Monser Brothers Tire Sales Inc.

“The best part is
the electricity meter is at half speed
now, sometimes
less than half when
the heater’s off and
it’s just the lights.”
Joe
Mechanic/Tire
Specialist
Project Profile
Type of Space
Auto Mechanic
&
Tire Service
Objective
Improve
lighting quality,
while reducing
energy usage
and costs.
Monser Brothers Tire Sales Inc.
Retiring Flashlights
Monser Brothers Tire Sales Inc. is
an auto mechanic and tire service
shop located in Oneonta, New York.
The store is locally owned and
operated by Jeff Gelbsman and has
been servicing vehicles for more
than 80 years.
Pat Welsh, electrical contractor for
Monser Brothers and an ally
contractor in the New York
Energy Smart Small Commercial
Lighting Program, brought to the
owners’ attention the benefits of an
energy efficient lighting upgrade.
After getting in touch with one of
the store’s owners, Jeff Gelbsman,
Dunn Electric Supply conducted a
free lighting survey. Dunn Electric
then produced an energy efficient
lighting design that provided an
overall improvement of the lighting
quality. From the survey Dunn
Electric found that light fixtures in
the auto mechanic garage and tire
The auto mechanic garage and the 400 watt metal halide HID
fixtures before undergoing the energy efficient upgrade.
Benefits
Higher Light
Levels
Instant On
High Bay
Fixtures
service garage were 400 watt metal
halide HID fixtures and eight foot,
two lamp T12 fluorescent strip
fixtures. Dunn Electric’s
recommendation to replace the
HID fixtures with six lamp
fluorescent high bay fixtures and
retrofit the strip fixtures with eight
foot, two lamp T8 strip reflector
kits resulted in an increase in light
levels while lowering the number of
watts used per fixture. Replacing
the HIDs with fluorescent high bays
resulted in more than 200 watts
saved per fixture and 100 watts
saved per fixture by retrofitting
each eight foot strip fixture.
Eliminate Costly
Metal Halide
HID Fixtures
Lower Electric
Bills
The auto mechanic garage after upgrading to 6 lamp T8
fluorescent hi-bay fixtures. These fixtures use 200 watts less
than the metal halide fixtures and provide better lighting.
Photo courtesy of MaxLite
required a flashlight or spot lighting.
Finding the right type and size of tire
is now possible without using a flashlight. “The lighting in here is 100%
•
better, even in the bathroom! We
used to need a flashlight we keep by
the door to look up tire sizes out back,
but it’s not even needed anymore. It
just sits there,” said Joe, mechanic
and tire specialist. Mechanics are also
finding it easier to work on vehicles
•
thanks to increased light levels,
increasing productivity, which
translates to higher quality work and
greater customer satisfaction.
Tire storage before T8 retrofit kit upgrades. Flashlight
needed to find correct tire sizes, labels, brands, etc.
The drop in energy usage per fixture is
reflected in the electricity bills, saving
Monser Brothers more than $3,000 annually. By switching out all T12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts, Monser Brothers avoided the hassle of trying
to replace these lamps and ballasts now
that they are no longer in production
and received $1,850 of incentive rebates
through the New York Energy Smart
Small Commercial Lighting Program.
For More Information
Tech Specs
Replacement of 400
watt metal halide
HID fixtures with
172 watt T8 fluorescent high bay
fixtures
Replacement of
T12 lamps and
magnetic ballasts
with high lumen,
long life T8 lamps
and electronic
ballasts
Dunn Electric Supply, an ally distributor •
in the New York Energy Smart Small
Commercial Lighting Program, offers
businesses free lighting surveys in order
to take advantage of the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) programs and energy-saving opportunities. Low interest
•
rate financing may be available through
the New York Energy Smart Loan
Fund Program. For more information,
contact Dunn Electric Supply at:
•
1-800-698-DUNN (3866) or visit us at
www.dunnelectricsupply.com
T12 conversion kits
use “Miro 4” 95%
reflectors. Increase
light output,
decrease amount of
energy used
•
Estimated Annual
kilowatt hours
saved compared to
pre-existing system:
23,740 kWh*
•
Estimated Annual
Energy Savings
compared to
pre-existing system:
$3,324*
The flashlight in retirement.
Not required when searching
for tires in storage anymore.
The Bottom Line
Through the simple process of
converting old fluorescent strip
fixtures into more efficient reflector
strips, Monser Brothers achieved it’s
goal of an overall improvement of
the lighting system and reducing
energy costs at the same time. By
doing so, customers and employees
Tire storage area after T8 strip reflector kit upgrades.
benefit from more light in the
garages and storage areas that once Flashlight no longer needed.
High T8 color
rendering, quick
and easy to install
Estimated Payback
period:
15.5 months*
*Savings based on 0.14 kWh
and 2,880 annual hours of
operation, excluding cost of
labor.