs with the right lighting, the dealership installed LED luminaires from Cireon
in the showroom, offices, service areas and customer lounge of its new facility. Months after the installation
was complete, Ontario Power Authority toured the facility and was so impressed that it issued
Agincourt a retroactive rebate.
With help from TEC3 Innovations, an automobile dealership contracting firm, Agincourt determined
that the best method of reducing energy and maintenance costs would be to outfit its new facility with
LEDs. In the two showrooms—one for new cars and one for pre-owned vehicles—56 180-W LED highbay
luminaires were used in place of the 400-W metal halide fixtures that the owner had used at its other
dealerships. Each luminaire contains six modules of
24 Philips Luxeon LEDs and features 80-deg optics for
increased control. Neutral-white LEDs with a 75-plus
CRI were used to complement the colors and finishes
of the cars.
From an 18-ft mounting height, the luminaires deliver
95-105 footcandles of 4,100K light on the car hoods. To
maximize natural light from the expansive glass windows,
the fixtures incorporate a linear dimming
system. Unlike traditional photocells that power
on after sunlight levels peak, the linear system
begins to reduce current incrementally at the
first sign of daylight. “They read the energy
as it’s coming in, so they completely adjust to
the light on the ground,” says Cireon general
manager, Jim Dilbeck. “You can’t tell when the
increment changes.” Dilbeck estimates that of
the 18 hours the lights are on per day, they are
AGINCOURT HYUNDAI, SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO dimmed or turned off for eight hours.
The Challenge: Provide ample light for sales and service LED luminaires also save energy in the
tasks, while reducing energy and maintenance costs
offices and service areas. In the conference
The Solution: LED luminaires boost illuminance levels in room and private and open offices, 87 2-ft by
the showroom and service areas
2-ft, 60-W luminaires with 48 LEDs each were
used as an alternative to standard fluorescent troffers. The luminaires are 4,100K and deliver 55-65
fc in most of the office spaces, and as much as 95 fc in the conference room. Since the service areas
require substantial light for detailed car repair and maintenance, 30 5,700K LED high-bay luminaires
were specified. “We wanted the area to be really bright, and higher color temperature light is perceived
as brighter,” says Dilbeck. Here, the luminaires average 70 fc. In total, Cireon and TEC3 estimate that the
LED luminaires use 31,000 watts less than traditional sources.
Elizabeth Hall
TOOLS + TECHNIQUES
LD+A December 2010 37