Benefits
Welch estimates that she is saving $800 per month on her gas and electric bill when compared to what she was paying at the previous location. When compared to incumbent technologies, the new restaurant will achieve 56% in energy savings and a payback of 2.8 years.*
Since Cree LED lights are designed to be nearly maintenance free for more than a decade, A&W is saving time and money by not replacing bulbs. In addition, A&W received rebates from the local utility company, further accelerating their payback.
“Our statewide energy efficiency program, Focus on Energy, was really excited that we went with energy efficient LED products,” said Welch.
The Cree LED lights have helped improve A&W’s business too.
“We’ve seen our nighttime business improve with Cree® LED products,” said Welch.“
The Cree® LED lights create a safe and welcoming environment for our customers.” Welch has received many compliments about how wonderful the restaurant looks.
“Our old exterior lights were like spot lights ― we like Cree® LED products a lot better,” said Welch. “We are happy with how the light is precisely distributed now. It’s nice that we are not lighting the road or other properties.
”She further stated that she likes that the light is even and not visually overpowering. “Previously, we had T12 lights in the kitchen ― now with the Cree® lights, we can see while cooking, the kitchen looks clean and the whole atmosphere is happier and crisp,” said Welch.
The comments don’t stop at the kitchen. “We have received compliments that the dining room is warm and inviting – and that our parking lot looks much nicer than the typical restaurant parking lots they see,” said Welch.
*Payback and energy savings are based on the national average electricity rate, recommended maintenance schedule, and typical maintenance costs over common assessment periods (application life).